Fri, April 10, 2026
1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
291 Mendenhall Lab
Title: Mountain Glacier Mayhem: Dramatic variations in Alaskan glacier snow melt and speed
Abstract:
Mass loss from mountain glaciers is one of the primary drivers of sea level rise over the last ~3 decades. Models project that the global glacier mass loss rate should remain relatively constant throughout the rest of the century, but the accuracy of these projections depends on whether they capture the primary controls on glacier mass. This presentation will focus on observed variations in glacier snow snow cover and flow speed at seasonal to decadal timescales and how the complicated relationships between glacier melt and speed are problematic for glacier models.