EGU Guest blogger

The Norwegian Polar Institute

Ashley Morris June 18, 2021

Spot the glaciologists! Norwegian Polar Institute researchers work on the highly crevassed surface of the fast-flowing glacier Kronebreen, near Ny-Ålesund, in northwestern Spitsbergen. Credit: Elvar Ørn Kjartansson, Norsk Polarinstitutt.

It is a pleasure for the EGU Cryoblog team to present a new post category: Cryo-institutes around the world! There are many institutes working on cryosphere-related research spread around the world. The aim of this new category is to highlight the cool research that is carried out at these institutes, showing off our multi-faceted cryo-related science. In this opening post, Ashley Morris will pres ...[Read More]

Cryo Careers: Should I stay, or should I go? Non-linear career paths

Jenny Turton June 11, 2021

Nature is chaotic and random. Non-linear processes take place in our oceans, atmosphere and ice. No two snowflakes are the same, so why would two careers be the same? In this week’s blog, we highlight a number of scientists who took non-linear routes in their careers and give you some advice if you are considering a career change. Why do we need to highlight different career paths? From a young ag ...[Read More]

Life on the (Ice) Edge: Antarctic Seabirds and Sea Ice

Eleanor Maedhbh Honan June 4, 2021

Figure 1. Antarctic seabird use of marginal sea ice environments and primary productivity. Credits: Ellie Honan

The vast expanse of Antarctic sea-ice may appear inhospitable at first, but the region supports one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Amongst the organisms that call Antarctica home, certain seabird species have become so well adapted to the harsh conditions that they not only survive in the region, but flourish. Like all Antarctic organisms, seabirds are intricately linked to the contin ...[Read More]

Image of the Week – Did you know that Arctic sea ice is melting from the bottom?

David Docquier May 28, 2021

The current retreat of Arctic sea ice is a major sign of ongoing climate changes. And it could almost disappear during summer in a few decades from now, depending on the amount of greenhouse gases we will emit into the atmosphere. In this context, understanding what are the exact causes of this sea-ice loss is important. One of these causes is the amount of heat transported by the ocean (which dep ...[Read More]

It’s not you, it’s me(lange): ice shelf break-up triggered by mélange and sea-ice loss

Jenny Arthur May 21, 2021

Fig. 1. Mélange (a mixture of calved icebergs, sea ice and material) in Porpoise Bay, East Antarctica, located ~100 km east of Voyeykov Ice Shelf [Credit: NASA Operation IceBridge].

Between March and May 2007, a total of ~2,445 km2 (equivalent to over 17 football pitches) of ice mélange (a mixture of sea-ice types, icebergs and snow) and part of Voyeykov Ice Shelf in East Antarctica rapidly broke up. Observations of the timing and triggers of such events are relatively rare in East Antarctica, compared to ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. Recent work highlights the impo ...[Read More]

Women of Cryo III: Women monitoring the Peruvian glaciers

Mónica Alejandra Gomez Correa May 14, 2021

The ruins of a hidden majestic city as Machupicchu in Peru immediately call for our attention. However, there are far more beautiful attractions found hidden amongst the landscape, such as the glaciers, high mountains or the cultural heritage in the area. In South America, glacial bodies are geographically restricted to the Andes, the mountain range that runs across the continent from the tropics ...[Read More]

The “Cliffs Notes” on Ice-Cliff Failure

Anna Crawford May 6, 2021

An ice cliff above the ocean adjacent to Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. Credits: NASA Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The retreat of large glaciers that drain the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets could expose immense ice-cliffs at newly-bared calving faces, which are the exposed ends of glaciers where, in these cases, glacier ice meets the ocean. Past a certain height, these ice cliffs will become susceptible to collapsing from high stresses, a process known as structural ice-cliff failure. If a taller ice clif ...[Read More]

Introducing TJ Young, our new early-career representative for the cryo-division of the EGU!

TJ Young April 23, 2021

This is me, exploring the Greenland Ice Sheet!

Every two years, the Cryospheric Sciences division of the European Geophysical Union (EGU) elects a new representative for its early-career scientists. Starting in April 2021, Tun Jan (TJ) Young will take over the role from Jenny Turton, who is the outgoing representative. TJ shares a bit about himself and how his previous leadership experience aligns with the goals of EGU’s early career scientist ...[Read More]

Cryo tips to make the most of vEGU21

Jenny Turton & T.J. Young April 16, 2021

Similar to last year, this year’s annual general assembly is fully virtual. But unlike last year, the in-person experience is back! There are short courses, networking events and a website which looks just like the real Vienna Conference Centre. So go and buy yourself a Viennese Sachertorte, brew a batch of coffee and take 5 minutes to look at our top recommendations for vEGU21. vEGU21 – wha ...[Read More]

On snowmelt, water security, and a warming climate – Why solution-oriented research matters, now more than ever

Francesco Avanzi & Tessa Maurer April 9, 2021

1 April 2015: for the first time on record, the chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys, Frank Gehrke, had no snow to measure at the Phillips Snow Course near Lake Tahoe at the end of the winter. This was in some ways unsurprising, as California had been in a drought since 2012. But drought was nothing new in the state, and this was the first time on record that snow was completely absent ...[Read More]