CR
Cryospheric Sciences

Fieldwork

Current challenges: high-altitude Chilean glacier monitoring in an extended drought

Current challenges: high-altitude Chilean glacier monitoring in an extended drought

Central Chile has been facing a long dry period since 2010, marked by a high mean precipitation deficit, a so-called Mega Drought (MD) (Garreaud et al., 2019). This, besides long-term temperature increase (Burger et al., 2018; Falvey & Garreaud, 2009), has affected negatively the glaciers’ mass balance in the region mainly due to low snow …[Read More]

Icy fieldwork: real or April Fool’s?

Icy fieldwork: real or April Fool’s?

Those of us fortunate to participate in cryo-fieldwork are well aware of the unique, hilarious, and sometimes bizarre scenarios that we often find ourselves in. For this year’s April Fool’s Day, the EGU Cryosphere Blog team shares crazy anecdotes, with a catch: one of these stories is fake! Are you able to tell fact from …[Read More]

Cryo-adventures – Undertaking Cryo-Fieldwork in a Global Pandemic!

Cryo-adventures – Undertaking Cryo-Fieldwork in a Global Pandemic!

Have you ever wondered what undertaking cryo-fieldwork in a glacial environment typically involves? Well, what about undertaking cryo-fieldwork in a glacial environment during a global pandemic?! Read on to find out all about the challenges I faced on my recent trip to Iceland in July 2021… Fieldwork Preparation As this previous blog post highlights, undertaking …[Read More]

Re-discovering the British North Greenland Expedition 1952-54

Re-discovering the British North Greenland Expedition 1952-54

How did we (nearly) all forget about, or simply overlook, a large-scale two-year long mid-20th Century scientific expedition to the northern Greenland Ice Sheet? Particularly an expedition that kick-started some significant glaciological and geophysical careers, developed large-scale polar logistical capabilities, traversed the ice sheet, acquired some novel and critical data, and asked some big research …[Read More]

Running a live stream of proglacial processes

Running a live stream of proglacial processes

In Switzerland, nothing is really remote, but some places are more so than others. Dense infrastructure networks typically provide convenient access to research sites in the Alps where it is difficult to feel far away from home. However, this is not always the case… For us, our home for the summer is a bit different. …[Read More]

Life of a scientist: When fieldwork doesn’t go to plan…

Life of a scientist: When fieldwork doesn’t go to plan…

Climate research questions tend to focus on the future. What will global temperature be in 2100? Will extreme weather events become more frequent? When will sea level rise render coastal homes uninhabitable? But our understanding of climate processes first comes from observing the past: palaeoclimatology. To get these records, scientists often go on fieldwork to …[Read More]

Cryo-adventures – Behind the scenes of cryo-fieldwork

Cryo-adventures – Behind the scenes of cryo-fieldwork

As the Arctic is warming faster than the global average, Arctic glaciers are rapidly melting. My research is about the fate of glacial organic carbon when the ice containing it melts. To investigate these processes, I travelled to several glaciers, an activity full of challenges… and rewards! My research Glacier ice covers about 11% of …[Read More]