https://elizabeth.earth Elizabeth Case Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:31:59 +0000 https://elizabeth.earth en https://elizabeth.earth/Reading-Home Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:49:47 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/Reading-Home Currently... Midwestern Death Trip&nbsp;- Meaghan Garvey G - John BergerPedro Páramo&nbsp;- Juan Rulfo ︎The Swarm - Frank Schwätzing︎Divine Comedy - Dante (BBC full cast version) {&nbsp;2026 Reading List } {&nbsp;2025 Reading List } {&nbsp;2024 Reading List } {&nbsp;2023 Reading List } {&nbsp;Bookshelf } https://elizabeth.earth/2026-Reading-List Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:31:59 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/2026-Reading-List 2026 Reading List SeptemberPractice&nbsp;Rosalind Brown AugustTaiwan Travelogue Yáng Shuāng-zi ︎I Am You Victoria Redel The Forgery Ave Barrera - a self indulgent romp, as in Barrera wrote exactly whatever story he wanted to write, absurd and lavish, and that made it a joy to read. It doesn’t try to be anything more. José Federico Burgos is hired to forge a mysterious painting by the absurdly wealthy Horacio. Mega wealthy house with a hot mom. Dad ends up being a houseless guy who saves Jose from more pain. You can write what you wanna write! The Wall Marlen Haushofer One Sun Only Camille BordasJuly Ink Blood Sister Scribe The Lighthouse Virginia Woolf June ︎ War and Peace Leo Tolstoy MaySunbirth An Yu Elementals AS ByattAprilInfomacracy Malka OlderCities of Salt Abdulrahman Munif MarchThousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet David Mitchell - Dejima &amp; Nagasaki during the Napoleonic wars makes for a fascinating location, but can’t say I’d recommend this book, see, e.g., the comically evil baby eater villain ???? (sorry for the spoiler) The Glass Bead Game Herman Hesse&nbsp; February ︎Polostan Neal Stephenson - I usually like Stephenson but I got real bored by this quasi-historical early 20th centruy tale of the grooming of a KGB spy The Labyrinth: A Novel Burhan Sönmez The Golden Road William Dalrymple - really an academic history text; fascinating and detailed overview of 2000 years of Indian history and the influence southeast Asia had locally and on the Ottoman Empire, China, Rome, and southern Europe ︎Rose/House Arkady Martine The Waves Extinguish the Wind Boris and Arkady Strugatsky January The Possessed Elif Batuman - a hilarious collection of essays from the Batuman about her PhD in Russian Literature; highly recommend, especially if you’re in academia. One of my favorite essay writers of our time --&gt; subscribe to her newsletter. ︎The White Road: A Pilgrimage of Sorts Edmund de Waal - like every other millenial, I am an aspiring potter, but I am also geology-adjacent and huge nerd so loved de Waal’s foray into the geology and social history of porcelain. A well-written travelogue (though at times his white british priviledge could use some introspection, especially in the beginning) that shows de Waal’s dedication both to craft and to really understanding the lineage he’s a part of. Covenant of Water Abraham Verghese - tale of a Christian family in Kerala, didn’t do much for me, read for a book club and struggled through, reall hit you over the head with its themes, badly needed to be edited down https://elizabeth.earth/2025-Reading-List Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:23:09 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/2025-Reading-List 2025 Reading ListJanuary Chess Story Stefan Zweig&nbsp;- short novella, gripping despite the somewhat unlikely premise, decent fall at the end, characters were a little overdrawn, writing style was simple and effective, very effective use of narrator as tool Howl’s Moving Castle Diana Wynn Jones - because I rewatched the Miyazaki film; much more heternormative and less about freedom, wonder, and finding oneself than the movie FebruaryMidnight’s Children Salman Rushdie - not a hot take, but loved Midnight’s Children. the language, the shape of the narrative, the scope of the characters, the humor, the integration of a horrendous and enormous historical event into something chaotic and violent but not overreaching. I think about it a lot. March︎Rakesfall Vajra Chandrasekera - listened on audiobook, bought the paperback immediately. inventive novel&nbsp; interweaving myth, technology, relationship, and what it means to be a being across vast scales of time, space, and consciousness. not at all similar but still reminded me of This Is How You Lose the Time War April - July&nbsp;Lost to time&nbsp;August The Saint of Bright Doors Vajra Chandrasekera - an interesting premise, and a good character, but didn’t quite land for me, very much a debut novel, bought because his second (Rakesfall, see above) was transcendentTeaching a Stone to Talk Annie Dillard&nbsp;- I’ve returned to this essay collection many times. I read and taught from “An Expedition to the Pole” on the icefield. SeptemberA Memory Called Empire&nbsp;Arkady Martine - second time reading this book, a tremendously fun space opera based on Byzantine politics where a poem can topple a dynasty Burntcoat Sarah Hall - did nothing for me The Last Samurai Helen DeWitt - I fucking love this book. Uh, I dunno what can be said that hasn’t. DeWitt takes on language, motherhood, genius, agency in this story about a (genius?) mother and her (genius?) son, using an improbable premise that not just works, but is the only way this story could be told. Somehow the complexity doesn’t slow down the reading. Wanted to start again as soon as I finished. Love all of DeWitt’s pettiness and vendettas.&nbsp; October Calculation of Volume I &amp; II&nbsp;Solvej Balle - read the first two in this series about a woman who gets stuck in a day while going to the hospital with my dad and playing Zelda, both of which somehow exactly mirrored the Groundhog day experience of the narrator. No idea how she’s going to land these, but really enjoyed reading these, like drinking an excellent cup of coffee, they set out to do something and did it very well November Calculation of Volume III&nbsp;Solvej Balle - I don’t know how I feel about the introduction of new characters, but also something needed to happen (I think?) to add more than just interior tension to the story. Not as good as the first two, but still very enjoyable to read.︎Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago Octavia Butler - I listened to Butler’s Lillith Brood out of order on accident (Imago, Dawn, Adulthood), so the stories are one now. As with other Butler I’ve read, these are bursting with ideas about how to be, what could be, what it means to live a meaningful life with limited choices, etc, but I also find the writing/plotting to be a little stilted, so actually audio was a great way to take these in.&nbsp; December Ways of Seeing&nbsp;John Berger - had read the book in piecemeal but never all at once; also watched the 4-part BBC series from the 70s; a reference I return to often. House of Days House of Nights&nbsp;Olga Tokarczuk - similar to reading Kavalier and Clay, I constantly was looking things up to see if they were real or not. really savored my time with this one, my first Tokarczuk︎Sea People&nbsp;Christina Thompson - an interesting history of Polynesia, navigation, mapmaking, and colonisation, with facts and incidents and people I still think about. But it went on a bit and the tone alternated between between extremely personal and conversational and quite dry, and could have been edited down. Perhaps this would have been better as a book where I could skim more︎The Mysterious Affair at Styles&nbsp;Agatha Christie - great romp to listen to while recaulking the bathroom but yeah Christie’s antisemistism and racism does come through on this one TOAF Renee Gladman - love how Gladman thinks, big fan, though her prose doesn’t always work for me, but took a lot from this autobiographical-ish novella about letting go of a story that doesn’t work Washington Square Henry James - read some Henry James after listening to Renee Gladman talk about how much inspiration she gets from him. I looked out for his sentences. Someone help me appreciate him more? Daisy Miller Henry James - same as aboveDid not finish Solenoid&nbsp;Mircea Cărtărescu - the world building and linguistic faculties are immense, but I struggled to get through this book; it’s density defeated me about halfway through. perhaps will return again. Still working The Two Worlds of Andrew Wyeth - picked this up at random from my parent’s house and absolutely floored by this interview and Wyeth’s articulation of his process: how he sees, draws, paints, and thinks; his compassion and relationships with people and place are obvious in his oeuvre and on each canvas. I went to see the Wyeth foundation on November and seeing his paintings in person was a quasi-religious experience https://elizabeth.earth/2024-Reading-List Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:48:57 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/2024-Reading-List 2024 Reading List January ︎Provenance Ann Leckie ︎The Empire of Gold S. A. Chakraborty The Deluge Stephen Markley - terrible book to read while writing a thesis on glaciers and ice sheets; resented how he portrays the life of scientists; the desperation and movements feel relatively fully realized, but odd how little of the rest of the world plays into the book. i wouldn’t read it again, or necessarily recommend it. but a useful work of climate fiction. February ︎Translation State Ann Leckie ︎Ancillary Mercy&nbsp;Ann Leckie American War Omar El Akkad - while the future itself feels unlikely, the characters and focus is brutal and thorough, chilling and fully humanized&nbsp; March Martyr! Kaveh Akbar - sort of a quintissential first novel, some gorgeous language, a few thouroughly realized characters, but stilted in its portrayal of parenthood, and many times the characterization felt awkward through a sort of arbitrary addition of traits, stated but never played out, or added to make the character seem more interesting. kind of a predictable plot. loved the last chapter, and want to know when in the process it was written. The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin - second or third time reading, that, along with moving to the Netherlands as an immigrant and watching Shogun, make for an incredible reflection on identity, alienation, assimilation, language and translation, love, and culture April The Tale of Genji Murasaki Shikibu&nbsp;the abridged version, translated by Edward Seidensticker May Frogs Mo Yan&nbsp; Windup Girl Paolo Bacigalupi&nbsp; when I sing, mountains dance Irene Solá JuneGiovanni’s Room James Baldwin JulyThe Door Magda Szabo&nbsp;Essays II Lydia Davis ︎Miracle of Mindfulness Thích Nhất Hạnh August Circe Madeline Miller Maus Art Spiegelman&nbsp; Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl SeptemberGreek Lessons Han Kang October, November, DecemberThe Odyssey&nbsp;Homer (Emily Wilson translation)&nbsp;Orbital Samantha Harvey Intermezzo Sally Rooney - my first Sally Rooney. Enjoyed! Do not know much about Wittgenstein or chess! Characters were compliated, flawed, and evolving. https://elizabeth.earth/2023-Reading-List Sun, 11 Jun 2023 03:19:58 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/2023-Reading-List 2023 Reading List January Pegasus in Flight Anne Mcaffery - what a waste Spirit and Stone Marion Boatwright&nbsp; Fevered Star Rebecca Roanhorse&nbsp; February The View From the Seventh Layer&nbsp;Kevin Brockmeier&nbsp; Babel RF Kuang&nbsp; How to Loiter in a Turf War Coco Solid&nbsp; March Story of a Brief Marriage Anuk Arudpragasm&nbsp; The Unbroken CL Clark&nbsp; The Great Derangement Amitav Ghosh&nbsp; Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City Russell Shorto April A Closed and Common Orbit Becky Chambers To Be Taught, if Fortunate Becky Chambers&nbsp; May Calamaties Renee Gladman - whew !! Ordinairy Notes Christina Sharpe- *and* the formatting *chef’s kiss* June Akata Warrior Nnedi Okorafor My Volcano John Elizabeth Stintzi&nbsp; July The Wind’s Twelve Quarters Ursula K. LeGuin - love UKLG but this was not her strongestLuster&nbsp;Raven Leilani - willing to bet her next book is going be 5/5 August A Painter of Our Time John Berger - a gorgeous and painful read about art, hope, loneliness, and purpose; the format would be trite if it wasn’t so effective Last Notes Granta, edited by Sigrid Rausing - especially loved Cairo Song by Wiam El-Tamami How It Feels to Float&nbsp;Helena Fox - devoured in a night; one of the only books I've ever read that adequately describes dissociation September The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier &amp; Clay Michael Chabon - historical detail so exact I found I couldn’t tell the difference between reality and fiction ︎Beowolf: A New Translation Maria Dahvana Headley- maybe this shouldn’t have been my first introduction to beowolf. while i loved her text about her translation choices, i personally found some of the modernisms to be distracting to the point of triteness (”broooo”) The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri- I have a feeling this is one I’ll have to let simmer and return to. some of the chapters I loved. Her characters are seamless. everyone’s motivations as clear or as opaque as any living person, always with a reason or a context. I felt Sonia was sold a little short in the telling and could have been given more depth without taking up more space. Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus - just... so over the top... kept being taken out of time by conversations and word choice... clear the author didn’t have any sense of what scientific research actually entailed... a quick read but also could have been cut by a third and tightened significantly Nona the Ninth Tasmyn Muir - this way exceeded my expectations. loved the worldbuilding. masterfully done ‘amnesia’. I loved Nona’s point of view and Muir’s description of her innocence and love without any pedantry, pity, or simpleness. john’s dreams were a little over the top for me.&nbsp;October The Hurricane Wars&nbsp;Thea Guanzon - needed a fun, easy read for my honeymoon. this fit the bill! a debut for sure - lots to tighten - but fun world building︎Agency William Gibson - just a redux of the Peripheral Camp Zero&nbsp;Michelle Min Sterling&nbsp;- there seems to be this trend in cli-fi right now where novels don’t get the editing they need. This includes poorly researched descriptions of science-related topics—e.g., the meteorologist gets a message titled “Absolute Zero” and makes a big deal of how that term is only used by other meteorologists, even though Kelvin is used across most scientific disciplines. The haracters felt loose, the structure felt haphazard. It’s a bummer! Camp Zero had an interesting premise and some exciting points of view; with more editing, it could have been fantastic, instead, it was middling and disengaged. November ︎Old Path White Clouds Thich Nhat Hanh&nbsp;- I listened to this over the course of many months, on late night walks with my dog. I finished it just after she passed. No way to rate this, really. Peaceful and meditative, this relates the mostly mytholigized life of the Buddha, teaching, of course, as he livesSatanic Verses&nbsp;Salman Rushdie - immediately began rereading it, perhaps a first, here are some useful notes to have alongside. December Snake Agent&nbsp;Liz Williams - read while isolating wtih Covid. superb world building and fun heaven/earth/hell relations! everything else was just okayAnicllary Justice&nbsp;Ann Leckie - a political and nuanced work of science fiction that takes place mostly internaly and through the memories of an AI locked into a single body. Immediately pops to the top of my sci-fi recommendation list, with . https://elizabeth.earth/Bookshelf Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:50:44 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/Bookshelf Bookshelf a forever list of books I want to read, have read, or have started but are not currently working on, some of which I own, in no order at all Seiobo There Below - Lásló Krasznahorkai Goldfish and Concrete - Maartje Wortel Well Then There Now - Juliana Spahr Gitanjali - Rabindranath Tagore Snow Country - Yasunari Kawabata Rashoman and Other Stories - Ryūnosuke Akutagawa The Anthropologists - Asegül SavaşThe Fall of Language in the Age of English - Minae Mizumura The Storyteller - Walter Benjamin Sound and Sentiment - Steven Feld Brief History of Seven Killings - Marlon James The Suicide Museum - Ariel Dorfman The Employees - Olga Ravn Geisha in Rivalry - Nagai Kafu Essays One - Lydia Davis* Solenoid - Mircea Cărtărescu *Staying with the Trouble - Donna Haraway Facing Gaia - Bruno Latour Breasts and Eggs - Mieko Kawakami Black Reconstruction in America - W.E.B. Du Bois Foucalt’s Pendulum - Umberto Eco* A Brief History of Seven Killings - Marlon James *Teaching to Transgress - bell hooks War in the Land of Egypt - Yusuf Al-Qa’id A Captive Spirit: Selected Poems - Marina Tsvetaeva * Working - Studs Terkel * The Crying Book - Heather Christle On Ugliness - Umberto Eco *Infowhelm - Heather Houser*Cosmicomics - Italo Calvino Baburnama - Babur Ladivine - Marie NDiaye There is no Antimemetics Divison - qtmn *The Monkey’s Wrench - Primo Levi Bog Queen - Anna North Glorious Exploits - Ferdia Lennon Horse Crazy - Gary Indiana * The Living - Annie Dillard Light Years - James Salter Consuelo - George Sand* Arctic Dreams - Barry Lopez Weak Planet - Wai Chee Dimock *︎The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion*The Human Argument - Agnes Denes * Event Factory - Renee Gladman Interview by Werner Herzog and Paul Krugmen Human Acts - Han Kang Chaucer - Marion TurnerNever Any End to Paris, The Illogic of Kassel, and Mac and his Problem - Enrique Vila-Matas * Life with Picasso - Françoise Gilot State of Wonder - Ann Patchett * Essays Two - Lydia Davis *read pieces of, or read long ago https://elizabeth.earth/About Thu, 29 Sep 2022 16:22:32 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/About <img width="2749" height="4013" width_o="2749" height_o="4013" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/67b89cf43b0da2e67da2f733f8196a9ccbcf3a687e878f4e03e7885590a4f332/no-bg-picture.png" data-mid="251765252" border="0" data-scale="29" data-icon-mode src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/67b89cf43b0da2e67da2f733f8196a9ccbcf3a687e878f4e03e7885590a4f332/no-bg-picture.png" />I am a genderfluid scientist, writer, and artist living1 between glaciated, deglaciated, and flood-prone landscapes. I write an intermittent newsletter called Process Pending about art-science, academia, &amp; glaciers and am 1/4&nbsp;Glacial Hauntologies, an art-science collective. As a glaciologist, I study how ice forms2, flows3, and disappears4 using radar, satellites, computational models, and historical records. As an artist and writer, I am interested in how intra-action and diffraction—the reading and doing of disciplines through each other—prompts different lines of understanding, connection, or response than their doing alone. I received my Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2024. A copy of my PhD thesis, Ice Formation, Deformation, and Disappearance, can be found here. I worked as a postodoctoral researcher at IMAU (Utrecht University) on Greenland surface processes from 2024-2026. I have worked on and with glaciers in Alaska, Wyoming, and Antarctic. I now work as an independent researcher working across the natural sciences, arts, and humanities. Currently, I’m creating and processing an archive of the Juneau Icefield Research Program to improve 20th century glacier and climate reconstructions in SE Alaska.&nbsp;I am actively seeking collaborations and funding for the following projects:︎ the impact of Experiments in Art and Technology on scientific and engineering output (patents, journals, etc) ︎ Dutch art-science collaborations between 1960 and 1980︎ Ūkichiro Nakaya’s relationship to art, writing, and film; translating his writing; his relationship to his daughter, the fog sculptor Fujiko Nakaya︎ glaciers as boundary objects, as extinction-defying, as charismatic megafauna, as monument builders, as embodied memoryIf you’re looking for an expert on glaciers, polar-related climate-crisis impacts, or scientific context for art related to ice, I am available for freelance work in Europe and the U.S. I have advised on glacier-related short films, reviewed books related to Antarctica, taught numerous classes and workshops on earth science and art-science, written essays for polar-related art exhibitions, and collaborated with artists for exhibitions and publications.My CV was up-to-date once upon a time, and can be found here. [1]: I am currently based in the Netherlands [2]: From the moment a snowflake touches down on the surface of a glacier, it begins a process of transformation. Fresh snow, made up of single-grained snowflakes, is compacted into glacial ice by the weight of subsequent snowfall, and by sintering, grain boundary sliding, and diffusion . At first, snow grains accommodate the stress through mechanical failure and by changing their shapes and positions. Fragile, dendritic structures on the edges of snowflakes break off, and grains round into lower free energy configurations. Rounded grains slip into air pockets. As time passes, increasing overburden* pressure causes the grains to merge together, large grains absorbing small ones. As ice grains squeeze and grow into all the available pore space, grains trap air bubbles and cut them off from the atmosphere, preserving records of climate conditions. *The term "overburden" implies too great of a load to bear, and it is, for a single snowflake. But it is precisely this stress that creates a glacier. Stress is a catalyst for transformation. [3]: As and after ice forms, gravity pulls on the body of the glacier; ice flows under its own weight, becoming a viscous river that meanders from high elevations toward the sea level. Along the way, various other forces act on the ice. This stress history can be written into the ice in the orientation and configuration of its molecular structure.[4]: Flowing toward sea level, ice either makes it to the ocean where it goes afloat and calves off icebergs into the sea, or reaches a lower elevation where the air is warmer, snowfall lower, and the glacial ice melts away. Fragments of Knowing adapted from Katherine McKittrick, irregularly updated, these objects, references, readings, poems, images, and notes are temporaly situated, a way of remembering process, conveying how knowledge and learning are knotted and cyclical, what’s currently informing or inspiring my thinking, and/or what I am currently thinking about or making <img width="668" height="836" width_o="668" height_o="836" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4f4059afa4d3efd35261800591bf25120010e2457c2beda228638f5a116dc37b/stoned_moon_rauschenberg.jpg" data-mid="196849358" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/668/i/4f4059afa4d3efd35261800591bf25120010e2457c2beda228638f5a116dc37b/stoned_moon_rauschenberg.jpg" /> <img width="2142" height="2856" width_o="2142" height_o="2856" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b94f4a17e12077b23f8a092855ec4d2731c648ee09d37e714263066626d58f05/IMG_0494.png" data-mid="208004013" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b94f4a17e12077b23f8a092855ec4d2731c648ee09d37e714263066626d58f05/IMG_0494.png" /> <img width="1989" height="1302" width_o="1989" height_o="1302" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1c33ad9671b1d96cd5a8b4aaa2c135c14cc07472f9e0266a9e2f505bc99e8388/frag19.png" data-mid="181587240" border="0" alt="all the numbers and text from McMurdo" data-caption="all the numbers and text from McMurdo" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1c33ad9671b1d96cd5a8b4aaa2c135c14cc07472f9e0266a9e2f505bc99e8388/frag19.png" /> <img width="750" height="1125" width_o="750" height_o="1125" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/de2bb0e4066309eae2adca15297b1c7107dc782fc87a686f08129e7ed943430a/frag20.png" data-mid="181587239" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/de2bb0e4066309eae2adca15297b1c7107dc782fc87a686f08129e7ed943430a/frag20.png" /> <img width="1300" height="977" width_o="1300" height_o="977" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7931d8402b4b4f5d07a46aa68aa2c39bb383c36b977efcb7acc2d982cc6bfa68/frag11.png" data-mid="181587250" border="0" alt="Gego at the Guggenheim" data-caption="Gego at the Guggenheim" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7931d8402b4b4f5d07a46aa68aa2c39bb383c36b977efcb7acc2d982cc6bfa68/frag11.png" /> <img width="1258" height="795" width_o="1258" height_o="795" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d1fa34ebce3103beb254fa9cbae07e138e841eee8e2bc0eb676735d0e5019629/frag6.png" data-mid="181587255" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d1fa34ebce3103beb254fa9cbae07e138e841eee8e2bc0eb676735d0e5019629/frag6.png" /> <img width="1337" height="360" width_o="1337" height_o="360" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/728075928dd40c23ad3f18f591f9879bb947af1a97e67f9c4c09119fc6c1386c/frag4.png" data-mid="181587257" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/728075928dd40c23ad3f18f591f9879bb947af1a97e67f9c4c09119fc6c1386c/frag4.png" /> <img width="816" height="1125" width_o="816" height_o="1125" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bdf37300caf1152149e644a78d3aacc3497e85d5bb4f06408be521b2a83e19b8/frag8.png" data-mid="181587253" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/816/i/bdf37300caf1152149e644a78d3aacc3497e85d5bb4f06408be521b2a83e19b8/frag8.png" /> <img width="416" height="414" width_o="416" height_o="414" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3a2ac6aa474ba3c98fa6b22508e897078168c88de99c5dc207a23aa984c496fc/Screenshot-2026-09-02-at-5_removedbackground.png" data-mid="251774631" border="0" alt="a uranium filled rock from Alaska" data-caption="a uranium filled rock from Alaska" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/416/i/3a2ac6aa474ba3c98fa6b22508e897078168c88de99c5dc207a23aa984c496fc/Screenshot-2026-09-02-at-5_removedbackground.png" /> <img width="1495" height="527" width_o="1495" height_o="527" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7adbec066c437e6c524ecd1dac11baaf1913c39c1147bc8918e8ce3191c8623b/frag9.png" data-mid="181587252" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7adbec066c437e6c524ecd1dac11baaf1913c39c1147bc8918e8ce3191c8623b/frag9.png" /> <img width="1127" height="1070" width_o="1127" height_o="1070" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/99a36768b8bd137671ed706972c12f4a5f3dca73264139527c034f6c52a60345/frag3.png" data-mid="181587258" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/99a36768b8bd137671ed706972c12f4a5f3dca73264139527c034f6c52a60345/frag3.png" /> <img width="747" height="1125" width_o="747" height_o="1125" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/44bd7c48e0ea9f35407d5e1ef4112df4d0ac22a2961b6963ace6a4d4d1548a8a/frag5.png" data-mid="181587256" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/747/i/44bd7c48e0ea9f35407d5e1ef4112df4d0ac22a2961b6963ace6a4d4d1548a8a/frag5.png" /> <img width="1779" height="885" width_o="1779" height_o="885" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/47d041c5ea283d9c6be9a88345461b8da5e1f095584cd005ff4eceef3cb11b23/frag10.png" data-mid="181587251" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/47d041c5ea283d9c6be9a88345461b8da5e1f095584cd005ff4eceef3cb11b23/frag10.png" /> <img width="720" height="575" width_o="720" height_o="575" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3b50dd05b708c92393a1e5ded017e7c478ce7f5fd61104638a6a85f5a455f4ea/frag14.png" data-mid="181587246" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/720/i/3b50dd05b708c92393a1e5ded017e7c478ce7f5fd61104638a6a85f5a455f4ea/frag14.png" /> <img width="1258" height="429" width_o="1258" height_o="429" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/443156af3c6e2ccb7a5da9865e3057359d19eae35aa426d33722302a61783d7f/frag16.png" data-mid="181587244" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/443156af3c6e2ccb7a5da9865e3057359d19eae35aa426d33722302a61783d7f/frag16.png" /> <img width="1277" height="720" width_o="1277" height_o="720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a102576b4e7681552aed24039e6d010c333b76385aa2bcd2e729387e41f5b3f6/frag15.png" data-mid="181587245" border="0" alt="Sarah Sze's Timelapse at the Guggenheim" data-caption="Sarah Sze's Timelapse at the Guggenheim" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a102576b4e7681552aed24039e6d010c333b76385aa2bcd2e729387e41f5b3f6/frag15.png" /> <img width="1125" height="1125" width_o="1125" height_o="1125" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/772905e4d17dc686daff237c4dd604f6c01e728b76fcaadd3bcb54f287267db6/aritst-body.png" data-mid="190867407" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/772905e4d17dc686daff237c4dd604f6c01e728b76fcaadd3bcb54f287267db6/aritst-body.png" /> <img width="498" height="673" width_o="498" height_o="673" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f88ce4300e4858874252b1ab2417d73d93e147fcec3dc5ae2729b7b520ef29a9/bca319_33e0d2a1c89940c6bddad92d7d0e62ccmv2_d_1464_1979_s_2.jpg.png" data-mid="251774543" border="0" alt="Margitte's Le Chateau des Pyrenees" data-caption="Margitte's Le Chateau des Pyrenees" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/498/i/f88ce4300e4858874252b1ab2417d73d93e147fcec3dc5ae2729b7b520ef29a9/bca319_33e0d2a1c89940c6bddad92d7d0e62ccmv2_d_1464_1979_s_2.jpg.png" /> <img width="687" height="912" width_o="687" height_o="912" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/efc5689583ad8131a649a624eb15ed43c2edad628af35d69cd4f6975e4c1322f/frag13.png" data-mid="181587247" border="0" alt="Sol Le Witt" data-caption="Sol Le Witt" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/687/i/efc5689583ad8131a649a624eb15ed43c2edad628af35d69cd4f6975e4c1322f/frag13.png" /> <img width="1000" height="667" width_o="1000" height_o="667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/22bef722ad692517dbfb4df0b0f5504d0cab2886ef00817e852920a40a4fffec/5_3.jpg" data-mid="181768867" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/22bef722ad692517dbfb4df0b0f5504d0cab2886ef00817e852920a40a4fffec/5_3.jpg" /> <img width="314" height="475" width_o="314" height_o="475" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4dce19e886b0dde30c285e974fdaff2bbdf9a5c45b0cae050013045a6cf73370/9780060915452-us.jpg" data-mid="181768877" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/314/i/4dce19e886b0dde30c285e974fdaff2bbdf9a5c45b0cae050013045a6cf73370/9780060915452-us.jpg" /> <img width="845" height="1125" width_o="845" height_o="1125" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/142679b4d6457b34be83e9fd9e06cacae83d46abcb1762cbb85a21764632d609/frag17.png" data-mid="181587243" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/845/i/142679b4d6457b34be83e9fd9e06cacae83d46abcb1762cbb85a21764632d609/frag17.png" /> <img width="3505" height="3505" width_o="3505" height_o="3505" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/93cd11f940ae42d7073a230d472ba6145f776fba33192d5e3fffdd42052e17a9/bedmap_all_antarctica_transparent_bg.png" data-mid="208004011" border="0" alt="Bedmap of Antarctica" data-caption="Bedmap of Antarctica" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/93cd11f940ae42d7073a230d472ba6145f776fba33192d5e3fffdd42052e17a9/bedmap_all_antarctica_transparent_bg.png" /> <img width="572" height="516" width_o="572" height_o="516" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/132faacb9fb43b947ca0dbc43080c9d8b878d249b50658f41660d605fbaef4be/Picture19.png" data-mid="181587241" border="0" alt="a paper weaving by Gego" data-caption="a paper weaving by Gego" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/572/i/132faacb9fb43b947ca0dbc43080c9d8b878d249b50658f41660d605fbaef4be/Picture19.png" /> <img width="1277" height="716" width_o="1277" height_o="716" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f6d74ea4002a6d4bb0c43920c37056c00e8954e6869e5478a9c95bfc57e73df3/kjr.png" data-mid="190867403" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f6d74ea4002a6d4bb0c43920c37056c00e8954e6869e5478a9c95bfc57e73df3/kjr.png" /> <img width="1300" height="879" width_o="1300" height_o="879" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e57d22c8cec5a9d046470aa33813ac035fe18e74aa97db81c0b5627f014fab6/frag7.png" data-mid="181587254" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9e57d22c8cec5a9d046470aa33813ac035fe18e74aa97db81c0b5627f014fab6/frag7.png" /> <img width="4284" height="5712" width_o="4284" height_o="5712" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e7adf21d5d48fef48affbff29e8cec75a42fa910ca72a54694cb72205e5bf262/IMG_0493.JPG" data-mid="208004012" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e7adf21d5d48fef48affbff29e8cec75a42fa910ca72a54694cb72205e5bf262/IMG_0493.JPG" /> <img width="354" height="498" width_o="354" height_o="498" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2b3af8d04a7d97bc1402f11f79b89668f7937fdf9e0d65670286e51ffe236c0d/Calamities_SC_for_website-copy.png" data-mid="181768816" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/354/i/2b3af8d04a7d97bc1402f11f79b89668f7937fdf9e0d65670286e51ffe236c0d/Calamities_SC_for_website-copy.png" /> <img width="2000" height="1334" width_o="2000" height_o="1334" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c89e003844ee7e001f6ede403082daab56ede39415dfd1cafd806e19d7ce5025/spencer-chang-computing-shrines.png" data-mid="251774588" border="0" alt="Spencer Chang's Computing Shrines" data-caption="Spencer Chang's Computing Shrines" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c89e003844ee7e001f6ede403082daab56ede39415dfd1cafd806e19d7ce5025/spencer-chang-computing-shrines.png" /> <img width="1300" height="1012" width_o="1300" height_o="1012" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/748b8eab638e296e01024f87b733a9282fd41650ec5e368625f7aacd17fcc9c8/frag12.png" data-mid="181587249" border="0" alt="a poor, and incidental, render of a tree" data-caption="a poor, and incidental, render of a tree" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/748b8eab638e296e01024f87b733a9282fd41650ec5e368625f7aacd17fcc9c8/frag12.png" /> <img width="1872" height="1062" width_o="1872" height_o="1062" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d792035ffce2f1e73284272798ee535a8d9b86c659aae4973caa66ed447bd291/barnacle_goose.png" data-mid="190882806" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d792035ffce2f1e73284272798ee535a8d9b86c659aae4973caa66ed447bd291/barnacle_goose.png" /> https://elizabeth.earth/ApRES-on-Thwaites-Glacier Tue, 07 Feb 2023 03:36:03 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/ApRES-on-Thwaites-Glacier ApRES on Thwaites Glacier <img width="1749" height="1129" width_o="1749" height_o="1129" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f2b2bf2aa413bfa09f6f79b338feade620af10853aaf7cec32fa4bd7fc9da97c/thwaites_map.png" data-mid="181255560" border="0" data-scale="95" alt="A map of ApRES point and polarmetric sites along Thwaites Glacier, showing our traverse route for the 2022-23 field season." data-caption="A map of ApRES point and polarmetric sites along Thwaites Glacier, showing our traverse route for the 2022-23 field season." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f2b2bf2aa413bfa09f6f79b338feade620af10853aaf7cec32fa4bd7fc9da97c/thwaites_map.png" /> Thwaites is one of Antarctica’s most rapidly changing glaciers, losing mass (ice) at a rate of ~50 gigatons per year. In 2017, the International Thwaites Glacier Consortium began, bringing together 8 project teams across disciplines and countries to study the past, present, and future of this region. In 2022-2023, as part of the G.H.O.S.T. team, I took ~250 phase-sensitive radar (ApRES) measurements along a 200 km transect running up the center of Thwaites. Over the course of 11 working days, we traveled by pisten bully and skidoo upglacier to obtain point and polarmetric ApRES measurements. Collaborators: Andrew Hoffman, Knut Christianson, Florian Koch, Ole Zeising, Catrin Thomas, Peter Young, Dave Jamison, Louise Borthwick, Rebecca Pearce, Jonny Kingslake, and the rest of the G.H.O.S.T. team <img width="691" height="66" width_o="691" height_o="66" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6ab5deffadc693dc5b0dd71a3c78332dad301aca5a1dc70679ca493ee905b5de/apres-diagram.png" data-mid="181255554" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/691/i/6ab5deffadc693dc5b0dd71a3c78332dad301aca5a1dc70679ca493ee905b5de/apres-diagram.png" /><img width="874" height="179" width_o="874" height_o="179" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/246bbb0ab68d033e87914300eff86a15d7e11b4c49770c589900454f4fe69af3/apres-diagram-top.png" data-mid="181255555" border="0" data-scale="85" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/874/i/246bbb0ab68d033e87914300eff86a15d7e11b4c49770c589900454f4fe69af3/apres-diagram-top.png" /> Point measurements, repeated from one year to the next, allow us to calculate the englacial strain rate. The englacial strain rate tells us how the glacier is stretching or squashing in the vertical, which gives us some information about how it is responding to stresses like bed topography. We will repeat the first season’s point measurements in 2023-2024. <img width="497" height="387" width_o="497" height_o="387" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2ec9ca6bbd3cfa067f26ea0f0a0d35aa1c3875ed35354e85c20feb327252430d/apres-polarmetric.png" data-mid="181255558" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/497/i/2ec9ca6bbd3cfa067f26ea0f0a0d35aa1c3875ed35354e85c20feb327252430d/apres-polarmetric.png" /> Polarmetric measurements show us the ice fabric. A glacier is made up of ice crystals, water molecules frozen into a hexagonal crystal lattice. As the glacier undergoes various stresses - gravity pulling it down, snow falling on top - the ice crystals rotate in response. The bulk orientation of these ice crystals is called the ice fabric. The ice fabric records the history of stress undergone by the ice, and affects the ice’s current visocsity (how easily it flows given a force in a particular direction) and permittivity (how easily the ice allows radio waves to pass). By turning the antennas to send out polarized waves along orthogonal planes, we can reconstruct the ice fabric, which we can use to inform glacier models. <img width="687" height="264" width_o="687" height_o="264" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b1586915c35b26ac277dc21a1725b2dd83f2559364ad6307d5e5677fc950852b/apres-continuous.png" data-mid="181255553" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/687/i/b1586915c35b26ac277dc21a1725b2dd83f2559364ad6307d5e5677fc950852b/apres-continuous.png" /> Continuous measurements require the ApRES to be left for extended periods, and allow us to measure how englacial strain rates (including firn densification) and subglacial conditions change over time.&nbsp; In collaboration with Knut Christianson and Andrew Hoffman, we buried two ApRES over Subglacial Lake 142 and a third at Lower Thwaites Camp, and will collect them in the 2023-24 season. <img width="3520" height="2344" width_o="3520" height_o="2344" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/afa7481ad08d293d812f8faf590198232068d39630a3bf445881332893ef13ed/ECH_florian_apre8-ole-zeisung-small.png" data-mid="181255674" border="0" alt="Florian Koch and I set up an ApRES near Upper Thwaites Camp in Dec 2022." data-caption="Florian Koch and I set up an ApRES near Upper Thwaites Camp in Dec 2022." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/afa7481ad08d293d812f8faf590198232068d39630a3bf445881332893ef13ed/ECH_florian_apre8-ole-zeisung-small.png" /> <img width="2170" height="1448" width_o="2170" height_o="1448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/390fc434e8487367a61e2256c4e4be0c52b943204a600cf499b61a5ba596a3a9/7837B3C7-5B40-40FD-90CD-9C4C6FA375CE_1_102_o.jpeg" data-mid="182483151" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/390fc434e8487367a61e2256c4e4be0c52b943204a600cf499b61a5ba596a3a9/7837B3C7-5B40-40FD-90CD-9C4C6FA375CE_1_102_o.jpeg" /> <img width="2002" height="1502" width_o="2002" height_o="1502" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d6919baf0565d05600b38fe9c479f65e914ce1d3841bd0fb27a817356d416f54/apres-skidoo.png" data-mid="181255559" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d6919baf0565d05600b38fe9c479f65e914ce1d3841bd0fb27a817356d416f54/apres-skidoo.png" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fdb93cd215d57cd92e14f81a6d7f21f55b36f3c367cebde6b0f4b3a785c3fff2/E03FF356-7880-4EC5-BBC0-C08C8287A68B_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181665106" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fdb93cd215d57cd92e14f81a6d7f21f55b36f3c367cebde6b0f4b3a785c3fff2/E03FF356-7880-4EC5-BBC0-C08C8287A68B_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="2170" height="1448" width_o="2170" height_o="1448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8bcb37c463e6716969c753a99c009bb12feb34e2c6b6aa7fed5bb885c0a14ad7/D1E0F177-6BD4-4D6F-9DDC-9094F07D3E41_1_102_o.jpeg" data-mid="182483140" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8bcb37c463e6716969c753a99c009bb12feb34e2c6b6aa7fed5bb885c0a14ad7/D1E0F177-6BD4-4D6F-9DDC-9094F07D3E41_1_102_o.jpeg" /> <img width="2170" height="1448" width_o="2170" height_o="1448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b6890b6f8e88bba985cd88f06390fc1f2d4e5d1d44afa541d5757715eff96c48/F95130A9-4D8A-48C9-873C-FF06E9C273E4_1_102_o.jpeg" data-mid="182483138" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b6890b6f8e88bba985cd88f06390fc1f2d4e5d1d44afa541d5757715eff96c48/F95130A9-4D8A-48C9-873C-FF06E9C273E4_1_102_o.jpeg" /> <img width="2170" height="1448" width_o="2170" height_o="1448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cc1177afca79bfc9d1700490b2107f335d5c9af93e75a27065343c17ad5d9de5/3443140A-2054-472D-A633-CA2C082B1A72_1_102_o.jpeg" data-mid="182483139" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cc1177afca79bfc9d1700490b2107f335d5c9af93e75a27065343c17ad5d9de5/3443140A-2054-472D-A633-CA2C082B1A72_1_102_o.jpeg" /> <img width="1086" height="725" width_o="1086" height_o="725" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d7d35a62282cef56322a115c067db1ce16437d0ebb0f151dcf66a39530dd8202/C57AAFF8-85CA-418C-98F2-81D8F785DFFF_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="182483149" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d7d35a62282cef56322a115c067db1ce16437d0ebb0f151dcf66a39530dd8202/C57AAFF8-85CA-418C-98F2-81D8F785DFFF_1_105_c.jpeg" /> https://elizabeth.earth/Glacial-Change-in-Grand-Teton-National-Park Tue, 07 Feb 2023 03:33:02 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/Glacial-Change-in-Grand-Teton-National-Park Glacial Change in Grand Teton National Park <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/430752e3e6bf5cac4618a9048c889cea3e05a156411689f077185231d2c8d116/2F1A69D2-185E-4D79-A8D8-EE494A9BE573_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631766" border="0" data-scale="85" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/430752e3e6bf5cac4618a9048c889cea3e05a156411689f077185231d2c8d116/2F1A69D2-185E-4D79-A8D8-EE494A9BE573_1_105_c.jpeg" /> In northwestern Wyoming, the Grand Teton mountain range rises majestically out of Jackson Valley. Its iconic landscape of jagged peaks and gentle valleys has been sculpted by glaciers over hundreds of thousands of years. I fell in love with the Tetons when we arrived there by bicycle as part of the 2015 cross-country Cycle for Science tour. In 2021, I burned out from the pandemic and my Ph.D., I took six months off to work as a Scientist-in-Parks fellow.&nbsp; That summer, I joined the physical science team and traveled throughout the park, studying the glaciers and downstream water quality through a ground-based monitoring program. This work was eventually folded into my Ph.D., and using in situ data collected by the park, historical imagery, LIDAR, and modeling, I examine deglaciation in the Teton range since the Little Ice Age. Teton’s thirteen glaciers are all in decline, rapidly melting and out of equilibrium. Since 1967, the park has lost 58% of its glacier ice extent, and two glaciers (Petersen and Teepe) have almost entirely disappeared. <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6f444e54b55f6c61db3cf1a8dd6bd0bbbd94f1eaae827dd92f7af5a4dce157fd/E5C05466-BF81-4159-8F73-0D12FC4D3745_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631738" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6f444e54b55f6c61db3cf1a8dd6bd0bbbd94f1eaae827dd92f7af5a4dce157fd/E5C05466-BF81-4159-8F73-0D12FC4D3745_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7d6251e04ec55b701308492e299355f4249c90a6dee47605ee0129f88a510b00/F1942615-3266-433A-933E-5CF6FAD85D07_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631750" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7d6251e04ec55b701308492e299355f4249c90a6dee47605ee0129f88a510b00/F1942615-3266-433A-933E-5CF6FAD85D07_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fc4056e33150c22465a488b3267addf39f20fabe21626581e32aafa8bf74fc88/C4FFFA33-023A-4AA7-8781-DE60C39E1E79_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631753" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/fc4056e33150c22465a488b3267addf39f20fabe21626581e32aafa8bf74fc88/C4FFFA33-023A-4AA7-8781-DE60C39E1E79_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fd77534cfad20cbb7d8cbf9b75fabd937b202f5926e70a98ef4e213ff3a48c59/03782B4C-AC5F-4618-9FD4-F9FE955D1C6D_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631759" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fd77534cfad20cbb7d8cbf9b75fabd937b202f5926e70a98ef4e213ff3a48c59/03782B4C-AC5F-4618-9FD4-F9FE955D1C6D_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0446d945ba23b2f3a59b63f6f46e13ae4eae6a1d705900620b8e77f88fa42a67/9183AB8A-10DC-49C8-A4EA-72923415EB27_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631758" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0446d945ba23b2f3a59b63f6f46e13ae4eae6a1d705900620b8e77f88fa42a67/9183AB8A-10DC-49C8-A4EA-72923415EB27_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3357a6a39049a5f31f06c80a3f5ae69afd91e88140d623196583f028b748fef7/EA8F21C7-839A-4488-9C68-8F6B435AB641_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631757" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3357a6a39049a5f31f06c80a3f5ae69afd91e88140d623196583f028b748fef7/EA8F21C7-839A-4488-9C68-8F6B435AB641_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fe82712838a015ab2c2174d99ebbc37e0ce9e4f67a9211d473b8f32c489aeb8a/CC28D5D4-2C9F-4E21-9C69-3489E188F9BF_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631756" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/fe82712838a015ab2c2174d99ebbc37e0ce9e4f67a9211d473b8f32c489aeb8a/CC28D5D4-2C9F-4E21-9C69-3489E188F9BF_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5376b9f760a631c62db63e0ac27b507148f31c339a3cc54c7a5263a11a930ee1/4DEA89C1-E7BB-46B7-A24E-B1DF077D7D73_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631755" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5376b9f760a631c62db63e0ac27b507148f31c339a3cc54c7a5263a11a930ee1/4DEA89C1-E7BB-46B7-A24E-B1DF077D7D73_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="768" height="1024" width_o="768" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d2f6abd1e232621cf8ad27b34f4da7dd1e3c68872d44b117151505de63bbbdf3/F2F8C919-5916-426B-8CD8-8A976FC87A39_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631754" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/d2f6abd1e232621cf8ad27b34f4da7dd1e3c68872d44b117151505de63bbbdf3/F2F8C919-5916-426B-8CD8-8A976FC87A39_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b0455a4bb9fa257f58eac243ca24015e7b6d524e9b509a4909f0d69487141ff8/5B1331C3-8A41-42A9-8D54-E87FB0526ED7_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631751" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b0455a4bb9fa257f58eac243ca24015e7b6d524e9b509a4909f0d69487141ff8/5B1331C3-8A41-42A9-8D54-E87FB0526ED7_1_105_c.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="768" width_o="1024" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fa725e57f3c5e070d61c3a836275cbafc0599a6159539ec9404a7c43c6d79c3e/235D92DF-3290-419D-9369-A4738D9794B2_1_105_c.jpeg" data-mid="181631752" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fa725e57f3c5e070d61c3a836275cbafc0599a6159539ec9404a7c43c6d79c3e/235D92DF-3290-419D-9369-A4738D9794B2_1_105_c.jpeg" /> https://elizabeth.earth/Firn-Densification Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:19:03 +0000 Elizabeth Case https://elizabeth.earth/Firn-Densification Firn densification What is firn densification? Snow that accumulates and persists for more than one year becomes firn, which can eventually densifies into glacial ice. Think about a snowball you might make - fresh snow will fall apart before it hits your target, so you have to compress the snow with your hands to compact it into something that sticks together.&nbsp; Over time, a glacier does this to itself. As more snow accumulates, the weight of this snow presses down onto the old firn beneath it. The rate at which snow turns into glacial ice is called the densification rate, and we care about it for a few reasons.&nbsp;<img width="1743" height="798" width_o="1743" height_o="798" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bf880ba1f62a079408109562f03675546d6b11449200a30b2975db01680b824f/firn-densification-cores.png" data-mid="181669859" border="0" data-scale="62" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bf880ba1f62a079408109562f03675546d6b11449200a30b2975db01680b824f/firn-densification-cores.png" />︎︎︎ Paleoclimate records Firn is a porous material, meaning air can travel through connected pores between ice grains. Eventually, at depth, these pores close and the air becomes trapped in bubbles. Ice core scientists use the air in these bubbles to measure what the climate was like in the past. We need to know how long it took firn to densify to know how long that air mixed with the atmosphere. &nbsp; ︎︎︎ Satellite-measured alitmetry Satellites measure the change in height of the ice sheet over time. This is one way we know that some glaciers in Antarctica are thinning&nbsp; and losing mass. However, this change in height of the ice surface depends on many different processes. We have to account for all these in order to isolate the change due to ice thinning, and firn densification is one of them. If densification were in steady state and the same rate everywhere, we would know how to account for it. However, its dependence on accumulation rate, temperature, and grain size1, as well as wind, impurities, and water content, mean that densification rates vary in space and time. How do we measure firn densification? Firn densification can be measured with a variety of tools: strain gauges embedded into boreholes, gamma ray transmission, repeat measurements of optical stratigraphy, and phase-sensitive radars2, among others. My early Ph.D. work looked at the use of autonomous phse-sensitive radio echo sounders (ApRES) to measure firn densification. Using data collected over the Korff Ice Rise, Fletcher Promontory, and Skytrain Ice Rise, we removed the strain rate contribution of horizontal ice flow to isolate the vertical strain rate due to firn compaction.&nbsp; <img width="1600" height="1052" width_o="1600" height_o="1052" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/46c93f10ae67537d3ac8c327813a6b407bbe475fbb5b7f1d5c4b9d4632a57765/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20220113013051844-0733_S0022143021000836_S0022143021000836_fig2.png" data-mid="181670766" border="0" alt="Core observations, modeled velocity and densities, and Method 1 compaction velocities. Left panels are from FP, the right panels are from SIR, top panels are compaction velocities and bottom panels are densities. In the top panels (a, b), blue squares are compaction velocities derived from pRES measurements using Method 1. Uncertainties are derived by taking into account the signal-to-noise ratio of each englacial reflector used to computed vertical velocities (Section 2.2) and are represented by the width of the bar symbols. Gray circles in the bottom panels are ice core-measured densities. The dashed and dotted curves show the model output (Section 2.5), where the dashed blue lines are generated from a model tuned to pRES vertical velocities, and the dotted black lines are generated from a model tuned to core densities. The gray horizontal dashed and dot-dashed lines show where core-derived densities are 550 and 830 kg m&minus;3, respectively, corresponding to the compaction transition density identified by Herron and Langway (Reference Herron and Langway1980) and the lock-in density." data-caption="Core observations, modeled velocity and densities, and Method 1 compaction velocities. Left panels are from FP, the right panels are from SIR, top panels are compaction velocities and bottom panels are densities. In the top panels (a, b), blue squares are compaction velocities derived from pRES measurements using Method 1. Uncertainties are derived by taking into account the signal-to-noise ratio of each englacial reflector used to computed vertical velocities (Section 2.2) and are represented by the width of the bar symbols. Gray circles in the bottom panels are ice core-measured densities. The dashed and dotted curves show the model output (Section 2.5), where the dashed blue lines are generated from a model tuned to pRES vertical velocities, and the dotted black lines are generated from a model tuned to core densities. The gray horizontal dashed and dot-dashed lines show where core-derived densities are 550 and 830 kg m−3, respectively, corresponding to the compaction transition density identified by Herron and Langway (Reference Herron and Langway1980) and the lock-in density." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/46c93f10ae67537d3ac8c327813a6b407bbe475fbb5b7f1d5c4b9d4632a57765/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20220113013051844-0733_S0022143021000836_S0022143021000836_fig2.png" /> <img width="1600" height="1078" width_o="1600" height_o="1078" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8b743330868ccef829c74642777d64345a5905eaa14915eef2ce3619373176a0/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20220113013051844-0733_S0022143021000836_S0022143021000836_fig4.png" data-mid="181670816" border="0" alt="Spatial variability of total velocities and compaction velocities at SIR and KIR obtained using Method 2. Method 2 can generate compaction velocity profiles at locations where we lack coincident density profiles across two transects, a northeastern&ndash;southwestern transect on KIR (black-to-blue gradient, Fig. 1b) and a north-to-south transect on SIR (black-to-blue gradient, Fig. 1c). Panels a and b show the total vertical velocity measured by each of the pRES points along KIR and SIR, respectively. Panels c and d show the firn compaction velocity. Note in panel a at KIR, the eastern flank (light blue) generally flows faster than the western flank, but that this trend is not evident in the compaction velocity estimates (c). The triangle to the right of the colorbar indicates the orientation of the transects in Figures 1b, c." data-caption="Spatial variability of total velocities and compaction velocities at SIR and KIR obtained using Method 2. Method 2 can generate compaction velocity profiles at locations where we lack coincident density profiles across two transects, a northeastern–southwestern transect on KIR (black-to-blue gradient, Fig. 1b) and a north-to-south transect on SIR (black-to-blue gradient, Fig. 1c). Panels a and b show the total vertical velocity measured by each of the pRES points along KIR and SIR, respectively. Panels c and d show the firn compaction velocity. Note in panel a at KIR, the eastern flank (light blue) generally flows faster than the western flank, but that this trend is not evident in the compaction velocity estimates (c). The triangle to the right of the colorbar indicates the orientation of the transects in Figures 1b, c." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8b743330868ccef829c74642777d64345a5905eaa14915eef2ce3619373176a0/urn_cambridge.org_id_binary_20220113013051844-0733_S0022143021000836_S0022143021000836_fig4.png" /> 1&nbsp; &nbsp; Kingslake J, Skarbek R, Case E, and McCarthy C (2022) “Grain-Size Evolution Controls the Accumulation Dependence of Modelled Firn Thickness.” The Cryosphere 16, no. 9, 3413–30. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3413-2022. &nbsp; 2&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Case E and Kingslake J (2022) “Phase-Sensitive Radar as a Tool for Measuring Firn Compaction.” Journal of Glaciology 68, no. 267, 139–52. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.83.