Echoes from the Edge of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica – TJ Young

Speaker: TJ Young, Lecturer in Physical Geography and Remote Sensing, University of St Andrews

Synopsis: To investigate the (in)stability of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, the Thwaites Interdisciplinary Margin Experiment (TIME) applies a variety of geophysical techniques to image the boundaries of Thwaites Glacier, which separate fast-flowing from stationary ice. TIME uses a variety of radar, seismic, and geodetic surveys to shed light on how the environment beneath glaciers determine its flow behaviour. The behaviour of Thwaites Glacier—often nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier” by the press—is thought to determine the overall (in)stability of the larger West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which if completely destabilised and melted, could raise global sea levels by 10 feet!

Event information