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Each student was asked to bring a poster to the Summer School, like the kind they would use to present their work at professional conferences. We set up a conference-style “poster session” for all students and instructors to be able to see and discuss each other’s research. But it was a little different than at an ordinary conference. This time, some posters were tacked to the exterior walls of the old hardware store or hung from laundry lines with clothespins, while others adorned the side of the outdoor shower. But the quality of the science and the passion of the presenters is what really grabbed everyone’s focus. It was just a conference that happened to be out in the fresh mountain air.

This summer school will be intense – long enough to learn and experience a lot, but short enough such that instructors from all over the world could give their time and help lead the next generation of glacier researchers. The goal is to not only to learn, but to be inspired by others. Students might just learn something from someone in a different field that helps them see their research in a new way, or meet someone that may become a future collaborator and change the course of their research.

So, how to create that kind of environment… every morning, we will have presentations from instructors, and every afternoon, instructors (including me) will work with students on projects related to the topics discussed in the morning. Lectures may be (relatively) easy or more difficult, and projects will be team-based, and may just be too complex to completely work out (kind of like how scientific research works in general). At the end, students will report what they have accomplished in our own little mini-conference. And in between, we’ll go out on the glacier and see how things work first-hand!

Lectures and project exercises will take place across from the hardware store, at “The Porphyry.” This is a proper log cabin, with a 5-foot door, cast iron pots hanging from ceiling logs… and a projector and whiteboard for presentations. (Just take off your shoes before entering.)

Inside The Porphyry, we will be learning about…
Continuum mechanics
Glacier mass balance
Glacier meteorology and energy balance
Tidewater glaciers
Remote sensing
Inverse methods
Glacier geomorphology
Glacier hydrology
Thermodynamics
Glacier mass changes
Ice sheet modeling
…and science communication

Did I mention it would be intense? If you don’t know what those things are in that list, you’re probably not alone. But hopefully we (including you and me) will all learn more from the students themselves. As the instructor for Science Communication during the summer school, I am going to work with students on just how they can tell you all about it. So check back on the blog for what they have to say!

Studying and understanding climate encompasses all of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). But these are broad categories, and it doesn’t do climate science justice to place all of the people that study climate in these four simple categories.

In high school, “science class” branches into physics, chemistry, and biology. In college, there are many kinds of engineering courses – chemical, mechanical, electrical, and science classes further branch into classes like biochemistry (chemical processes within living organisms) physical oceanography (physics and physical processes of ocean water and motion), and lots more.

For complex topics like climate change, scientists’ specialties branch out even further. But even though each scientist concentrates on his or her branch of research, they are all working on the same tree. Some of the branches during this International Glaciology Summer School include…

How do glaciers respond to climate change?
What can remote sensing tell us about glacier conditions?
How does the geology of a place give clues into its past and present?
What are the dynamics of surging and tidewater glaciers and ice streams?
How can we use computer models to understand processes happening in glaciers and ice sheets?
What are the environmental and meteorological factors affecting the balance of ice mass in glaciers?

To find the answers to these questions, we don’t just need scientists in general. We need scientists of all kinds – each one an expert in his or her specific field. And we need those scientists to work together, just like in this Glaciology Summer School, so that each one contributes a piece of the puzzle. And all the better if scientists communicate that research to the public, so that the bigger picture starts to emerge for all of us. So stay tuned to hear from the Summer School scientists here on this blog!

As we drove the 12 hours from Fairbanks toward Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (it took a bit longer since we stopped several times to take these pictures), we started to see more ice and more mountains, and already started to learn more about how this spectacular place works.

In the 1930s, the Black Rapids Glacier above (see the “river” of ice between the two mountains in the foreground) was much more extensive than it is today. You can see the remoteness of this place even now, and imagine, 80 years ago, going to the authorities and telling them that you saw and heard “black and white ice thundering into the mossy valley” – and through your backyard. They wouldn’t have believed you at the time, but that did happen at Black Rapids Glacier, which is known as a surging glacier. Over the last several decades, the US Geological Survey and the University of Alaska have monitored the glacier, to keep track of the mass balance of ice (it is decreasing) and ice velocity (yes, it is moving). And one more reason to be concerned about the glacier potentially surging again – the Alaska oil pipeline nearby.

As we continued the drive southeast, we followed right alongside the famous Alaska oil pipeline (above), for part of its 800 mile length from the northern to southern coast of Alaska. Hundreds of thousands of barrels worth of oil move through the pipeline each day, and if you really look, you’ll notice a couple unique design features. First of all, the pipeline jogs through the landscape on a seemingly random zigzag path. Secondly, parts of the pipe sit on long steel beams. Why is this? Because it has to withstand whatever Earth can throw at it. If temperatures reach 80 Fahrenheit in the summer and -50 Fahrenheit in the winter, the zigzag allows it to expand and contract with the temperature. And if there is an earthquake, the pipe can just slide back and forth on those beams without bursting, moving right along with the Earth.

After some more gushing rivers, breathtaking mountains, and even a couple of rainbows, we came upon the Gulkana Glacier (above, you can see it “flowing” down between the mountains). This glacier is special because it is one of three glaciers that the US Geological Survey has been monitoring long-term to study the effects of climate change. Since 1966, the ice mass has been decreasing and the motion of the ice has slowed, causing the glacier to “retreat.” But if you have ever wanted to ski or snowmobile on a glacier, come to this glacier in April for the annual Arctic Man event! Just be careful – you’re on a glacier.

I arrived safely in Alaska, and have started the journey from Fairbanks, heading into the glaciers and mountains of southeast of Alaska. I found a little bit of ice and rock in Fairbanks, but I can’t wait to see more, and learn all about it from the scientists here with me.

I’m told that getting to McCarthy, where the instructors and students will be staying during the Glaciology Summer School, is an Alaskan adventure all by itself. After driving 8 hours south from Fairbanks, it will take about 2 more hours to drive the 60 mile gravel road, the “McCarthy Road,” that will lead us to the 150 square mile town of McCarthy. At the foot of the Wrangell Mountains, this town that serves as a gateway into the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (the largest in the US) is accessible only by foot, bike, or shuttle. Then it’s onward to the glaciers! (We’ll see how that is done.)

All of the Glaciology Summer School instructors and students, including me, are converging on Alaska in just a few days, so stay tuned to find out what this beautiful region looks like today, and how scientists are studying it. We’ll be the road there soon!