2011 News

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Taking field trips to new latitudes

Published: February 2, 2011
Jade Thérien, UOttawa Gazette

Three students from the University of Ottawa’s GEG4100 – Glaciology course are joining a remarkable expedition in February. Along with Department of Geography professor Luke Copland, Alex Brooker, Miriam Richer McCallum and Adrienne White are heading all the way down to…Antarctica!

The course is designed to provide both a theoretical and practical overview of Antarctica’s glaciology, hence the series of on-ship lectures and presentations complemented by direct field observations and measurements. Several phenomena are examined in the process, including ice dynamics, ice streams, snow pack processes, icebergs, sea ice, ice shelves and sub-glacial lakes and, of course, glaciers. The overview also looks at the impacts of climate change in Antarctica, including field visits to locations where recent changes have occurred.

The staggering retreat of the planet’s glaciers is one of the most reliable indicators of global climate change. As ice caps melt away, they release huge quantities of fresh water that make sea levels rise around the world. This process could totally transform coastal areas as we know them today. Though the glacier melt might seem obvious to all, Luke Copland stresses the need to study its physical dynamics in depth.

Professor Copland is the director of the University of Ottawa Laboratory for Cryospheric Research. His scientific work is part of an international effort to study and survey ice movement patterns and other changes in several keys regions over the coming years. The objective is to provide a better understanding of the current nature and scope of climate changes around the world.

The expedition is organized by Students on Ice and begins with preliminary visits to sites near the city of Ushuaia, Argentina. The expedition ship then makes it way to Antarctica, where participants will work in the continent’s warmest region, an ideal environment for measuring climate change.

During the expedition, in which more than 60 universities are taking part, students will be able to attend discussions and seminars presented on the ship by the team of professors, scientists and other specialists on board, including biologists, ornithologists, geologists, oceanographers and, like Professor Copland, glaciologists. 

The University extends its best wishes to Professor Copland and his students for a successful expedition.
You can read their blog and view their photos on the Students on Ice website.
 

Original source taken from: UOttawa Gazette