Yearsago,ImovedtoatinytowninAlaska.Atthetime,Ididn’tknowwhatcareerIwanted.LittledidIknowthatIwouldbecomeascientistandanexplorer.Buttoday,that’sjustwhatIam.Iamageographerandglaciologist. That’ssomeonewhostudiesglaciers aroundthe world.
WhenIwasyoung,Ihadnevermetascientist,letaloneafemalescientist.Ididn’tknowthatsciencewasanoptionforme.ButmydadalwaystoldmetofocusonwhatIlovedandacareerwould follow.
Ilovedtheoutdoors.So,ImovedtoSkagway,Alaska,toworkoutside.ItwasthereIfellinlovewithglaciers.AglacierisamovingriveroficethatflowsoverEarth’ssurface.ThemountainsaroundSkagwayarefullofthem.Thevalley,orfjord, whereSkagwaysitswasevenmadebya glacier!
Skagway,Alaska,isinavalleymadebyaglacierlong ago.
ThisisanaerialimageofHoffellsjökull,aglacierin Iceland.
Evertastedaglacier?It’safunpartofthetourwhenItakestudentstosee glaciers.
GlacierFormation
Foralongtime,Skagwayhadtheperfectingredientstogrowglaciers.Ithadsnow,coldtemperatures,andtime.Allthreeworktogether.Snow fallsandstacksup.Coldtemperatureskeepthatstackedsnowfrommelting.Overtime,thesnowstacksupuntilitishundredsofmetersthick.Onlythenwillitturnintoglacier ice.
How?Closeyoureyesandimagineasinglesnowflake.Itdoesn’tweighverymuch.Nowimaginemillionsandmillionsstackedontopofeachother.Whathappenstothatsnowflakeatthebottom?Thepressureandweightofallthesnowsquishesdowntoform“firn.”Overdecades,firncompressesintodenseglacialice!Glacialiceissohardthat,whenitmovesovertheland,itcanscrapeandsmoothrock—justlikesandpaper does.
