Yearsago,ImovedtoatinytowninAlaska.Ididn’tknowwhatcareerIwanted.Ididn’tknowthatIwouldbecomeascientistandanexplorer.Buttoday,Iamaglaciologist. Istudy glaciersaroundthe world!
WhenIwasyoung,Ihadnever metascientist.Andafemalescientist?Never.ButmydadalwaystoldmetofocusonwhatIloved.Then,acareerwould follow.
Ilovedtheoutdoors.So,ImovedtoSkagway,Alaska,toworkoutside.There,Ifellinlovewithglaciers.Aglacierisamovingriverofice.ItflowsoverEarth’ssurface.Skagway’svalley,orfjord, wasmadeby one.
Skagway,Alaska,isinavalleymadebyaglacierlong ago.
Thisisaviewfromaboveof aglacierin Iceland.
Evertastedaglacier?It’safunpartofthetourwhenItakestudentstosee glaciers.
GlacierFormation
Foralongtime,Skagwayhadthreethingsneededtogrowglaciers.Ithadsnow,coldtemperatures,andtime.Snow fallsandstacksup.Coldtemperatureskeepthesnowfrommelting.Overtime,thesnowstacksupuntilitishundredsofmetersthick.Thenitturnsintoglacier ice.
How?Imagineasinglesnowflake.Itdoesn’tweighverymuch.Nowimaginemillionsandmillionsofsnowflakesstackedontopofeachother.Whathappenstotheoneatthebottom?Theweightoftheothersnowsquishesdown.Overtime,thesnowcompressesintoglacier ice!
