Talk about cool research. Carleton grad student Anna Crawford is in Baffin Bay to study icebergs.
You can follow her progress on her blog: http://crawfish22.wordpress.com/
“Under the supervision of Derek Mueller, I have been able to observe and study unusually large icebergs,” said Crawford. “They are potential hazards to navigation and industrial equipment and will likely become more frequently seen in the Arctic due to climate change. My personal work investigates the role of surface melt on overall ice island decay, while my colleagues study other aspects of ice island deterioration and drift.”
While on site, she is also participating in a 10-day, two-part documentary produced by the BBC. The documentary is set to air September 2012.
Crawford, a student in the Masters of Science program with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, is searching the drift and deterioration of the larger Petermann Ice Island fragments within Lancaster Sound and Baffin Bay. In 2011, the Canadian Ice Service and ArcticNet funded Crawford’s research on the ice islands. This second round of field work will have Crawford on one of the Petermann Ice Islands and glacial sources in conjunction with the filming and production of the documentary. The ice island is now located in Baffin Bay near Clyde River, a community on the east coast of Baffin Island.
The Petermann Ice Island that broke off from the Petermann Glacier of northwest Greenland in August 2010 had an original surface area approximately four times the size of Manhattan Island. It has subsequently fragmented into smaller, yet still formidable, ice islands. These fragments are now moving south along Canada’s east coast, becoming wonders for tourists in Newfoundland while causing great concern for those working with vulnerable infrastructure in nearby waters.
Crawford is away until August 5.
–with files from Steve Reid.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 in Grad Student Research, News
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