Dr. Liz Weidner, Assistant Professor of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut
Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 212
John R Buck
5089999237
jbuck@umassd.edu
Topic: “The sound of glacial retreat: broadband acoustic characterization of ice-ocean boundary”
Abstract:
The submerged termini of tidewater glaciers are a critical, yet poorly characterized component of high latitude regions. The ice-ocean interface act as a conduit for freshwater discharge from terrestrial ice sheets to the ocean, both directly via submarine melting and calving and as the emission location of sub- and supra-glacial runoff. Traditional oceanographic measurement techniques are limited at glacial termini by dangers associated with iceberg calving; remote measurements by active acoustic systems represent a useful, if underutilized, tool to study this critical region. This talk will discuss research efforts to characterize the ice-ocean interface and associated freshwater discharge processes of tidewater glaciers based on field data collected in Svalbard in 2023 and 2026. These efforts include 1) characterizing the connections between broadband backscattering spectra and ice face geometry, 2) investigating the impact of ice face roughness on backscattering distributions over a range of grazing angles, and 3) measuring the geographic extent and scattering mechanisms associated with a subglacial discharge plume.
Biography:
Dr. Liz Weidner is an Assistant Professor of Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She is an acoustical oceanographer who uses broadband acoustic systems to study high-latitude oceans. Her field experience includes chief scientist for two field campaigns in Hornsund fjord, Svalbard and PI on Ice Breaker Oden during two expeditions to Northern Greenland. Prior to joining the faculty at University of Connecticut, Liz was a postdoctoral fellow at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. She received her PhD in oceanography in 2023 from a joint program between the University of New Hampshire and Stockholm University.
NOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend. All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public.
*For further information, please contact Dr. John R. Buck via email at jbuck@umassd.edu.