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PROFESSOR EMERITUS |
Garry Clarke |
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS |
Faron Anslow |
ASSOCIATES |
Gwenn Flowers, Simon Fraser University |
The glaciology group, within the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at UBC, has a long history of research activity. From 1969–2007, we conducted a long-term field study of Trapridge Glacier, an alpine surge-type glacier in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory. The aim of this project was to gain knowledge about subglacial physical processes, in particular those that influence glacier flow. This project is now completed. A second leading theme at UBC is the development of cryodynamic models. These translate our understanding of glacial processes into mathematical form and allow us to develop computer models to simulate the growth and decay of present and former ice sheets, ice caps and glaciers. Our interest in the climate of the last Ice Age leads us to a final line of enquiry, the relationship between Earth's climate and its cryosphere. Among the exciting questions that we are currently exploring is how cryospheric processes can trigger abrupt climate change.