WaterTalk: The significance of canyons on Atlantic Water pathways towards the glaciers of Northwest Greenland

Thursday, May 23, 2024 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)
WaterTalk event poster

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series and co-hosted with the Department of Applied Matematics, Dr. Julie Pietrzak is a Professor of Physical Oceanography within the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Section, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, will present: The significance of canyons on Atlantic Water pathways towards the glaciers of Northwest Greenland.

This event is in person in MC 5479.

More information

Warm Atlantic Water is resulting in significant retreat of marine terminating glaciers in Northwest Greenland. We use the FESOM ocean model, together with observations of salinity, temperature, and bathymetry from NASA’s Ocean Melting Greenland mission, and Mankoff’s discharge estimates to understand the pathways of Atlantic Water towards these glaciers. Using the model we explore the role of the southern and northern canyons of Melville Bay on the pathways of Atlantic Water, and explore why some glaciers are more susceptible than others.

Speaker biography

Prof. Julie Pietrzak is a Professor of Physical Oceanography within the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Section, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. Until recently, she was the Head of the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Section, which she happily led for 6 years. She currently leads a large NWO Perspective research project SALTISolutions on salt intrusion in the Dutch Delta, as well as research projects on the Rhine River Plume and Dutch Continental Shelf. She has a deep interest in cross-shelf exchange and is currently co-supervising a PhD involved in a project on the Norwegian Canyon.