Dr. Daniel McGrath is Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Colorado State University (CSU). Prior to joining CSU, McGrath was a Research Geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and resident scientist at the Extreme Ice Survey. Dan completed his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, where he studied ice shelf stability in Antarctica. Dan’s research examines many aspects of the cryosphere, including glacier-climate interactions and seasonal snow distribution. He has been a member of more than 15 field research expeditions to Antarctica, Greenland, Alaska and Patagonia.
Abstract: Glaciers as Water Resources: Mass Turnover and Long-term Mass Losses
Glaciers are important hydrologic reservoirs over short (seasonal, yearly) and long (decadal) timescales across the planet. Runoff derived from glaciers can have two components: annual mass turnover (when the glacier is in mass balance) and net mass balance changes (in current climate, typically additions to streamflow as glaciers lose mass). As glaciers continue to lose mass and retreat through the 21st century in response to warming atmospheric temperatures, it is essential to understand the evolution of these runoff components.Ìý Furthermore, runoff derived from glaciers has unique physical (timing, temperature) and chemical characteristics, which implies that changes to this runoff will have significant ecological implications. In this talk, I’ll survey recent literature on glacier runoff and highlight two of my recent projects looking at the connection between glacier mass balance and runoff in both Colorado and Alaska.