ABSTRACT
The great ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, smaller
glaciers and the Arctic sea ice cover are all shrinking
faster and faster. Loss of sea ice lowers the surface
albedo, amplifying environmental warming. Loss of land
ice increases sea level. Observations of this accelerating
ice loss have surprised the experts and exceeded the
predictions of the best models that policy makers might rely
on to guide action. The distant future is easy to
forecast-less ice on Earth-one million years of paleoclimate
data say so. The challenge is to predict the path and time
scale of continued ice loss. Direct field studies are
underway to understand a number of the causes for the most
recent dramatic changes with the goal of improving predictive skill. What is being studied, why and how will be discussed.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Dr. Robert Bindschadler is Chief Scientist of NASA's Hydrospheric and Biospheric
Sciences Laboratory, a Senior Fellow of the Goddard Space Flight Center, a Fellow
of the American Geophysical Union and a past President of the International
Glaciological Society. He maintains an active interest in the dynamics of glaciers
and ice sheets, primarily on Earth, investigating how remote sensing can be
used to improve our understanding of the role of ice in the Earth's climate.
As the leader of 15 Antarctic field expeditions he has extensive first-hand
knowledge of the hazards and challenges of working in the Antarctic environment.
Other research has taken him to Greenland and various glaciers throughout the
world. During his 29 years at Goddard, he has developed numerous unique applications
of remote sensing data for glaciological research including measuring ice velocity
and elevation using both visible and radar imagery, monitoring melt of the ice
sheet by microwave emissions, and detecting changes in ice-sheet volume by repeat
space-borne radar altimetry. He has testified before Congress and briefed the
U.S. Vice President on the issue of ice-sheet stability and served on many scientific
commissions and study groups as an expert in glaciology and remote sensing of
ice. He has published over 130 scientific papers, numerous review articles and
has appeared on television, radio and is often quoted in print media commenting
on glaciological impacts of the climate on the world's ice sheets and glaciers.
If you are attending the dinner, ADVANCED RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR DINNER Please make your reservation by 4:00 PM, Monday 17 October 2005.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR DINNER (by 4:00 PM, Monday 17 October 2005) To make reservations or for more information, please contact:
John Burris : John.F.Burris@nasa.gov
301 614-6031
Joe Howard: Joseph.M.Howard@nasa.gov
301-286-0690
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