In this installment of the Tipping points webinar series, researchers and community-engaged scholars will explore what rapid glacier loss means for Alaska in terms of the reshaping of landscapes, livelihoods, and ways of life.
Glaciers in the US state of Alaska are changing faster than at any point in human history. From accelerating ice loss to cascading impacts on ecosystems, hazards, and Indigenous ways of life, glacier retreat in Alaska is pushing the region toward critical tipping points.
In this webinar, researchers and community-engaged scholars explore what rapid glacier loss means for Alaska today and tomorrow. Drawing on satellite observations, field research, Western science, and Tlingit oral traditions, the talks will examine both the physical processes driving glacier change and the profound cultural, ecological, and social consequences that follow.
Agenda
- Bethan Davis (Newcastle University): Accelerating Loss of Alaskan Glaciers
- Judith Daxootsu Ramos (University of Alaska Southeast) and Annika Ord (Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center): Community and Cultural Impacts of Glacier Loss in Southeast and Coastal Alaska
- Followed by a moderated discussion with Donovan Dennis (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research)
A recorded version of the webinar will be available afterwards.
The Tipping points discussion series supports efforts to increase consistency in the treatment of tipping elements in the scientific community, develop a research agenda, and design joint experiments and ideas for a Tipping Element Model Intercomparison Project (TipMip). It is a joint activity of the Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES) global research project of Future Earth, the Earth Commission Working Group 1 Earth and Human Systems Intercomparison Modelling Project (EHSMIP) under the Global Commons Alliance, and the Safe Landing Climates Light House Activity of World Climate Research Program (WCRP).
IIASA co-hosts the scientific secretariat of Working Group 1 of the Earth Commission and is one of the organizers of these events.
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