Researchers have detected groundwater beneath a glacier in Greenland for the first time using airborne radar data. If applicable to other glaciers and ice sheets, the technique could allow for more accurate predictions of future sea-level rise.

Dustin Schroeder used a unique modeling technique that captured meltwater data near the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

“This is really one of the first cases where you can say, shockingly, in some ways, these slow, calm ice sheets care a lot about a single extreme event in a particularly warm year," Dusty Schroeder, said. 

Researchers have deciphered a trove of data that shows one season of extreme melt can reduce the Greenland Ice Sheet’s capacity to store future meltwater – and increase the likelihood of future melt raising sea levels.

The plumes seen erupting from Jupiter's moon Europa might be fed by water trapped in the world's crust, according to a new study led by Stanford Earth postdoctoral researcher Gregor Steinbrügge.

“We developed a way that a water pocket can move laterally – and that’s very important,” said Stanford geophysicist Gregor Steinbrügge. “It can move along thermal gradients, from cold to warm, and not only in the down direction as pulled by gravity.”

Recipients of the school’s annual Excellence in Teaching Awards are selected based on nominations from students, faculty, and alumni.

“One of the reasons we’re studying Thwaites Glacier is because of its shape,” says Dustin Schroeder, adding that like the Antarctic ice sheets themselves, the massive glacier could have been a big contributor to sea level rise in the past.

Geophysicist Dustin Schroeder discusses his work analyzing ice-penetrating radar data from surveys of Antarctica taken in the 1970s.

Dustin Schroeder speaks about his research using historic radar film to understand glacier melt in Antarctica.

“They didn’t know what the shape of the continent was, whether it had mountains — this wasn’t about glaciology or studying ice sheets. It was really fundamental Earth exploration,” says Dusty Schroeder.

"By having this record, we can now see areas where the ice shelf is getting thinnest and could break through," says Dustin Schroeder.

Newly available archival film has revealed the eastern ice shelf of Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting faster than previous estimates, suggesting the shelf may collapse sooner than expected.

"What this allows us to do is see this change in that ice shelf over, in this case, about 40 years," says Dustin Schroeder.

"Thwaites is one of the fastest-changing, most-potentially unstable glaciers in Antarctica and, as such, understanding it is key for understanding the evolution and potential sea-level contribution of the whole ice sheet," Dustin Schroeder says.

Stanford Earth's David Lobell, Rob Jackson, Erik Sperling, Dustin Schroeder, Sally Benson, Roz Naylor, Michael Machala, Rosemary Knight and Kate Maher have received funding for interdisciplinary research to solve major environmental problems.

Stanford Earth hosted more than 100 scientists from around the world July 8-12 for an International Glaciological Society (IGS) symposium on the cutting-edge field of ice-penetrating radar.

JP Spaventa, '21, Zoe Von Gerlach, '21 and Andrew Ying, '21, were awarded for the project they created in geophysics professor Dustin Schroeder's Introductory Seminar, The Space Mission to Europa. 

A first-of-its-kind analysis from Stanford Earth researchers including Dustin Schroeder has revealed a surprising amount of liquid water encased in solid ice inside Greenland’s Store Glacier. 

A new method for observing water within ice has revealed stored meltwater that may explain the complex flow behavior of some Greenland glaciers, an important component for predicting sea-level rise in a changing climate.

In GEOPHYS 190: Near-Surface Geophysics, Rosemary Knight and Dustin Schroeder help students apply geophysical imaging methods and tools to sustainable water management. 

Dustin Schroeder, an assistant professor of geophysics, challenges first-year students to dissect “big science” with the introductory seminar The Space Mission to Europa.

Dustin Schroeder, an assistant professor of geophysics, has been granted a 2018 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for his proposal to synthesize radar measurements of glaciers since the 1960s.

Stanford Earth researchers Eric Lambin, Dustin Schroeder, Alexandra Konings, Jamie Jones, Steven Gorelick, Kate Maher, and Jenny Suckale receive new grants from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment supporting innovative research and technology solutions to pressing environmental issues.

Stanford Earth faculty members Dustin Schroeder, Kate Maher, Noah Diffenbaugh, and Nicole Ardoin are among the inaugural cohort of a fellowship program for outstanding environmental researchers.

Super salty water beneath ice may be analogue for habitat for life on other planets

Applying modern film scanning technology and machine learning to a rare trove of historical airborne radar measurements could provide new insights about how Antarctica’s ice sheets will change in a warming world.

If asked to imagine a geologist, you might envision a tanned and dusty figure, hardy and weathered like the ancient rocks that he or she spends days studying out “in the field."