American Geophysical Union AMA: Hi Reddit, I’m Chris Borstad, and I’m here to talk about the peculiar nature of snow and ice related to avalanches and glaciers. Ask Me Anything!

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Hi Reddit! I am Chris Borstad, Associate Professor of Snow and Ice Physics at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). Located at 78 degrees north, UNIS (www.unis.no) is the northernmost institution of higher education and research in the world. I am fascinated by snow and ice, and my research relates to processes that cause ice and snow to fracture. Most recently I have been studying the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica, where a massive crack in the ice is about to release an iceberg the size of Delaware! By improving our understanding of what caused this event and what the consequences are for the ice shelf, we hope to make better predictions of how other ice shelves around Antarctica will respond to a changing climate. I also study the physics of snow avalanches, a research interest that originated with a desire not to get caught in an avalanche myself while skiing in the backcountry. The most destructive types of avalanches occur after a large volume of snow is undercut by fractures. I am working to better understand these fascinating natural phenomena so that we can hopefully keep people out of harm’s way.

I will be back to answer your questions at 12 pm ET, Ask me Anything!

Follow me on twitter @RogueChrisB.

">American Geophysical Union AMA: Hi Reddit, I’m Chris Borstad, and I’m here to talk about the peculiar nature of snow and ice related to avalanches and glaciers. Ask Me Anything!