Tuesday Talks: Going South, Aiming North – 2019 Research Cruise into Antarctica’s Iceberg Alley: Marlo Garnsworthy, Author, Artist, & Polar Science Communicator

Polar researchers predict that global sea level will rise about one meter (around 3.2 feet) by 2100. Much of this rise will be due to melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, the massive layer of ice, on average 1.3 miles thick, that covers the vast continent of Antarctica. But how much will sea level rise and how fast?

Our 2019 International Ocean Discovery Program research cruise to Iceberg Alley, Antarctica, set out to uncover some pieces of this puzzle. This talk explores our team’s work aboard the JOIDES Resolution, life on a research vessel, and science at sea. I’ll discuss my role as Outreach Officer, the life-changing shift in perspective, career, and focus two Antarctic research voyages have provided, plus the unique benefits and challenges associated with conveying polar science to the broad public.

BIO:

Marlo Garnsworthy is an Australian-American author, illustrator, book editor, science communicator, and the veteran of two Antarctic research cruises.  She is an avid birder and kayaker, lives in Wakefield, Rhode Island, and works with scientists studying both polar regions. Find out more at www.WordyBirdStudio.com