Melting Ice, Rising Oceans: A Peek into the Future based on Current Knowledge

Name of the Speaker: Dr. Surendra Adhikari

Title of the Seminar: Melting Ice, Rising Oceans: A Peek into the Future based on
Current Knowledge

Date and Time: 3rd November 2023 (Friday), 04:00 pm

Venue: ICWaR lecture hall

Online Platform: MS Teams (link  to the video of the seminar)

About the Speaker: Surendra Adhikari is an Earth and space scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Dr. Adhikari holds a Ph.D. in theoretical glaciology and a master’s degree in engineering geology. His general research interests lie in the intersection between climate science and solid Earth geophysics. Currently, he focuses on understanding the Earth’s surface and interior mass transport processes and their manifestation in terms of Earth’s gravitational, rotational, and deformational changes. Dr. Adhikari is a member of the NASA Sea-level Change Team, Solid Earth Team, and GRACE/-FO Science Team. He has received several early career awards, including a NASA Public Achievement Medal and an AGU John Wahr Award.

Abstract: Significant uncertainty in sea level projections stems from poorly understood evolution processes of polar ice sheets. The recent IPCC report states that a more than 15 m global mean sea-level rise cannot be discarded under high emission scenarios by 2300, mainly owing to instability processes associated with the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. In this presentation, I review current knowledge of ice sheet dynamics, instability processes, and feedback mechanisms involving oceans, atmosphere, and solid Earth. While constraining individual processes is critical, I argue that a system modeling approach is essential for improved projections of the polar ice sheets and global and regional sea levels.

Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/11/2023
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm