Earth scientists study all aspects of the planet we live on. The best part is that it combines parts of all the other sciences, so there is something for everyone! I am a geophysicist, so use ideas from physics to understand the Earth. I study glaciers in Antarctica, which are massive ‘rivers’ of ice the flow to the coastline and drop ice into the ocean – this is where icebergs come from!
What I am interested in is the water that flows on top of, inside, and under glaciers. When this water gets in between the ice at the bottom of the glacier and the rock underneath, the glacier slides much faster into the ocean and causes sea level to rise more quickly, so it is super important that we have ways to track this water. The water sets off vibrations as it moves, and we can detect these with special equipment and use to work out where the water is, and what it is doing – even though we can’t see it!
As it is difficult to experiment with glaciers without damaging them, I do not do physical experiments like many other scientists. Instead, I use computers as my laboratory to simulate the glaciers. This means I can see what happens in all kinds of different scenarios without causing any damage!
