The Glacier Dynamics Group at the University of Idaho reveals the factors controlling the motion and rapid mass loss of glaciers and ice sheets. Our approach to research is fundamentally interdisciplinary. We draw on seismology and other geophysical techniques to understand glacier dynamics, including iceberg calving, water flow through glaciers, dynamic thinning, and the ice flow response to variable glacier hydrology. Through theory and numerical analysis, we test explanations for our glaciological observations. This work is motivated by the need to understand rapid glacier change, its impact on sea level, and on landscape change.
Specifically, our research interests and expertise include:
- glacier dynamics (the factors that make a glacier speed up or slow down, advance or retreat),
- the generation and transmission of seismic waves,
- iceberg calving and submarine melt at the fronts of tidewater glaciers,
- water flow through and beneath glaciers, and
- processes that act on and shape the earth’s surface.
The Glacier Dynamics Group is led by Dr. Timothy Bartholomaus in Moscow, ID. Dr. Bartholomaus is a glaciologist, geophysicist, educator and Assistant Professor. He was formerly a Research Associate and Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, in Austin, TX. He received a Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks in December 2013, completed a master’s degree at the University of Colorado Boulder, and a bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth College.
Selected Publications
Recent News
Two, new, funded Ph.D. opportunities for 2021!
The Univ. of Idaho Glacier Dynamics lab is very pleased to announce two new opportunities for prospective Ph.D. students, to start Fall 2021, or potentially earlier. To understand water flow through and beneath... READ MORE
Field work at Turner Glacier hugely successful
The joint U Idaho and BSU field team had a phenomenally successful first field season at Turner Glacier this fall. We installed 26 different geophysical instruments on and around Turner Glacier, including 17... READ MORE
Group assembles for outdoor, socially-distanced conference
The UI Glacier Dynamics Group gathered for three afternoons, Oct 14-16, in Tim’s driveway and garage to participate in the annual Northwest Glaciologists’ meeting. Ph.D. candidate Chris Miele presented his latest results from... READ MORE
Glacier moss balls captivate public imagination
Glacier moss balls, and the mystery behind their motion, gained international attention this summer, following a publication in Polar Biology. Group leader Tim Bartholomaus appeared on NPR’s popular Morning Edition broadcast, the CBC’s... READ MORE
New grant enables understanding of unstable glacier flow
Prof. Tim Bartholomaus and partners have received a $1.2M grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to understand the connections between glacier sliding and the water and sediment underneath glaciers and ice sheets.... READ MORE
Emma Swaninger defends M.S. thesis!
Master of Science candidate Emma Swaninger did a phenomenal job presenting and defending the results of her last two years of research. Among other findings, Emma demonstrated that near-terminus ice is likely weaker... READ MORE