INCORPORATING NEAR-SURFACE GEOPHYSICAL IMAGING TECHNIQUES INTO BASIC SCIENCE RESEARCH ON ALPINE GLACIERS AND GLACIAL DEPOSITS

Data for hypothesis testing related to alpine glaciers and glaciation is varied and crosses many disciplines. Research team building to incorporate highly-knowledgeable investigators among such wide-ranging areas of expertise was a well-known skill possessed by Dr. Ed Evenson and resulted in key publications related to glacial processes and landscapes. In addition to these broad-reaching key research avenues, however, a significant amount of much smaller questions were tackled by Dr. Evenson and his teams over the years. Near-surface geophysical data collected in Alaska and Wyoming—primarily on the Matanuska Glacier and on glaciogenic deposits near Pinedale, respectively—over several decades related to smaller scientific questions of glacial processes were a critical component of training for young geoscientists. Projects related to NSF’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates & Teachers Experiencing the Arctic, as well as smaller-budget projects, were founded on the trained-to-observe philosophy of Earth scientists (and glacial geologists in particular). Specifically, Dr. Evenson was a driving force in experiments related to glaciological features great & small based on the “I see it, now go explain it” credo. As a result, numerous near-surface geophysical datasets were generated to tackle such varied topics as: How thick is that outwash? Is that moraine ice-cored? Can glacier deformation be tracked in 3D? Is there basal ice down there? Are those boulders all on the surface, or are some buried? What is causing that soft-sediment deformation? Is that till on the outwash, or is the outwash on the till? A summary of published (and often unpublished) results of these and other questions will be presented.