Conveying Complex Glaciology and Sea Level Rise Concepts to General Audience Using Contemporary Art and Illustrations

Abstract:

West Antarctic glaciers are undergoing unprecedented volume and mass changes in the recent decades. Of these, Thwaites Glacier is a large, fast moving and fast changing glacier that has the potential to trigger West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse and raise the global sea level by ~0.5 m. Glaciology processes that are triggering the ice mass loss are however very complex and have large uncertainties associated with them. In addition, there is complex interactions of the ice masses with the atmosphere and the ocean. Communicating the science of these complex earth system processes effectively to the general audience and policy makers is very important as sea level rise a very important societal issue. In this presentation, the authors will present their experience and results of recent science and outreach activities in which they have presented the complexities of glacier mass loss processes and sea level rise to the general audience using contemporary art and illustration for easy interpretation. In particular, they will present easy illustrations of the complex processes by which Thwaites Glacier is losing mass in the recent decades and contributing to sea level rise. .