GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008

Geological Society of Minnesota 

GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008

At The University of Minnesota

Glaciers and Mountainous Landscapes 

Kelly MacGregor, PhD, Assistant Professor, Glacial Geomorphology, Macalester College

Date:  Monday, November 3, 2008      Lecture Begins:  7:30 PM

Location:  The University of Minnesota, East Bank, Electrical Engineering/Computer Science Bldg., Room 3-210

ABSTRACT:  

Glaciers are key geomorphic agents in mountain landscape evolution. Cirque glaciers dominate present-day alpine environments, and may be important in creating relief at the highest elevations. Field measurements of cirque glacier dynamics can provide constraints on rates of subglacial erosion; measurements of suspended and bedload sediment in proglacial streams are relevant for quantifying supraglacial and subglacial transport. Sediments from glacial landscapes can be deposited in proglacial lakes, and records of glacial activity and environmental change can be examined.   I will be summarizing my work in the glacial environments of Glacier National Park, MT (Grinnell Glacier and Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes), as well as my work on West Washmawapta Glacier, British Columbia.

EDUCATION:

1996-2002  Ph.D., Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz 

                                  Dissertation: Modeling and Field Constraints on Glacier Dynamics, Erosion, and Alpine Landscape Evolution 

1995-96  Post-baccalaureate studies, Baruch and Hunter Colleges, New York, New York  

1989-93  B. A., Geology, with Highest Honors, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 

                                  Thesis:  Late Pleistocene History of Glacial Lake Atwood, San Juan Mountains, Colorado   

RESEARCH INTERESTS: 

As a geomorphologist, I study the forces that shape the physical surface of our planet. I measure active processes in the field (such as glacier motion, subglacial erosion, water velocity, and sediment transport), and use these data to constrain numerical models of landscape evolution over geologic timescales. My current research focuses on understanding the role of glaciers in shaping alpine landscapes. I use tools such as GPS, stream gauging stations, and good old-fashioned shovels to understand how glaciers behave over daily to annual timescales, and numerical models to examine their role in creating the fantastic mountainous landscapes we see today.  In addition to my work on glaciers, I am interested in the effects of dams on sediment and water transport in river systems. By looking at historical data and making measurements of current river dynamics, we can quantify changes in sediment transport, which has important implications for riparian habitats over time. I teach a wide range of classes, including Geomorphology, Rivers and the Environment, Environmental Geology, History and Evolution of the Earth, and Glaciers and Climate.

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