2011 - Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences ...

Waleed Abdalati
Studying Ice Sheets from Orbit
FUNDING: NASA
FELLOWS RESEARCH
Satellite observations
of recent dramatic changes
in the Earth’s polar ice
cover have transformed
our thinking about polar
ice in recent years. A key
space-based capability
for understanding this
critical part of the Earth
system is NASA’s Ice
Cloud and Land Elevation
Satellite-2 (ICESat-2).
ICESat-2 is designed to
significantly improve
upon measurements
begun by its predecessor,
ICESat, to map changes
in ice sheet elevation
using space-based laser
altimetry. Through Dec.
31, 2010, I served as lead of the ICESat-2 Science Definition
Team, which has been carrying out extensive analyses to
define and optimize the science capabilities of the ICESat-2
mission.
I have also been working with data from the Gravity
Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), airborne
laser altimetry, ice-penetrating radar and various other
satellite observations. GRACE measures changes in the
Earth’s gravity field, which are used to infer ice-sheet
mass changes and evolution with time. The airborne laser
altimetry provides high-resolution measurements of ice
sheet changes to complement those made by satellites to
better understand outlet glacier changes. Ice-penetrating
radar observations provide information on the geometry
of the bedrock over which these glaciers flow, enabling
better understanding of the controls on glacier discharge.
The other satellite observations provide insights into the
ice flow, ice melt and ice deformation processes.
Using these tools, I seek to understand the behavior of
glaciers and ice sheets and the mechanisms that control
them. My primary focus is on Greenland; however, my
research interests are also on the Canadian ice caps and
the Antarctic Ice Sheet. My ultimate research objectives
are to determine how and why the Earth’s glaciers and
ice sheets are changing, and what the implications are for
sea-level rise.
Beginning Jan. 2, 2011, I began an assignment as Chief
Scientist of the National Air and Space Administration.
I am currently on a two-year leave of absence from the
University of Colorado Boulder (CU) to fulfill my responsibilities
as NASA Chief Scientist, which include:
serving as primary advisor to the NASA administrator
on scientific matters related to NASA; interfacing with
Congress, the Executive Office of the President and other
federal agencies to ensure alignment among NASA, White
House and Congressional Science priorities; representing
NASA’s science programs to the public and the scientific
community; and serving as a voice for science within the
Agency. This continues to be a challenging and fascinating
experience, and I look forward to returning to the University
and using what I learn in this position to better serve
the University community. In the meantime, I keep a hand
in the research, working with my graduate students and
other colleagues at CU to carry this research forward.
NASA’s Ice Cloud and Land Elevation
Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is designed to
map changes in ice sheet elevation
using space-based laser altimetry.
NASA IMAGES
CIRES Annual Report 2011 23