The Science of Climate Change: A Journey to Reedy Glacier

Twelve short videos tell the story of a small team of climate scientists from the University of Maine and the University of Washington who traveled to Antarctica in 2003 and 2004 to reconstruct past changes in a glacier that feeds into the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. 

The climate researchers were looking for evidence indicating to what extent the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is retreating. Even partial melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has significant implications for Maine, and for Acadia National Park. 

The videos were produced in 2009 in collaboration with Acadia National Park as an electronic exhibit for Park visitors, with funding from the National Science Foundation. 

  1. Why is everyone talking about climate?
  2. Welcome to Reedy Glacier, Antarctica
  3. Why do scientists go to Antarctica?
  4. Daily life at Reedy Glacier
  5. What is the researchers’ question?
  6. What might the answer be?
  7. What evidence helps answer the question?
  8. What can rocks tell us about glacier age?
  9. What did the researchers find?
  10. What does the evidence mean to the researchers?
  11. What do we know, and what do we still need to learn?
  12. Acadia and Antarctica

Attributions:

The Principal Investigators for this video project are Dr. Brenda Hall and Dr. Molly Schauffler of the University of Maine. Dr. Gordon Bromley of the National University of Ireland and the Climate Change Institute assisted with the research; Dr. John Stone and the University of Washington Cosmogenic Isotope Laboratory provided the dating analyses. 

All video of the research activities in Antarctica was shot by Gordon Bromley .

All photographs of Antarctica were shot by members of the Reedy Glacier research team, primarily Gordon Bromley

Scripting, recording of interviews, editing, and other video, exhibit kiosk, and web production work was performed by Modular Media.

The narrator is Jim Campbell.