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 The next BCCR Monday Seminar will be given by Jan Kavan from Centre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia, Czechia.  He will present his work on "Marine-terminating glaciers dynamics and its consequences for development of coastal zones around the Arctic". The seminar will take place in the usual BCCR seminar room(4th floor of the West wing) at 11:30. 

Abstract

Marine terminating glaciers represent an interface between glacial, marine and terrestrial environments. The adjacent fjords serve as a unique habitat hosting rich marine wildlife with exceptional biodiversity thanks to enhanced nutrient upwelling in front of the glacier calving front. Coastal areas are also the most densely inhabited zones in the Arctic, where most human activities and infrastructure are strongly related to the marine environment. With the ongoing and still accelerating climate warming of the Arctic, the marine terminating glaciers are continuously retreating exposing new paraglacial coastal areas. These new coastal areas are one of the most geomorphologically dynamic regions on Earth. This high dynamic goes hand in hand with increased susceptibility to natural hazards (landslides, rockfall, tsunami waves).
Here, I will introduce recent trends in exposing new coastlines around the Arctic and highlight few examples of geomorphic coastal transformation from different locations around Svalbard.

Speaker information

Jan Kavan works currently as a researcher in Centre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia, Czechia. He focuses on coastal processes associated with retreat of marine terminating glaciers in the Arctic with special emphasis on Svalbard.