I am a glaciologist working on the GIANT project, studying calving dynamics at the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet with the use of environmental  seismology. I came to the British Antarctic Survey from doing a PhD at the University of Idaho, where I worked on glacier surging in Alaska.

Research interests

A major remaining source of uncertainty in the scientific community’s projections of future sea level rise is our lack of understanding of calving mechanisms. We know that there are several different “styles” of calving, yielding different types and size of icebergs and possibly different rates of glacier retreat. Theories for how these various calving styles work deserve more thorough testing against field observations. Additionally, different calving styles can co-exist at a single glacier, and glaciers have been known to change their calving style. It is important to understand what drives these changes if we want to accurately predict how calving might behave in the future. My goal on the GIANT project is to interrogate the data we hope to collect in Greenland to gain a detailed understanding of the evolution of cracks in the lower reaches of outlet glaciers, as well as meltwater discharge exiting the glacier below the water line. This understanding will help inform some of the drivers of different calving styles, and hopefully contribute to putting better constraints on calving in projections of future sea level rise.

• Terleth Y., Bartholomaus T.C., Enderlin E., Mikesell T.D., Liu J. Glacier Surges and Seasonal Speedups Integrated Into a Single, Enthalpy‑Based Model Framework. Geophysical Research Letters. DOI:10.1029/2024GL112514
• Terleth Y., Bartholomaus T.C., Liu J., Beaud F., Mikesell T. D., Enderlin E. Transient subglacial water routing efficiency modulates ice velocities prior to surge termination on Sít’ Kusá, AK. Journal of Glaciology 1‑17. DOI:10.1017/jog.2024.38
• Liu J., Enderlin E.M., Bartholomaus T.C., Terleth Y., Mikesell T.D., Beaud F. 2024. Propagating speedups during quiescence escalate to the 2020–2021 surge of Sít’ Kusá, southeast Alaska. Journal of Glaciology, 1‑12. DOI: 10.1017/jog.2023.99
• Terleth Y., Van Pelt W., Pettersson R. 2022. Spatial variability in accumulation on Storglaciären modelled with a terrain based approach. Journal of Glaciology, 1‑13. DOI: 10.1017/jog.2022.96
• Terleth Y., van Pelt W., Pohjola V., Pettersson R. 2021. Complementary Approaches Towards a Universal Model of Glacier Surges. Frontiers in Earth Science, 9. DOI: 10.3389/feart.2021.732962

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive