What happens when glaciers retreat rapidly in response to climate change? How do tectonic forces and isostatic uplift shape coastal landscapes? Bruce Molnia will explore these questions in his upcoming lecture, Warm Ice: Eastern Gulf of Alaska Glacier-Fiord-Ocean Interactions Seven Vignettes. He will examine how these dynamic processes interact and contribute to hazards in the region, using remote sensing data and field research to highlight seven key areas like Glacier Bay and Malaspina Glacier. 

Bruce Molnia, Emeritus Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, has nearly 50 years of experience studying glaciers and climate change. In his career, he has led global expeditions and authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications, with a focus on Alaskan glaciers and their response to warming trends. 

Molnia will present a Keynote for the Leica Geosystems Lecture Series at 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 7, in Gearhart Hall 026 on the U of A campus. This event is co-hosted by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, through an endowment with Leica Geosystems, and the Department of Geosciences, as part of the UofA Geosciences Colloquium Series. 

This lecture is sponsored by the Lecia Geosystems Chair in Geospatial Imaging. The Leica Geosystems-endowed fund was established in 2005. Their gift-in-kind created the Leica Geosystems Chair in Geospatial Imaging at CAST providing advanced photogrammetric and remote-sensing software, maintenance, support, and services to the Center. This endowment also serves to build an academic discipline in geospatial modeling and expand resources for analyzing, storing, and communicating geospatial research data.