From Östersund to the South Pole – glaciologist from Mid Sweden University researches melting ice

Mid Sweden University's new researcher in glaciology, Katrin Lindbäck, is soon packing for an unusual field of work – Antarctica. At the end of December, she will travel away together with three research colleagues and two field technicians. The aim is to understand how the melting of the Antarctic ice shelves affects future sea levels. By understanding the basic processes under the ice, climate models for the future can become more reliable.

Gigantic masses of ice

For a month, she and her colleagues will live and work on the ice, with the snowmobile as the main means of transport and masses of ice as thick as high-rise buildings – 500 metres – under their feet.
"We will map an area where there is very little data from before," she says. We measure the thickness with ground radar and set up stations that will record how much the ice melts from below for a whole year, and in the long term we will also drill through the ice and put instruments in the sea below.

Swedish investment in polar research

Katrin Lindbäck is a glaciologist and new researcher at Mid Sweden University, at the Division of Ecotechnology. Her trip to Antarctica is part of a national initiative funded by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat and the Swedish government. The investment means that Swedish researchers currently have unusually good opportunities to conduct advanced polar research.
"If East Antarctica's entire ice mass were to melt, it would be a sea level rise of 52 meters. Of course, this is not something that happens overnight, but in order to make reliable climate models, we need to understand the basic processes here and now.

Expedition in a tough environment

For Lindbäck, it will not be the first time on the ice continent. During her postdoc in Tromsø, she participated in expeditions with both Norwegian, Indian and American research teams. This time it is the first time she has done fieldwork under Swedish auspices.
"It's the middle of summer there, but it can still be between zero and minus 20. As long as the weather holds, it's fine, but if it gets windy, it can be really tough," she says.

Interest in glaciers sparked at a summer job

Katrin Lindbäck's interest in environmental issues has followed her since she was a child. When she then worked for the summer at Tarfala research station in Kebnekaise, she discovered glacier research – and found her direction. Mountain life with climbing, hiking and snow under your feet has always attracted more than beaches and sun.
"I'm more of a winter person than a summer person. Because hot weather is not my thing," she says.

Investing in research

After three years as a research advisor at Mid Sweden University, she recently received a career grant from the Swedish Research Council Formas, which has made it possible for her to invest wholeheartedly in research.
"It feels fantastic to now be part of ecotechnology. I've been in contact with many people here before, so it feels great," she says.