Chen Zhao, PhD

What’s the work that you do?

I am a glaciologist and also an ice sheet and ocean modeller. I started my studies on Antarctic science in 2011 and relocated to Hobart, Australia 7 years ago for my PhD studies. My current research interests aim to explore the sea level contributions from the Antarctic Ice Sheet in a changing ocean and evaluate the impact of ocean systems on large ice sheets with numerical modelling.

My experience in the polar regions has inspired me to devote myself to delivering knowledge about the impact of climate change on the polar regions to a broader audience. I have worked as a lecturer and expedition guide on cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula in the south, Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard in the north.

What keeps you going?

I began my work in polar science because of my desire to see and feel the pure white land at the end of the Earth. When I learned more about the Antarctic in the course of my research, I felt excited and enthusiastic about how the data and models can tell us the truth behind climate change. I feel sad that some people don’t even care about the melting ice, the rising sea level, and the changing climate.

The incredible trips to the Antarctic and Arctic and the impressive nature of the polar regions have inspired me to keep doing my research on the Antarctic. I want to tell you what I found out about the polar regions, I want to protect it in my own little way and hope more of you will join me that way.

What’s your message to the world?

Ice is melting. Sea level is rising. Act on climate change now and we can make a difference.