Jessica Mejia, PhD

What’s the work that you do?

I am a glaciologist interested in glacial hydrology and ice dynamics using largely observational approaches. My work focuses on understanding how the Greenland Ice Sheet’s hydraulic system responds to and controls ice sliding speeds, conducting fieldwork at various parts of the ice sheet to deploy hydrologic (gauging supraglacial streams, instrumenting moulins, and melt rates) and geophysical instruments (GPS stations to monitor ice velocity and crevasse opening rates) to measure the ice sheet’s response to melting. I am passionate about broadening glaciology through the development of cryocommunity.org and a new VICE (virtual ice community engagement) squads.

What keeps you going?

I continue to pursue my research because I feel that it is using my skills and interests to contribute to understanding fundamental ice sheet processes, which is critical to constrain how our ice sheets will respond to future melting as the climate continues to warm. I am also grateful for the opportunity to work with great collaborators and students.

What’s your message to the world?

We all need to work together to in creative and pragmatic ways to advocate for policy changes that will cut emissions and limit future warming. While polar scientists are doing incredible work in furthering our understanding of earth systems, we need to come together and figure out effective ways to advocate for and enact policy change aimed at cutting global emissions and limiting future climate warming. Many of us recognize that pursuing our research alone is not enough, but are unsure of how to enact change and need to connect with others outside of our discipline to organize and push for substantial regulations in the most industrialized countries.