TPS Engineer studies global warming

TPS Engineer studies global warming on Iceland glacier.

The issue of global warming has been debated for two decades now.

Scientists successfully alienated themselves from a generally disbelieving world by failing to agree on its effects, or even its existence.

However, recent climatic events, such as the flash flood at Boscastle in Cornwall last year, Florida being hit by a record breaking four hurricanes in one month last summer and the collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica in 2002, has led to a general realisation that global warming is here, and will get a lot worse before its gets any better, if it ever can do.

Predicting the environmental impact of global warming will largely be based upon historic data.

It was with this in mind that a number of civil engineering students from Loughborough University, accompanied by some geographers from Glasgow University, went on a four week expedition into the heart of Iceland.

Sarah Roberts, who was a placement student in geotechnics for TPS Consult in Croydon, was one of several students and lecturers on the expedition.

"The aim was to study the Northern Hoffsjokull area of central Iceland," she explained, "and create a map to enable the team to assess glacial responses to climate change and also to test contemporary land systems models to aid the recognition of specific styles of glaciation in similar former glaciated areas such as the UK." The Loughborough team's work involved using its surveying skills, more commonly practised when positioning a building on a construction site, to locate the exact position of features such as large isolated boulders.

These boulders were then identified on digital aerial photographs of the area and plotted on a map produced by the geographers marking the land features.

"Most of the time was spent walking vast distances (an average of about 15 miles a day) carrying the survey equipment looking for boulders," Sarah continued.

"The landscape was very barren, and couldn't be described as pretty in the conventional sense.

It was, however, awe-inspiring.

It's a very volcanic part of the world, and most of the surroundings are grey (even the ice is dirty) or brown.

Most of it is flat, with hills up to 200 metres higher than the plain they are sticking out of.

The ice is enormous beyond comprehension.

"There is a surprising amount of life there if you look for it.

Red, pink, purple and white flowers spring from between rocks, trying to get some shelter.

There were tree-like shrubs too, although they grow along the ground rather than up, rarely more than three inches tall at their highest point." The expedition set up camp on a lava-field, which was very rough and jagged - not the most comfortable place to unwrap a sleeping bag - and endured rain, snow and near hurricane force winds.

That aside, Sarah enjoyed the trip: "It's been a great place to spend three weeks, and very interesting to learn more about the area and how to appreciate it, although I think next summer I may well head for a beach to relax and enjoy the sun!!".

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