Secrets beneath the Ice


Hey There
This project was created as part of a science unit at Macquarie University and is designed for a general audience, with a focus on high school students and young adults, including university students. Below, you’ll find all the references, sources of inspiration, and links to any videos or images used throughout the project.
Inspired by
This project was inspired by a seminar hosted by Jessica Mejia, whose insights helped shape the direction and content of this work. A link to her seminar is provided below:​
ARCUS. (2024). The ARCUS Research Seminar Series: December 2024. [online video]. Available at: https://www.arcus.org/research-seminar-series/2024-12 [Accessed 8 May 2025].
Content
ARCUS. (2024). The ARCUS Research Seminar Series: December 2024. [online video]. Available at: https://www.arcus.org/research-seminar-series/2024-12 [Accessed 8 May 2025].
Hanna, E., Topál, D., Box, J.E., Buzzard, S., Christie, F.D., Hvidberg, C., Morlighem, M., De Santis, L., Silvano, A., Colleoni, F. and Sasgen, I., 2024. Short-and long-term variability of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 5(3), pp.193-210.
Hageman, T., Mejía, J., Duddu, R. and Martínez-Pañeda, E., 2024. Ice viscosity governs hydraulic fracture that causes rapid drainage of supraglacial lakes. The Cryosphere, 18(9), pp.3991-4009.
Hoffman, A.O., Christianson, K., Lai, C.Y., Joughin, I., Holschuh, N., Case, E., Kingslake, J. and GHOST science team, 2025. Inland migration of near-surface crevasses in the Amundsen Sea Sector, West Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 19(3), pp.1353-1372.
Li, Y., Coulon, V., Blasco, J., Qiao, G., Yang, Q. and Pattyn, F., 2024. Damage strength increases ice mass loss from Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. EGUsphere, 2024, pp.1-27.
Mejia, J.Z. 2021, Investigating the Hydrology of the Western Greenland Ice Sheet: Spatiotemporal Variability and Implications on Ice-Dynamics, University of South Florida.
Mejia, J., Gulley, J., Trunz, C., Breithaupt, C. and Covington, M., 2024. Large interannual changes in supraglacial drainage basin areas and channels that flow downstream uphill: lessons from field surveys of moulin-connected streams on the Greenland Ice Sheet. EGUsphere, 2024, pp.1-22.
Sommers, A.N., Meyer, C.R., Poinar, K., Mejia, J., Morlighem, M., Rajaram, H., Warburton, K.L.P. and Chu, W., 2024. Velocity of Greenland's Helheim Glacier controlled both by terminus effects and subglacial hydrology with distinct realms of influence. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(15), p.e2024GL109168.
Photos & Illustrations
AntarcticGlaciers.org. (n.d.). [Glacier hydrology Illustration]. Retrieved May 11, 2025, from https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glacier-processes/glacier-hydrology/
AntarcticGlaciers.org. (n.d.). [Photograph of glacier ice exposed in an ice-cored moraine, showing foliation with coarse clear ice and white bubble-rich ice]. Available at: https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glacier-processes/from-snow-to-glacier-ice/
Ascent Xmedia. (n.d.). [Photograph of hikers examining a glacier crevasse]. Available at: https://www.backpacker.com/stories/nature/phenomenon-crevasses/
Curtis, S. (n.d.). [Photograph of a polar bear mother and cub]. Polar Bears International. Available at: https://polarbearsinternational.org/news-media/articles/polar-bear-mom-cub-facts
Goyal, T., & Gupta, D. (2020). [Illustration on sea level rise and its implications in international law]. Available at: http://opiniojuris.org/2020/09/04/sea-level-rise-and-its-implications-in-international-law/
Kingslake, J. (n.d.). [Photograph of waterfall on the Nansen Ice Shelf]. Available at: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/antarctica-rivers-34423/
NASA / Science Photo Library. (n.d.). [Photograph of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets]. Available at: https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/627473/view/greenland-and-antarctic-ice-sheet
Niehaus, H. (2023). [Photograph of bright shallow melt pond and relatively thick sea ice]. Available at: https://www.meereisportal.de/en/news-overview/news-detail-view/melt-pond-fraction-on-arctic-sea-ice-combining-in-situ-and-satellite-data
NoCO2. (2023). [Photograph of Thwaites Glacier]. Available at: https://noco2.com.au/blog/what-to-know-about-thwaites-glacier/
NYU Applied Mathematics Laboratory. (2022). [Photograph of melting ice shapes at varying water temperatures]. Available at: https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2022/january/scientists-uncover-how-the-shape-of-melting-ice-depends-on-water.html
Pngtree. (n.d.). [Illustration of a glacial crevasse in the sun]. Available at: https://pngtree.com/freebackground/glacial-crevasse-in-the-sun_15992666.html
Prezelj, M. (n.d.). [Photograph of a subglacial ice cave in Antarctica]. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/antarctica-travel-adventures/index.html
Sea Level Rise. (2017). Thermal expansion GIF [Animated image]. Available at: https://assets.sealevelrise.org/2017/12/341efa54006cbe63902a2fac522bece4-thermal-expansion.gif
Staehli, B. (n.d.). [Image of melting glacier]. Shutterstock. Available at: https://physicsworld.com/a/melting-glaciers-have-been-shifting-the-earths-poles-since-1995-new-study-suggests/
Tedesco, M. (2016). [Photograph of rivers of meltwater on the Greenland Ice Sheet]. Available at: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2016/04/25/in-greenland-exactly-where-meltwater-enters-the-ocean-matters/
Van Ommen, T. (2006). [Photograph of the snow surface at Law Dome, Antarctica]. Available at: https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2006/australian-antarctic-ice-cores-help-build-a-map-of-snowfall/
Walsh, D. (n.d.). [Photograph of the Blue River on Petermann Glacier, Greenland]. Alamy Stock Photo. Available at: https://eos.org/articles/rare-glacial-river-drains-potentially-harmful-lakes
Wix Media Library. (n.d.). [Various photographs used throughout this website, including glacier and climate-related images]. Available through: https://www.wix.com
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World Meteorological Organization. (n.d.). [Photograph of snow on a glacier]. Available at: https://wmo.int/topics/snow