Glacier and ice sheet dynamics including ice-shelf stability; ice/ocean interactions; ice rheology and deformation; ice-core climate history; water percolation in firn; fracture and deformation of cold ice; englacial and subglacial water movement; connections between Earth-ice processes and planetary ice; and applied geophysical methods in ice (seismics, acoustics, borehole logging, radar, etc).
Using field-research experiences as a mechanism to build confidence in and inspire underprivileged young women to explore science as a career; teaching climate science in the field.
ScB, Brown University (Mechanical Engineering), 1994
PhD, University of Washington (Glaciology/Geophysics), 2003
Director of Inspiring Girls Expeditions
Alternate email: ecpettit@alaska.edu
Websites: http://exploreice.org, http://inspiringgirls.org
Out of this world (November, 2020)
Erin Pettit: Tracking glaciers on the move (March, 2019)