#i love glaciers on his behalf and geomorphology as a whole also bc of him

[quixoticanarchy]

remembering my old geomorphology professor who specializes in glaciology and we asked him what it was like to focus most of his work on glaciers and watch them succumb to the warming climate in real time. I don't remember the details of his answer - something on the balance of grief and the importance of doing the work, of paying attention? the worthiness of knowledge even when it's grim? the need to know about such complex and long-lived and dynamic and beautiful things as glaciers before it's too late? I know he said scientists need to be communicators, to help educate and motivate and direct people's concerns, but the time for researching and talking is passing swiftly; he's done his part there and if there's anything to be done for the glaciers, it's not going to be through more of his research. though he'll keep researching all the same. but mostly I remember just how sad he looked, momentarily, before he tried to put together an answer