About

Kat Huybers is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science at the University of Washington. Her areas of expertise include pedagogy, climate variability and paleoclimate, and glaciology. She is involved in teaching courses such as ATMOS 111: Global Warming: Understanding the Issues, ATMOS 211: Climate and Climate Change, and ATMOS 220: Exploring the Atmospheric and Climate Science. In 2023, she received the University of Washington College of the Environment Outstanding Teaching Award. She serves as a leader of the College of Environment Faculty Fellows Program, a member of the College of Environment Teaching Support Team, and acts as a scientific advisor and educator for the non-profit EarthGen. Her work focuses on understanding climate variability and paleoclimate, contributing to education and outreach in atmospheric and climate sciences.

Research topics

• Geology
• Climatology
• Physical geography
• Oceanography
• Environmental science

Selected publications

• GIS-BASED RECONSTRUCTIONS OF PALEOLAKE AREA AND VOLUMES IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES AND CENTRAL ANDES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PALEOCLIMATE INTERPRETATIONS

  Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America · 2019-01-01

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• Understanding the rate of mass loss for debris-covered glaciers in High Mountain Asia

  AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts · 2018-12-01

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• Basal topographic controls on the stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet: lessons from Foundation Ice Stream

  Annals of Glaciology · 2017-06-05 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Using observations of basal topography, ice thickness and modern accumulation rates, we use theory and a dynamic flowline model to examine the sensitivity of Antarctica's Foundation Ice Stream to changes in sea level, accumulation and buttressing at the grounding line. Our sensitivity studies demonstrate that the steep, upward-sloping basal topography inland from the grounding line serves to stabilize retreat of the ice stream, while the upward-sloping submarine topography downstream from the grounding line creates the potential for significant advance under conditions of modest sea-level lowering and/or increased accumulation rate. Extrapolating from Foundation Ice Stream, many nearby Weddell Sea sector ice streams are in a similar configuration, suggesting that the historical and projected responses of this sector's ice streams may contrast with those in the Amundsen or Ross Sea sectors. This work reaffirms that the greatest concerns for rapid West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) retreat are locations of reverse slopes, muted basal topography and limited lateral support.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Response of Debris-Covered and Clean-Ice Glaciers to Climate Change from Observations and Modeling

  AGUFM · 2017-12-01

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• Cosmogenic-nuclide exposure ages from the Pensacola Mountains adjacent to the Foundation Ice Stream, Antarctica

  American Journal of Science · 2016-06-01 · 47 citations

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  We describe glacial-geological observations and cosmogenic-nuclide exposure ages from the Schmidt, Williams, and Thomas Hills in the Pensacola Mountains of Antarctica adjacent to the Foundation Ice Stream (FIS). Our aim is to learn about changes in the thickness and grounding line position of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Weddell Sea embayment between the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the present. Glacial-geological observations from all three regions indicate that currently-ice-free areas were covered by ice during one or more past ice sheet expansions, and that this ice was typically frozen to its bed and thus non-erosive, permitting the accumulation of multiple generations of glacial drift. Cosmogenic-nuclide exposure-age data from glacially transported erratics are consistent with this interpretation in that we observe both (i) samples with Holocene exposure ages that display a systematic age-elevation relationship recording LGM-to-present deglaciation, and (ii) samples with older and highly scattered apparent exposure ages that were deposited in previous glacial-interglacial cycles and have experienced multiple periods of surface exposure and ice cover. Holocene exposure ages at the Thomas and Williams Hills, upstream of the present grounding line of the FIS, show that the FIS was at least 500 m thicker prior to 11 ka, and that 500 m of thinning took place between 11 and 4 ka. However, exposure-age data from the Schmidt Hills, downstream of the present grounding line of the FIS, show no evidence for LGM thickening of the FIS and, in fact, provide some evidence that the FIS could have been no more than 200 m thicker than present at the LGM. If all these observations are correct, they imply that the LGM and early Holocene ice surface slope in the vicinity of the present grounding line was steeper than present, which is inconsistent with glaciological model predictions of possible LGM ice sheet configurations. Specifically, scenarios in which the LGM grounding line of the FIS advanced to the outer continental shelf appear inconsistent with exposure-age data from the Schmidt Hills, whereas scenarios in which the FIS grounding line did not advance at the LGM appear inconsistent with exposure-age data from the Williams and Thomas Hills.

  PublisherDOI

• High Mountain Asia Glacier Area and Meltwater Flux Changes Under Future Climate Scenarios

  AGUFM · 2016-12-01

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• Response of closed basin lakes to interannual climate variability

  Climate Dynamics · 2015-09-04 · 26 citations

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• Combined ice core and climate-model evidence for the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during Marine Isotope Stage 5e.

  EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts · 2015-04-01 · 2 citations

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  It has been speculated that collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet explains the very high eustatic sea level rise during the last interglacial period, marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e, but the evidence remains equivocal. Changes in atmospheric circulation resulting from a collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would have significant regional impacts that should be detectable in ice core records. We conducted simulations using general circulation models (GCMs) at varying levels of complexity: a gray-radiation aquaplanet moist GCM (GRaM), the slab ocean version of GFDL-AM2 (also as an aquaplanet), and the fully-coupled version of NCAR’s CESM with realistic topography. In all the experiments, decreased elevation from the removal of the WAIS leads to greater cyclonic circulation over the West Antarctic region. This creates increased advection of relatively warm marine air from the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas towards the South Pole, and increased cold-air advection from the East Antarctic plateau towards the Ross Sea and coastal Marie Byrd Land. The result is anomalous warming in some areas of the East Antarctic interior, and significant cooling in Marie Byrd Land. Comparison of ice core records shows good agreement with the model predictions. In particular, isotope-paleotemperature records from ice cores in East Antarctica warmed more between the previous glacial period (MIS 6) and MIS 5e than coastal Marie Byrd Land. These results add substantial support to other evidence for WAIS collapse during the last interglacial period.

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• Influence of West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse on Antarctic surface climate

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2015-05-26 · 71 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Climate model simulations are used to examine the impact of a collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) on the surface climate of Antarctica. The lowered topography following WAIS collapse produces anomalous cyclonic circulation with increased flow of warm, maritime air toward the South Pole and cold‐air advection from the East Antarctic plateau toward the Ross Sea and Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica. Relative to the background climate, areas in East Antarctica that are adjacent to the WAIS warm, while substantial cooling (several ∘ C) occurs over parts of West Antarctica. Anomalously low isotope‐paleotemperature values at Mount Moulton, West Antarctica, compared with ice core records in East Antarctica, are consistent with collapse of the WAIS during the last interglacial period, Marine Isotope Stage 5e. More definitive evidence might be recoverable from an ice core record at Hercules Dome, East Antarctica, which would experience significant warming and positive oxygen isotope anomalies if the WAIS collapsed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Global and Local Climatic Response to the Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

  AGUFM · 2014-12-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
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Frequent coauthors

• Gerard H. Roe

  University of Washington

  19 shared

• H. Conway

  University of Washington

  11 shared

• S. Rupper

  10 shared

• Seth Campbell

  4 shared

• Eric J. Steig

  University of Washington

  4 shared

• Trevor R. Hillebrand

  Los Alamos National Laboratory

  4 shared

• Greg Balco

  Berkeley Geochronology Center

  4 shared

• Michael Vermeulen

  Portland State University

  3 shared

Awards & honors

• University of Washington College of the Environment Outstand…