The polar deserts of Antarctica are weird places to study hydrology. The more precipitation we get, the less runoff occurs; the ephemeral streams are supplied by glacial melt, yet melt is rarely seen on the glaciers. And the windier it gets, the warmer the air gets, and less runoff occurs.

All of these odd phenomena occur because in summer the ice surfaces are on the cusp of melting and small changes in the energy balance cause big changes in the hydrology.

The speaker will discuss some of these peculiarities and their implications for studying Antarctic glaciers.