KPBS Midday Edition

Getting Up Close With A Melting Antarctic Glacier To Study Sea Level Rise

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published May 20, 2019 at 9:11 AM PDT

This story was published more than 4 years ago.

As the Nathaniel B. Palmer ship traced the edge of the Thwaites ice shelf from east to west, it reached portions of the glacier that were more degraded.

The view is thrilling and other-worldly. But the real-world implications of the research could be devastating for the planet.

A scientific expedition to Antarctica is allowing researchers to get a rare view of the Thwaites Glacier, which juts out of the West Antarctic ice sheet.

The view is thrilling and other-worldly. But the real-world implications of the research could be devastating for the planet.

The Florida-sized glacier is melting and it has the potential, by itself, to cause sea levels to rise two feet globally. A new study found near 25 percent of the ice sheet is unstable.

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Carolyn Beeler, environment reporter for "The World," in an undated photo.

Carolyn Beeler, an environment reporter for "The World," spent more than a month on board the research ship Nathaniel B. Palmer traveling to Antarctica earlier this year.

She joins Midday Edition on Monday to talk about what researchers are trying to understand about the melting glacier.

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KPBS Midday Edition Climate Change

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn