I am a research meteorologist at the national weather service of Ireland, Met Éireann, having recently returned from Vancouver, Canada. There, I was a PhD researcher at the University of British Columbia, examining the relationships between the atmosphere and the Earth’s glaciers, and the potential impact of a changing climate on these systems.
In this blog, I hope to share some of the more interesting things I have come across as a researcher and traveller, and to give a straightforward account of some the work that goes into understanding our climate.
ManOnIce 
Hi my name is Maeve I go to the same school as your niece Ellen and your nephew Mathew in Leitrim. I would like to know how do you cope in those horrible cold conditions.
Hi Maeve, thank you so much for your question! It can get very cold, and you do have to be careful, but there are a few things you can do so that you can stay warm and still have fun!
The first thing is to make sure as much of you as possible is covered from the wind, including your hands and face. The wind here can cool your skin down very quickly.
We wear lots of layers of clothing. Air gets trapped in between each layer, and stops heat from escaping out.
Like the sheep out in the fields, we wear lots of wool! Wool keeps you warm, even when it gets wet. We try to avoid wearing clothes made of cotton, because it takes a long time to dry and won’t keep you warm if it is damp.
My favorite part is we eat lots of food! Trying to stay warm and active in cold weather uses up lots of energy, so you need to eat well to make up for it!
Thanks again for your question; be sure to write again if you have any more!
Hi Noel, My name is Conor and I go to school in St. Joseph’s Killenummery along with Ellen and Matthew Fitzpatrick. I was wondering what is a meltwater channel and how is it formed? Your trip looks very interesting! Thanks Conor.
Hi Conor, thank you for reading my blog, and for the great question!
When ice and snow on the surface of a glacier melts, it can produce a lot of water. Streams of this meltwater flow over the surface of a glacier during the warmer months of the year. These streams can cut or ‘erode’ into the glacier, creating paths or channels which the water flows through. Over time, these channels can cut deeper and deeper into the glacier, creating tunnels through the ice which can bring the meltwater from the surface all the way down to the bottom of the glacier. This is important because if there is a lot of water underneath a glacier, it can move faster. Think of how slippy a wet floor can be; if the ground under a glacier is very wet, it can slip faster too!
I will be putting up some pictures soon of a meltwater channel I recently explored.
Let me know if you have any more questions!