Amy Jenson

I currently pursuing a PhD in Geophysics with Dr. Martin Truffer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the Geophysical Institute. I am exploring the role of subglacial hydrology on seasonal velocity variability on tidewater glaciers using coupled ice-flow and subglacial hydrology models in Elmer/Ice.

I earned an M.S. in Mathematics from Montana State University, where I worked with Dr. Scott McCalla and Dr. Mark Skidmore modeling brine flow through ice-walled channels. My B.S. in Mathematics is from the University of Alaska Southeast.

Research Interests

Subglacial hydrology and its influence on ice dynamics.

Teaching

Fall 2024 – Co-Instructor of Record, Foundations of Geophysics, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Summer 2022 – Instructor of Record, Calculus I, Montana State University
Spring 2022 – TA, Calculus II, Montana State University
Fall 2021 – Instructor of Record, Calculus I, Montana State University
Spring 2021 – Instructor of Record, Survey of Calculus, Montana State University
Fall 2019 – TA, Backcountry Navigation, University of Alaska Southeast
Spring 2018 – TA, English Language, Associazione Italo Americana, Trieste, Italy

Publications

Jenson, A., Skidmore, M., Beem, L., Truffer, M., McCalla, S. (2024). Modeling saline-fluid flow through subglacial channels. The Cryosphere, 18, 5451–5464. DOI, PDF
Jenson, A., Amundson, J.M., Kingslake, J., Hood, E. (2022). Long-period variability in ice-dammed glacier outburst floods. The Cryosphere. 16, 333–347. DOI, PDF

Mentorship

Summer 2025 – Mentor for two undergraduate research projects through URSA at University of Alaska Fairbanks.
- Student performed time series analysis for glacier velocity and terminus position on Sermeq Kujalleq.
- Student created educational material about tidewater glaciers for a museum exhibit at the Museum of the North.

Fieldwork

June 2025 – Active and passive seismic surveys on Taku Glacier, Alaska.
May 2025 – Instrument deployment on Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbræ), Greenland, including GPS and temperature sensors.

About Me

I grew up in a small town on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. In my spare time, I like to XC ski and make ceramics.