Ice Rivers

by Jemma Wadham

The ice sheets and glaciers that currently cover one-tenth of the planet's land surface are today in grave peril. Locked up within them is a vast proportion of Earth's freshwater - but the ice is fast melting as our climate warms at an accelerating rate. High up in the Alps, Andes and Himalaya, once-indomitable glaciers are retreating, even dying; meanwhile, in Antarctica, thinning glaciers are releasing meltwater to sensitive marine foodwebs, and may be unlocking vast quantities of methane stored for millions of years in the deep beneath the ice. The potential consequences for humanity are almost unfathomable.
As one of the world's leading glaciologists, Professor Jemma Wadham has proved that glaciers, previously thought to be freezing, sterile environments, in fact teem with microbial life - a discovery which demonstrates them to be active processors of carbon and nutrients, just like our forests and oceans, influencing crucial systems and services upon which people depend, from lucrative fisheries to fertile croplands. A riveting tale of icy landscapes on the point of irreversible change, and filled with stories of encounters with polar bears and survival in the wilds under the midnight sun, Ice Rivers is a memoir like no other - a passionate love letter, no less, to the glaciers that have been one woman's lifelong obsession.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Environment, Memoir, Natural History, Geology

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 6, 2021

About the author

Jemma L Wadham is a British glacial biogeochemist.
Wadham undertook a short post-doctoral research post at the University of Leeds before returning to the University of Bristol to take up a post at the Bristol Glaciology Centre.
Wadham researches glacial ecosystems and investigates their impact on biogeochemical processes. She has worked in the polar regions, including the Antarctic and the Greenland ice sheets. This has led to more than 90 articles and a textbook on Antarctic lakes.

Reviews

[Justin Pickett · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Why on Earth would you want to be stuck in the freezing Arctic on top of a block of ice?"

A leading glaciologist writes about her experiences studying glaciers around the world (e.g., in Greenland, Antarctica). Unfortunately, the book is more about day-to-day life studying glaciers than about the history, science, or future of glaciers. Dr. Wadham writes about encounters with polar bears, about the remote huts and tents she stayed in, about drinking single malt at night to shut off her "spiralling thoughts," about using three sleeping bags in cold weather, about using pink dye to trace water flow in glaciers, etc. What comes through clearest is her love (or even obsession) with glaciers. At one point, her mother is diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, but Dr. Wadham nevertheless leaves her family to go study glaciers in Antarctica.

"The pain engendered by the distance and separation was excruciating. What if my mother were no longer alive by the time I got back?"

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) Wadham, a leading glaciologist and one of the few female scientists in the field, introduces readers to the science of glaciers: where they are, what lives on and under them, how they move and change, and the grave threats they face (and, therefore, so do we). The science, even dumbed down, was a little hard for me to follow, but I loved experiencing extreme landscapes like Greenland and Antarctica with her. She neatly inserts tiny mentions of her personal life, such as her mother’s death, a miscarriage, and emergency brain surgery to remove a benign cyst.

While she doesn’t dwell on the particular challenges of being a woman in science, she does mention that she feels she has to be extra tough to compete (and for peeing at remote campsites, she can’t recommend a Shewee highly enough).

There’s a lovely moment right at the end of the book where she confronts an ailing glacier in Peru and ponders its mortality along with her own: “this glacier was so beautiful, so solid, so pure and yet inexorably melting away. … Maybe it would be here in twenty years, maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn’t.” She found a way to release her emotions through art, collaborating with an actress on a play at the Hay Festival in Lima in which she portrayed a glacier.

The afterword then mentions a funeral held for a glacier in Iceland in 2019. A plaque read: “In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.”

Readalikes: This Cold Heaven by Gretel Ehrlich and Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

[Crazytourists_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.
I liked the narration, scientific and personal in equal measure, I liked the topic (science geek here), I loved the photos, I envied the adventures and experiences!
I had lots of wow moments reading this book (which I came across at the library and impulsively borrowed); sad wows, surprise wows, admiration wows.
Informative, inspiring, down to earth. Exactly what I want from a (scientific) non-fiction book.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading most of this book while doing field work in Alaska felt fitting!

Highly recommend this book as an accessible exploration of glaciology and climate science that also incorporates personal anecdotes, beautiful imagery, and life as a woman in science. I caught myself noticing so many parallels to my own research, classes I’ve taken and my experiences as a woman in the earth sciences. 5+ stars!

[Keegan Epping · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about glaciology. The author discusses glacier morphology, mechanisms for studying glaciers, and the impact that recession of glaciers has/will increasingly have on not only the local environment but the entire world. The information on the impact of glacier loss such as sea level rise, release of methane, and exposure to toxins/pollutants that currently are sequestered under glacier beds are all discussed in the book with personal tales of the author’s career as a glaciologist sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed the balance of scientific information and adventurous fieldwork stories.

[Rachel Welton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative tale of the author's field trips to several of the worlds glaciers, told with wonder and enthusiasm. The stories are wrapped in an entertaining narrative, and I have learnt all sorts of things about glacial flow that I did not previously know.

[Audrey Approved · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realized I didn't know anything about glaciers a month ago, when I was up close and personal with Torres del Paine National Park's Grey Glacier. Why was it so jagged? How did it move and how quickly did it retreat each year? Why did some sections have blue ice, but other places looked pure white?

Many of the answers to these questions I've now learned from Ice Rivers, written by British glacial biogeochemist Prof. Jemma Wadham. Bringing the reader along with her to previous expeditions to the Alps, Greenland, the Himalayas, Antarctica and Patagonia, Ice Rivers also includes a fair bit of science/water chemistry as well as personal reflection, all in under <250 pages. This interweaving of memoir with scientific content might not work with every reader, but is something that I tend to enjoy in my nonfiction.

While I learned some cool glacier facts, I'm not sure this will stick with me long term. I just wish I had read this pre-vacation so I could have inundated my partner with glacier facts!

This was actually the second glacier book I picked up. I attempted to read Meltdown: The Earth Without Glaciers but didn't love the author's tone and DNFed.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a gorgeous book and i adored every part of it. it was part memoir and part science. the science was extremely digestible, but having small background knowledge was helpful. parts of the book was a bit slow or hard to get through but otherwise i enjoyed it. the authors writing style is absolutely gorgeous and i was in awe of so many passages. i would gladly read another book by her. this book makes me so excited to study geology.

[Anshuman Swain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a glaciologist and the book is about glaciers and ice sheets though her lens. It is a wonderful book that not only explains the science behind different phenomena in glaciers and ice sheets but also provides a personal touch of a person who has done the science herself. The book also continuously touches upon the loss of ice in all these locations and what the future may hold if it keeps on happening the way it is today.

[Nicole Simovski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic science memoir! Blew through this in two days. Professor and glaciologist shares insights about glaciers spanning her 25 year career studying glaciers across the world. Great blend of science, discovery, and memoir.

[Heather Worth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if I gave up my career to become a glaciologist?

[Adam K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Jemma Wadham tells the story of glaciers through the framework of her own life. She takes us through her early years, her hopes and dreams, and how she sort of falls into the field of glaciology. Ultimately, we accompany her on each of the major field expeditions to glaciers in different parts of the world where her team travels to conduct studies. Through these expeditions, Wadham describes different aspects of geology, history, chemistry, etc. which are affected by glaciers and the relationship between them and climate change.

I think Wadham does a good job of speaking to a non-technical audience regarding the minutiae of her research. She provides basic background information to help readers understand the more complex questions and problems her research attempts to solve. A lot of it is very niche and specific, as one might imagine, and sometimes it is both fascinating and a bit tedious.

"Even at the bottom of Shallap valley, eight kilometres downstream from the glacier, the river waters remained highly acidic and toxic with metals, the river bright orange. This was a very different story to Pastoruri – but why? In Shallap the boundary between the metal-rich Chicama rocks and the granite of the batholith is clearly visible about a third of the way down the valley from the glacier. The Chicama generates acidic waters, but mixing with more alkaline waters flowing over the batholith ought to mitigate the acidity. The problem is, though, that the valley lacks large broad hillsides and moraines to soak up rainwater which forms neutralizing groundwater reserves; the only places where rainwater can be stored are in small, steep talus cones (from rockfall) which line the steep valley sides, or in small lakes or snow patches high up above. Tiny streams and waterfalls plunge daringly down the mountainside and into the main Shallap river, but (unlike the springs in Pastoruri valley) they are neutral to slightly acidic in their pH. Acid-consuming wetland pampas, which can absorb metals from waters, only cover a tiny area on the valley bottom. Essentially, the Shallap River cannot recover from the slug of acid input from its feeding glacier above. The concern is that many other valleys like Shallap will head this way, and the all-important local water supply will become poisoned."

The importance of the work Wadham and others in her field are doing can't be overstated. Climate change is affecting the glaciers which in turn have massive implications for the future of the planet. From a glacial perspective, climate change denial isn't even on the radar. The question is, is there still time for us to save ourselves? That remains to be seen.

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Ice Rivers' is both beautiful and enlightening, and I am so glad I read it.

The last two years or so, I've been on a bit of a reading binge when it comes to scientist-writers, most of them working on the frontline of climate change and biodiversity loss. Some books have worked better than others in capturing my attention and, perhaps more importantly, in getting the science to sink into my brain. One of the elements that works so well in 'Ice Rivers' is the pacing and rhythm between the author's personal, sensory experiences of her fieldwork, and the science of glaciers. It helps that there's a lot of quite beautiful terminology involved - "proglacial", "glacial flour"... I feel that I've learned so much, and Wadham is skilled in conveying important concepts such as the different mechanisms by which glaciers move and melt. I was especially amazed to learn about the vital role that glaciers play in providing nutrients to terrestrial and marine systems.

The author poignantly dwells here and there on her emotional life and events such as her mother's death, but never at the cost of sidelining the science - her life's work and passion, after all. 'Ice Rivers' feels like a brave book, in a way. It is a quietly devastating one too - there are edges of fear, urgency, and sadness to Wadham's writing, because she knows how little time we have left to save ourselves.

(With thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review)

[Andy Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might expect that such a book would be enlightening, and it certainly is, but it works so well because of Wadham's own story which emerges gradually throughout.
The glaciologist attempts to explain how ice has played such a role in her life, though I suspect to many it will remain a mystery.
Such a book crammed with facts needs to more than that to really appeal and earn the reader's complete attention, and this is such a piece of work. There are insights into the challenges of being an expedition leader and a rare women in a traditionally male field, and a very understated and modest account of weeks spent on the ice, rappelling, chain-sawing, and most significantly, dealing with injury and illness.
Similar to Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl, the fascination here centres on the process, not so much why she does it, but how.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what I felt like reading this book? Like a person from the future reading someone's journal about the past on climate change, melting glaciers, and the race to not only figure it out, but to stop it.

In "Ice Rivers" by professor and expedition scientist Jemma Wadham, there's a sense of calm about the rising sea levels and nature itself. This is partly due to over 20 years of study and the other is her profound sense of the spirituality of nature and humans. There's her staring into a polar bear's eyes, the grief over her mother passing, her own medical treatments, the idea of a ticking clock both in her life and nature.

This reminded me of a few books: "Lab Girl", "Good Morning, Midnight" and a bit of "When Breath Becomes Air", two nonfiction, one fiction, all with a reflective look at something bigger than us that also blends in the personal that you feel almost intrusive reading it. You can tell Wadham loves her work. You can also tell that she loves deeply the world around her both human and nature and what it means to win and lose in both, to see what nature will do if it has its way and when we intervene.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ice Rivers by Jemma Wadham is a beautifully written book. A world renowned Glaciologist, Wadham has spent her life and career studying glaciers across the world. This book spans her life and her career travelling from the Alps, Antarctica, the Andes and the Himalayas, investigating what is happening to the world's glaciers.

I found this book so interesting, with an insight on how global warming is affecting the glaciers of the world. Wadham writes in a very accessible way, so although there is some science in this book, it is written in such a way that is understandable to a lay person. She writes of the glaciers with such passion, beautifully describing the environments, the challenges ahead and her research. She has led such an interesting life, and writes about the good and bad events she has had to face in her life. She writes with warmth, compassion and from early pages I felt drawn in and wanted to read more and more. Such an interesting read, and one from which I feel I have learned a lot.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Ice Rivers’ is written by Professor Jemma Wadham, one of the world’s leading glaciologists and describes chapter by chapter many of the glaciers she has visited and studied over her illustrious twenty-five year career. She also describes the all too evident effect of climate change on the glaciers of the world and successfully argues why this should be of grave concern to us all.

There is plenty of science in this book, but the author’s accessible prose neither patronises nor alienates.

At a time when so many in the UK are restricted to spending much of their time either at or near to home, the descriptions of each country seem particularly evocative, placing the reader right next to the author on the icy glacier. Wadham also weaves into her narrative a number of frank events and experiences from her personal life, revealing her to be a remarkable woman.

An inspirational and highly informative read.

Thank you to NetGalley and X Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Cath Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much more than a book about glaciers and ice sheets, fascinating though they are, this is also a deeply personal story of a scientists love affair with these enigmatic features of our planet. Travelling from continent to continent the secrets of these ice rivers are revealed to us with passion and joy, along with hints of the author’s own story of loss and courage: yet as each glacier is introduced and it’s quirks explained, it feels like their mystique grows, as if we will never fully understand them no matter how much of their science is uncovered. To me that is perhaps the most beautiful, yet saddest part of the book, as no matter how fast glaciologists work to capture the truth of these natural wonders, they’ll never be able to match the pace of their destruction by climate change. But, what a beautiful elegy Jemma Wadham has written, both in this book and her research over the years.

[Harrison Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic description of the affects melting glaciers will and indeed already have imparted on not only our rising sea levels but it’s contributory relationship with climate change. Wadham’s rather arduous journey to the ‘3 poles’ as she calls them is one of magnificence but as with all field work not untouched by danger. I’m finishing Ice Rivers on a plane bound for Singapore suddenly thankful for paying the extra $2.5 to offset my plane seat’s carbon emissions. Perhaps the most harrowing tale the book wishes to impart is the danger of the unknown, yes the thousands of metric tonnes of methane hidden under the ice could disperse into less volatile chemical compounds before the ice melts, but what if it doesn’t? At times Ice Rivers felt overwhelmingly academic but let us remember the sphere of its topic, the receding glaciers as a direct result of a phenomenon we as a collective society refuse to a knowledge or make any meaningful steps to reduce.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

*groans*
1.5 stars

…what an awful, overly technical book. What an utter waste of my time. If you’re a chemist, geologist, or glaciologist, you’ll probably somewhat enjoy this. Otherwise? Get ready for a headache. I don’t know how this book is highly rated because it’s wholly inaccessible to the average human. I’ve read lots of complex science and nature books in my time but this one was a headache waiting to happen. I literally had to take ibuprofen to get through this novel. It keeps droning on & on, about unimportant details, with no plot whatsoever. I didn’t leave appreciating nature, I left thinking: thank god I don’t have to study something boring like glaciers. And wasn’t that the opposite of the author’s goal? Eck. Don’t read this. Ever.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ottimo saggio di divulgazione!

La glaciologa Jemma Wadham racconta la sua vita di studio e ricerca su alcuni dei ghiacciai più importanti, peculiari e interessanti del globo, ognuno contraddistinto da caratteristiche climatiche, geologiche e ambientali completamente diverse.
Leggendo il libro si comprende chiaramente come il destino dei ghiacciai sia strettamente legato all'attività umana e come il cambiamento climatico li stia danneggiando irrimediabilmente.

Un libro importante e urgente da leggere per comprendere non solo come funzionano queste grandi masse di ghiaccio e quali interazioni sono in grado di creare con l'ambiente che li circonda, ma anche per capire quale destino riserverà loro l'avanzata del riscaldamento climatico.

[James Easterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very effective book by a dedicated glaciologist on how glaciers work, how they differ, the effects of climate change and how almost all of them are dying back, the effects of this change on the glaciers, the local communities, the oceans and globe in general. It describes her new findings of microbes and chemical changes in the outflow, and what the future may hold. This is also a description of her treks across the globe to the ice fields and glaciers and the challenges involved. This is a no BS book about the science but one of the most understandable science related books I have ever read.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only four stars because the science-y bit was a bit over the top for me (my brain will just not remember everything), but I thoroughly enjoyed "Ice Rivers" by Jemma Wadham, another memoir about a person whose love for glaciers has shaped her entire life. I did not think that I would enjoy memoirs as much, but this one was really touching and intimate again. How one's life is shaped by chance, what choices we have and how our job or calling shapes us too. This book was also about climate change and how our world is changing, exemplified by glaciers. Utterly fascinating and the science parts were very well explained too.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

“One thing I’ve learnt is that as human beings, we are inseparable from our glaciers. Every individual will be affected by glacier shrinkage or loss in coming years, from farming communities of the Peruvian Andes, to the halibut fishermen off Greenland’s western shores, or the inhabitants of low-lying islands in the Pacific. The Earth has cycled through many extreme phases of climate, but what we are witnessing now is unprecedented in Earth’s history, not just human history, and it has largeur happened during the last century. Whatever your view of the role of fossil fuels in maintaining economic prosperity, the greatest loser in this game will be humankind.”

[Tamara]

Fascinating and accessible memoir with insights into the science of glaciers and climate change.

Prompted by a near death experience, leading glaciologist Professor Jenna Wadham writes about her experience from 25 years of studying glaciers, or ice rivers, around the world. Each chapter focuses on a different region, explaining the unique characteristics and challenges, the effects of the damage already done and the consequences of any further warming, both for local communities and across the globe.

#IceRivers #NetGalley

[morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve formed an attachment to this book. Sentences underlined, the pages littered with markers. I never thought I’d shed tears over stories about glaciers but here I am.

The narration and the flow of the book was perfect. I felt attached to these glaciers despite never seeing them for myself. (However I do understand falling in love with the Cairngorms) It’s moving and manages to drive home the message that glaciers are vital and we must protect them.

The information you leave with will stick with you. If you need to read a non fiction book this year, this has got to be the one.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of glaciers told through research work at several different sites around the world and the engaging personal story and observations of glaciologist Jemma Wadham. Losing glaciers is a tragedy of the climate crisis, and while I knew glaciers moved like rivers I had no idea about the difference between different types or the epic lengths people have to go to study them. Far from a dry scientific observation or doom-and-gloom climate book because of Wadham's personal reflections and how she connects her own life to the natural world and the research.

[Iulia]

DNF.

Sadly, this one isn’t for me. I’m fascinated with all things cold and frozen and icy and remote, so this book about glaciers should have been right up my alley. Many of the places featured in this book are on my to-see list (Patagonia, Greenland, Svalbard). However, I find Wadham’s storytelling style utterly dry and lacking in charm, whether she’s writing about herself, her research trips, or the story of glaciers around the world. As much as I wanted to love this, I think it is too technical to be compelling to a general audience.

[Rhianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of some of the glaciers that Wadham has studied throughout her career as a glaciologist. Glacier loss is probably one of the most visible signs of climate change, and Wadham clearly has an emotional connection with many of the ones she has studied, sometimes visiting them 20 years apart. Her passion for her line of work shines through, particularly in the audiobook, which she narrates herself. Recommended for anyone interested in nature/climate change.

[Stewart Monckton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cracking book with many themes: geology, the nature of field science, humans and the environment, glaciers (!), dealing with illness, and of course, climate change. Very high recommended and often surprising. Its a good general read, and you dont need any background in geology to get a lot from it! SM