My research is based on using remotely sensed data (LiDAR, ATM, Landsat, etc.) to monitor the dynamics and mass balance of glaciers, icecaps, and ice sheets.

Biography
Originally from Newton, MA (USA), through a love of the outdoors and some fortuitous travelling, I came to develop a fascination with glaciers and all things polar. I studied Chemistry and Earth & Planetary Sciences (with a citation in French Language) at Harvard University from 2004 until 2008; for a summer field course, I participated as a student researcher on the Juneau Icefield Research Program 2007. After completing my undergraduate degree, I moved to Cambridge, England in October 2009 to begin SPRI's MPhil in Polar Studies funded by Trinity College's Eben Fiske Studentship and have remained at SPRI for a PhD. A US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship supports my work.

I have participated in field research in locations such as New England (structural geology), Southeast Alaska's Juneau Icefield (GPS surveys, mass balance), Namibia (carbonate geology, Snowball Earth), and Antarctica's Dry Valleys (cosmogenic nuclide analysis). With a diverse research background, my current research focuses on remote sensing of the cryosphere.

Qualifications
■Ph.D. Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge (Trinity College), UK (2009-present)
■M.Phil. in Polar Studies, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge (Trinity College), UK (2009)
■B.A. (Magna cum laude) in Chemistry (High Honors) and Earth & Planetary Sciences (Highest Honors) with a foreign language citation in French, Harvard University (Adams House), USA (2008)

Research
My PhD research is focused on taking advantage of the increased spatial and spectral resolution of the Airborne Thematic Mapper (ATM) relative to Landsat ETM+ imagery in order to develop a more effective method for remote sensing of glacier facies to serve as a proxy for mass balance. Field research collecting in situ reflectance of various glacial surfaces with a field spectroradiometer (July-August 2010; see our fieldwork blog) in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard is a crucial component. I also have a polar-related Twitter feed @PopePolar.

Ongoing research begun during my MPhil is centred on using photoclinometry to interpolate an incomplete LiDAR survey of Langjökull Icecap, Iceland and using the resulting data set to investigate how the icecap has evolved over the last decade. Findings included a revised mass balance of the icecap, visualization of a recent surge of outlet Hagafellsjökull Eystri, and potential clues as to the future behaviour of the icecap.

Broad research interests:
■Remote sensing of the cryosphere
■Present-day behaviour of the glaciers and icecaps
■Ice-climate interactions, including developing glacial hazards
■Mass balance measurement and glacier monitoring techniques
Specific research themes:
■Integrating high-rez multispectral and topographic data
■Multispectral classification of glacier facies
■Remotely sensed geodetic mass balance
■Air/spaceborne glacier mass balance proxies.

 
Publications
Selected publications and presentations
■Pope, A. and W.G. Rees, 2010. Characterisation of glacier facies with the Airborne Thematic Mapper, 11th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium, Scott Polar Research Institute.
■Early Career Stipend Recipient:
Pope, A., Rees, W.G., Willis, I.C., Arnold, N.S., Pálsson, F., and R. Hodgkins, 2010. Recent Changes to Langökull, Iceland: Integrating airborne LiDAR and satellite imagery, International Polar Year Oslo Science Conference, Oslo.
■Awarded John Glen Prize for Best Student Poster:
Pope, A., Rees, W.G., Willis, I.C., Arnold, N.S., Pálsson, F., and R. Hodgkins, 2009. Recent Changes to Langökull, Iceland: Integrating airborne LiDAR and satellite imagery, International Glaciological Society 34th Annual British Branch Meeting, University of Sheffield.
■Karlsson, N.B., Pope, A., Hall, J., Jones, L., Atkinson, H., Renner, A., Thomas, L., Banwell, A., Gravelle, R., Irvine, E., Hendry, K., Gray, T., Henley, S., and S. Torres, 2009. Introduction to the UKPN and its activities, International Glaciological Society 34th Annual British Branch Meeting, University of Sheffield.
■Pope, A., (2009). Recent Changes to Langjökull Icecap, Iceland: An investigation integrating airborne LiDAR and satellite imagery, M.Phil. Thesis, University of Cambridge.
■Pope, A., (2008). Exposure dating with Exposure dating with 21Ne and its application to Antarctic ice sheet history, B.A. (Honors) Thesis, Harvard University.
■Schofield, E., Veeramani, H., Pope, A., Bencheikh-Latmani, R., and J. Bargar, 2006. Structural chemistry of cation-doped bacteriogenic UO2, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.

Teaching
■Lecturer, Reach Cambridge (2010), Physical Geography
■Education and Outreach Speaker, UK Polar Network (2009-present), Polar field sciences
■Peer Tutor, Harvard University (2005-2008), Chemistry, Earth Sciences, French.

External activities
■President: Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (2010-2011)
■Vice President, Council Member, and Field Schools Coordinator: Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (2009-2010)
■Committee Member: United Kingdom Polar Network (2009-present)
■Organizer: 11th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium, September 2010. Cambridge, UK.
■Session Co-convener: "Adventures in the field: Impacts of field programs for students, teachers, artists, writers and others" at the IPY Oslo Science Conference, June 2010. Oslo, Norway.
■Organizer: UKPN Cryospheric Sciences Workshop, November 2009. Sheffield, UK.
■Men's Lower Boats Captain: 1st & 3rd Trinity Boat Club (2009-2010).

A keen hiker and outdoorswoman since my teenage years, my interest in Polar regions stemmed first from participation in an expedition to Greenland in summer 2000. This interest was further developed during a physical geography degree at the University of Reading, including two periods of fieldwork and travel on Svalbard. An interest in remote sensing came later, whilst pursuing a Masters in Glaciology at Aberystwyth University. The fusion of these led me to complete my M.Sc. Research Project on ‘The use of a rule based classification for change detection in a glacial landscape: using Landsat TM and ASTER imagery of the North Patagonian Icefield’.

I have served two rewarding years as secretary of the UK Polar Network, a voluntary network with the twin aims of promoting networking amongst, and career development for, early career researchers in all areas of Polar science; and presenting their science to a wider audience through education & outreach events. UKPN is part of the wider Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). With other UKPN members I was involved in organizing a 3 day ‘Cryospheric Science’ career development workshop at Sheffield in November 2009, and am now part of the team planning a 2 day Remote Sensing Summer School to be held in Reading in July 2011.

Still enthusiastic about the great outdoors, I'm most likely to be found spending my spare time hiking or rock climbing, and I also enjoys cycling and skiing.

 

Research Summary: Sea ice fluxes through the Fram Strait: remote sensing detection, variability and climatic modulation

Now in my 3rd year, my PhD project has focused on tracking the movement of individual sea ice floes in the Fram Strait from satellite radar, making use of ENVISAT Wide Swath & Radarsat images. An algorithm originally developed for the purpose of tracking large tabular icebergs in the Antarctic has been adapted to accommodate the different shapes and backscattering characteristic of sea ice, and put to use in the Fram Strait. The Fram Strait was chosen as a study area because it is of key importance for the export of ice from the Arctic, and well known for the presence of strong surface currents. The study area is within the area of the East Greenland current, and also covers the fast ice/ drift ice boundary. The ice tracking algorithm uses shape recognition to match identified ice objects between consecutive images. This has proved ideal for tracking ice movement in the summer months, the time of year when traditional cross-correlation methods are least reliable.

Biography

I am a Research Associate funded by the National Centre for Earth Observation, and based in the Meteorology department at Reading University. My job involves finding new applications of Earth Observation, and understanding the physics and mathematics of satellite data.

With hindsight, Earth Observation seems like an obvious career choice for someone who has always been fascinated by both space and the environment, but until a few years ago I hadn’t even heard of it. My undergraduate degree was in engineering, and I worked for a year as a civil engineer in the ‘real world’. Having returned to university to do a masters in Environmental Science, I stumbled across the Environmental Systems Science Centre at the University of Reading, applied for a PhD in Earth Observation and haven’t looked back!

Outside of my research, I have an interest in science communication and policy, and I spent three months in early 2009 working for the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. I am also involved in the NCEO's education and outreach activities.

Research Summary

My PhD was (eventually) titled "Northern hemisphere snow: measurement, modelling and predictability". Retrievals of snow water equivalent have been made from passive microwave instruments for several decades, but there remain many concerns about the assumptions used in the simple retrieval algorithms and their applicability globally. I am interested in developing a better understanding of the interaction between snow, vegetation and electromagnetic radiation, at many frequencies, so we can better exploit the multiple sources of data over snow-covered surfaces.

As a Post-Doc, I have been writing a simplified convection model for simulating radar observations of rainfall. The experiments I will do with the system are designed to improve our understanding of data assimilation – how best to combine observations with models. Usually, these sorts of experiments are performed with the large, complex computer models that are used to produce weather forecasts, as data assimilation is a key part of producing a good forecast. The disadvantage of this is that these models are so complex that the impact of new data or techniques can be difficult to understand and interpret. By writing a much more simplified model, I hope to get more physical insight into the impact of the data on the model forecasts.

Biography

I graduated from TU Dresden (Germany) with a diploma in Geography and minor subjects in Meteorology, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry. I first became interested in polar research during my ERASMUS visit to Newcastle University in 2006, where I applied photogrammetric techniques to study glacier volume change in Svalbard. After completing internships at the Geo-Research-Center (GFZ Potsdam) and the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI Potsdam), I decided to return to the UK where I am currently working towards a PhD in Geomatic Engineering at Newcastle University. The thing I find most interesting about earth observation of polar environments is the ability to observe changes that might not have been seen before.

Outside of my research, I am actively involved in the UKPN committee, of which I was vice-president in 2010, and I am especially interested in international student exchange and networking. Outside of work I am a keen triathlete and enjoy orienteering.

Research Summary

My PhD research is focused on measuring glacier volume change from remotely sensed datasets such as historical aerial stereo photography and digital elevation models from satellites systems such as ASTER. By using a least-squares 3D surface matching technique I am trying to minimize offsets between multi-scale, multi-source and multi-temporal dataset to measure glacier volume change more precisely. Areas of interest include the Antarctic Peninsula, Greenland and Svalbard. I hope my research can contribute to better understanding of historical and recent glacier change in regions with a lack of glacier mass balance records.

Biography

I studied for a B.Sc. (Hons) in Geological Oceanography at Bangor University (UK) between 2006 and 2009. I continued at Bangor University to study for a M.Sc. in Applied Marine Geoscience between 2009 and 2010, with a dissertation entitled “Palaeozoic deep-marine sedimentary successions as analogue for deep-water hydrocarbon reservoirs: sedimentology and seismic modelling of the Aberystwyth Grits, mid-Wales.”During these courses I become interested in large-scale Earth surface processes, and the potential for geophysical methods to uncover vast and inaccessible areas. I decided to continue these themes onto Ph.D. study at the University of Aberdeen, UK. I began my Ph.D. research into the Antarctic subglacial environment in Autumn 2010 supervised by Dr. Robert Bingham (University of Aberdeen), Dr. Richard Hindmarsh (British Antarctic Survey) and Prof. Martin Siegert (University of Edinburgh).

Research Summary

Current research interests include:

• Ice-sheet glaciology (esp. West Antarctica)
• Subglacial environments and basal hydrology
• Geophysical methods in glaciology (esp. ice-penetrating radar)
• Englacial radar attenuation
• Integrating model, geophysical and remotely sensed datasets

My Ph.D. is entitled “Water flow beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet.” In this project I am using airborne ice-penetrating radar datasets to image the ice-sheet bed in poorly studied regions of West Antarctica, derive quantitative indicators of subglacial water and . The wider aim of this work is to aid the parameterisation of subglacial environments and processes in large ice sheet models used to predict future sea level though the integration of geophysical, remote sensing and model datasets.

Biography

During my studies of Geography I extended my interest in travelling and hiking by climbing and mountaineering. A cartographic expedition to the Tian Shan in 2002 was a key experience and I got fascinated by the work in high latitudes or altitudes. In 2005 I graduated from Technical University Dresden with a diploma in Geography and minors in Forestry and Geology. While being at TU Dresden I was working as student helper and research assistant at the department of Geography and at an engineering consultancy in the field of GIS.

Starting my Ph.D. in 2005 I got into the field of near aerial photography from different platforms, such as kites and blimps. Since then I was working in the field of remote sensing in boreal peat lands in Finland, the Taklamakan dessert in China and in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. During the work in Canada I was associated with the remote sensing laboratory of Simon Fraser University as visiting scientist and research assistant.

Currently I am with the department of Environmental Science of Aarhus University, Denmark where I work as scientific staff in the field of GIS and air pollution. I am involved in the DEFROST project, where it is my task to provide information about the ice coverage and vegetation in coastal areas of Greenland.

When I am not working I like to travel all over the world and do some mountaineering.

Research Summary

My Ph.D. is focused on the upscaling of information of very high resolution imagery into lower resolution products (e.g. Quickbird) to extrapolate greenhouse gas emissions and gas fluxes in arctic and subarctic environments. Field sites are located in Finland and Greenland.

Biography

I work as PhD at the University of Silesia in Poland. I have been fond of Arctic since my childhood, so my education aimed at being a polar scientist. My interest in remote sensing started later, at the University of Mining and Metallurgy in Cracow (Poland) on Faculty of Mining Surveying and Environmental Engineering. After MSc degree were I was studying photogrammetry, remote sensing and GIS technology I stared a job as an engineer in a Regional Geodetic and Cartographic Office in Katowice. Together with job as civil engineer I continued my PhD study at the University of Silesia where I could join passions in remote sensing and glaciers together. In 2008 I got my PhD diploma titled: “Remote sensing methods in assessment of calving flux of Svalbard glaciers” and after that I left Poland to work in Polish Polar Station on Spitsbergen for one year. After coming back I devoted my life to polar science.

Outside of work I am fond of mountaineering and watching movies.

Research Summary: Remote sensing in research on glacierization of Southern Spitsbergen

The result of my PhD was inventory of tidewater glaciers on Svalbard Archipelago based on optical satellite images. I have also created dynamic classification of tidewater glaciers depending on crevassing of frontal parts of glaciers. That allowed to evaluation of total calving flux of Svalbard tidewater glaciers.

As a post-doc, I am part of research team involved in a few European glaciological project aimed at estimating the future contribution of continental ice to sea-level rise and sensitivity of Svalbard glaciers to climate change. In my research I use both: remote sensing images as well as field data (GPR, stake measurements for velocity and mass balance, AWS mounted on glaciers) to estimate changes in extension, thickness and dynamic of glaciers. Ground observations data from the key glaciers are used for calibration of satellite data and allow to extent our research on glaciers with a lack of field records.

In the recent research I have also employed SAR satellite images to work on the firn-line detection and velocity of tidewater glaciers of Southern Spitsbergen. The aim of these research is development of monitoring of glaciers faces and glacier extent with radar images, as cloudless optical images in polar region are quite rare. I hope that these research allow to understand Svalbard glacier dynamic changes and mass balance since the last decades.  

Biography 

I first became interested in all things Arctic during the blizzard of 1996 in Maryland when I was 10 years old. We had three feet of snow dropped on us and the world came to a complete stop, with no school for almost two weeks (this was really awesome)! This was the first time that I experienced the power of weather first-hand. Ever since then I have been interested in winter weather and in my studies, I have become fascinated with Arctic sea ice and how rapidly it is disappearing and changing.

I received my undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in Environmental Science with a minor in Mathematics. Currently, I am working towards my Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science at the University of Maryland. Since my department at school did not have anyone who worked with the Arctic, I was fortunate enough to be able to conduct my research and work with scientists in the Cryospheric Science Branch at NASA GSFC. I enjoy working with satellite data to study changes in the Arctic ice pack.

Outside of my studies I enjoy running, my cats and touring wineries.

Biography

I graduated from the University Joseph Fourier from Grenoble. I obtained a bachelor's degree of mechanics and a Master's degree of Earth and Environment Sciences. My interests for glaciers show by several ways: first my academic studies, second my PhD project, third my pursuit of career and at last my hobbies.

Research Summary

Antarctic climate observation by passive microwave remote sensing: microwave modelling and application in climatology.

Remote sensing is unique way to observe day to day the Antarctic climate in order to understand the future of the Antarctic climate and the sea level. Few observations are available in Antarctica. This lack of observations explain the uncertainties of the Antarctic climate and his modelling. Passive microwave remote sensing was a lot studied and permit for example the observation of the north and south Arctic sea ice. But usual climatological variables extraction have not good quality. So passive microwave data are under used in despite of they could offer a lot of knowledges in the Antarctic climate and his observation. Recent studies permit to identify the problem, how is the snow microwave emissivity. Emissivity is the variable how link up the snow physic temperature and the thickness temperature measure by satellite. Advances are possible in this way: first news methods to measure snow physics properties (density, specific surface area, temperature...) and second new satellite data (SMOS and Altika) in contrast with “old” satellite data (SSM/I, AMSR-E and ENVISAT).

The two main purpose of this thesis are (1) an amelioration of the knowledges of the passive microwave emissivity in Antarctica and (2) the evaluation and improvement of the extraction algorithm of climatic variables with passive microwave data. Work plan is measure, modelling and algorithm evaluation and development. A particular accent will be made on the precipitation, how are the most important unknown. In a first time, this PhD work is to collect measure of snow properties at Dôme C in Antarctica and satellite data from AMSR-E and ENVISAT. This data base will be completed with measure in scientific trek (TASTE-IDEA) and new satellite data (SMOS and Altika). Then, work consist to use the data base to run the electromagnetic model DMRT-ML (developed at LGGE) in order to compare the result with the satellite data. In particular, the purpose of this work is the modelling of the snow surface and the comparison between the ratio of brightness temperature in horizontally polarization and vertically polarization in order to be less sensitive on the volume effect of the snow pack. The model would be adapted too for the modelling of the new sensors SMOS (law frequencies) and Altika (altimetry) At last, algorithms for the estimation of the temperature and principally the precipitation are evaluated and improved with our experience. New measure of surface snow properties (snow grain size, density, Infra Red photography,...) will permit to improve and validate these new algorithms. This thesis should permit to give spatial and temporal state surface (wind, precipitation and surface hoar) map with mistake good evaluated.

 

Biography 

I graduated from the University of Oviedo (Spain) with a degree in Physics. I then did a MSc in Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change held at Swansea University. It was during my Master's when I learnt about how Remote Sensing can be used to map and monitor remote places like the Arctic and Antarctic and I found that fascinating. At the moment I am a 3^rd PhD student at the Glaciology Group in Swansea University. 

Research Summary

My PhD research is focused on the stability of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). A key influence on its stability is the presence of melt-water lakes, which form during the summer on the ice surface. These are important as the water they store can be drained to the ice-sheet bed, thereby acting as a lubricant and accelerating ice flow velocity. In turn, this acceleration process is closely linked to the increase of iceberg production at the glacier front. More icebergs implies higher sea-level, hence my research is important for understanding ice-ocean interactions on the GrIS.

In order to predict glacier acceleration, we need to know how much water is stored in meltwater lakes. Unfortunately, there are thousands of lakes on the ice sheet and it would be impossible to measure all of them directly. I therefore use high-resolution satellite images, using data from ASTER, MODIS and ICESat satellites. The measurement of lake area is relatively easy: satellites can resolve the difference between lake water and the surrounding snow or ice. Estimating lake depth, however, is more problematic and my project assesses the potential of satellite-based methods to achieve this. Currently, I obtain depth estimates from physical descriptions of the absorption of light through water: the more absorption takes place, the deeper the lake must be.

Biography

Like many researchers in this field, I was first attracted to glaciers by a love of wild and mountainous places. I used to think ice sheets were a bit dull and flat compared to their smaller alpine cousins, but time spent studying at the Scott Polar Research Institute as part of a Geography degree at Cambridge University must have done a good job of convincing me otherwise, as I’m now doing a Ph.D. on the hydrology of an outlet glacier in Greenland. It was also whilst at Cambridge that I was first properly introduced to remote sensing through Gareth Rees’s undergraduate course. Although I remain principally a field scientist, I’ve maintained an interest in remote sensing since this point and like to dabble a little when the excuse arises.

Research Summary:  Investigating the hydrology of a Greenland outlet glacier

I’m currently in the second year of a Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh, studying the hydrology of Leverett Glacier in west Greenland. This forms part of a larger project led by Dr Pete Nienow, which seeks to improve our understanding of the relationship between the hydrology and dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and the implications of this for mass balance in a warming world. We have a transect of eight GPS units recording ice velocity in this region, which we can link to surface melting and discharge in the proglacial river. This has involved some fairly labour intensive fieldwork, and I’ve spent six months at camped at this ice margin over the past two years. My initial focus was on understanding the seasonal evolution of the subglacial drainage system using dye tracing experiments, while recently I’ve been considering what our hydrological observations can tell us about glacial erosion. I’ve also managed to do a bit of remote sensing while back in the UK, using MODIS images to add lake formation and drainage to our record of the flow of water through this part of the ice sheet.

Biography 

I undertook a degree in Physical Geography at the University of Exeter from 2007-2010, which is where I first encountered remote sensing through GIS work on hillslope-fluvial systems and lectures on Antarctic science. Since then I have entered the murky and ‘special’ world of Quaternary Science through my current masters course and enjoy (amongst other things) studying lake sediments, reconstructing glacial environments and desperately trying to work out what different proxies might possibly tell us about the world in the past! However, I am keen to involve analysis of satellite imagery in my forthcoming PhD work in Tierra del Fuego and it should help greatly in identifying and analysing features of past glaciations such as moraines, meltwater channels and outwash plains. Remote analysis of glacial features will be essential in order to cover such a large study area accurately and analyse so many glacial features, and though it is not the main aim of the research it will undoubtedly form a key part of it.

Research Summary

My interests are within Quaternary Science generally, and specifically in trying to reconstruct past glacial and environmental change. For my undergraduate dissertation this took the form of analysing a peat core from the Isle of Skye in Scotland for changes in sediments, pollen and tephra whilst my current masters dissertation is using a lake core from northern England to reconstruct environmental and climatic conditions during the Lateglacial period (anything between about 20,000 years ago and 10,000 years ago) using sedimentary analyses and stable isotope measurements. My PhD (starting October 2011) will be looking at long-term (million years) glacial and environmental change in Tierra del Fuego by establishing a chronology using geomorphology and cosmogenic exposure analysis and then studying local changes over that time-period using a variety of different methods.

Biography

I have always been attracted by nature and been very keen on outdoor sports and activities. At the age of 18, I went for an exchange student year in Finland to live in the wilderness and experience a true winter. Very soon during my first degree in Geography at UCL (Université Catholique de Louvain), it became clear I wanted to study the systems of the Earth. It is at UCL I had my first contact with satellite imagery and found it to be a very powerful tool for all Earth Sciences. To satisfy my need for sciences I favored two years of masters in Physical Geography in ULB (Université de Bruxelles). There I studied remote sensing applied to volcanoes, snow cover, and permafrost. My master’s thesis focused on analysis of ice cores from boreal lakes to quantify GHG emission. Right after the end of my masters, I was hired as research assistant in the same lab to study ice-ocean interactions in Antarctica by means of ice cores analysis. After a year I decided to find myself a PhD in Glaciology using a more computer based method (remote sensing, modeling, radar, GPS, or seismic) and found a PhD position in Bristol Glaciology Center (University of Bristol) on Antarctic mass balance using a range of satellite sensors. Remote sensing is powerful because it is global and intuitive.

Research Summary

My project is on mass balance investigation of the Antarctic ice sheet. I am using a combination of modelled estimates of snowfall from a regional climate model and observations of ice motion, ice thickness and surface elevation from a suite of satellite sensors including the recently launched CryoSat II and TanDEM-X. The project involves the analysis and interpretation of these data sets using existing and, to be developed, software and methods.

Title of current research: Mass balance investigation of the Antarctic ice sheet.

Summary of current research interests: Study of the Cryosphere and its interactions with climate change. The polar regions are of particular interest to me.

Biography 

I received a BSc (Hons) in Geography from the University of Sheffield in 2006, and then went on to complete a Masters in Glaciology with Distinction at Aberystwyth University in 2008.  During my undergraduate and Masters courses I enjoyed researching how Glaciers and Ice Caps response to climate change and one of the best ways to monitor changes is via remote sensing.  My Masters dissertation involved investigating the controls on supraglacial hydrology, undertaking fieldwork in Southeast Switzerland during the summer of 2008. I returned to Aberystwyth in 2009 as a PhD student with working title 'The long term dynamic response of Greenland’s outlet Glaciers to climate change'. 

Research Summary

My current research involves obtaining and processing a wide variety of remotely sensed data sets covering West Greenland. This area contains a high density of supraglacial lakes which form and drain on a seasonal basis. These lakes are now know to exert an influence on surface velocity, however the exact magnitude and frequency of drainage events remains poorly quantified and their role in driving ice sheet response to climatic forcing is thus poorly represented in physically based models. I have mapped surface hydrology and calculated supraglacial lake area and volume for individual lakes, and by combining this information with velocity data sets, I hope to provide a clearer picture of the impact of lake drainage on ice sheet dynamics. 

Biography 

I have a 3 year undergraduate degree on Geography from the University of Lisbon. Research on remote and extreme environments are an obvious choice for me, but I won´t translate to words why is that. Interest on remote sensing and on spatial analysis techniques grew naturally as I searched and was taught ways of studying those remote environments by means of imagery. 

Instead of getting into a master's degree, I got to be research assistant in the project ANAPOLIS (Analysis of polygonal terrains on Mars based on Earth Analogues). Have you ever wondered why (at least) in ice-wedge polygonal terrains, whatever the location (Mars or Earth, etc.) or sub-type of the polygonal network you look at, the average number of neighbors of each polygon tends to be 6? Chaos! Mass wasting in the paraglacial landsystems of the maritime Antarctica is the subject of my doctoral research.

Research Summary

How do landscapes in the maritime Antarctica evolve through mass wasting processes? What is the conditioning exerted by frozen conditions and ground-ice on landform generation and evolution? What are the mass wasting rates? I am trying to clarify some geomorphologic problems of the ice-free areas of the Antarctic Peninsula and of the South Shetland islands.

I have been looking at optical imagery and SAR data archives. I am working with VHR image matching and SAR interferometry. The “philosophy of geomorphology” is a hidden research agenda I also have.

Biography

I finished a BSc in Physics at the University of York in 2009 and, deciding that I would like to work in an area of science that allows me to go to incredible places and investigate interesting processes, I applied to do a PhD in the Geography department at the University of Sheffield. I am currently nearing the end of my second year. Although my PhD project does not directly involve fieldwork, I have had the opportunity to go to several glaciated/polar regions including Svalbard, Western China, the French Alps and Norway.

Living in Sheffield I am in a good position to pursue outdoor activities including, hiking, climbing, cycling and dinghy sailing.

Research Summary

I am interested in a wide range of ice and water related research. My final year project during my degree was investigating the mechanisms by which ice is formed in supercooled water, a process which is poorly understood on the microscopic level and important in the formation of clouds. My PhD project is looking at the dynamics of glacial lake drainage, including subglacial floods from marginal lakes in alpine systems and subglacial lakes beneath Antarctica, and supraglacial drainage of surface lakes in Greenland. This has so far involved:

• mathematical modelling of subglacial water flow to investigate the controls on the timing of floods from marginal lakes
using insights gained from these theoretical models with data from a lake in Kyrgyzstan to investigate how effectively flood timing can be predicted
• developing a model of subglacial drainage which incorporates a distributed system of subglacial cavities produced by basal ice flow over glacier bed features;
• using this model to investigate the links between marginal lake drainage and basal ice velocity;
• incorporating into subglacial models a physical representation of the open channel flow which can occur during periods of low melt input to glaciers and ice sheets and following lake drainage events which have terminated due to the complete emptying of the lake;
• analysis of satellite imagery of West Greenland to investigate the distribution of supraglacial lake area with position and elevation on the ice sheet; and
• modelling of surface drainage of supraglacial lakes to investigate what controls the stability of lakes to drainage initiated by overtopping.

The aim for my PhD thesis is to investigate a broad range of these and related topics through mathematical modelling, remote sensing and data analysis.

Full Profile coming soon

Full Profile coming soon

Biography

Originally from Brazil, I first became interested in polar research during my undergraduate years while participating in an expedition to Antarctica for over a month as part of the Brazilian Antarctic Program. Seeking a multidisciplinary Earth Science education I studied Oceanography at University of Sao Paulo, where as an undergraduate I was first exposed to the science of remote sensing and had the opportunity to participate in several scientific cruises in the South Atlantic Ocean. During my Masters in Geophysics I gained further experience in space geodetic methods deriving the marine gravity field using satellite altimetry and ship measurements. After completing my B.S. and M.S. degrees I moved to California, USA, in August 2009 to pursue a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego. Following my fascination in observing the Earth from space, my research is based on the field of satellite remote sensing of ice sheets and ice-climate interaction.

Research Summary

Observation of accelerating rate of mass loss from Antarctica and rapid changes in extent of specific ice shelves have been interpreted as evidence that ocean forcing can lead to rapid changes in ice sheet dynamic flow and its subsequent contribution to sea level rise. I am using multi-mission satellite radar altimetry to construct the longest possible history of elevation changes over the Antarctic ice shelves, through combination of several altimeters such as Seasat, Geosat, ERS-1 and 2, GFO, Envisat and Cryosat. The ultimate goal of my research is to investigate the components in the ice shelf surface variability, which is strongly coupled to both atmospheric and oceanic processes, and study the link between forcing, mechanism and long term effect, as well as the buttressing role to adjacent grounded ice.

Biography

I was originally drawn to Antarctica while a undergraduate Natural Sciences student working also as a scientific journalist. In that time I came to witness very often media’s erroneous interpretation of climate change effects on the environmental that encouraged me to seek for the truth on my own. This, combined with an innate love for polar regions sparked my passion for polar sciences and “no man’s land”.

I’ve decided to persue my education in climate change studies which resulted in the path of graduate schools, first gaining a M.Sc. here at Siena University (with the research projects title: Ice tongues and ice shelves of Scott Coast (Antartica): satellite laser altimetry and radar data analysis”) and currently as a Ph.D. student in Polar Sciences at the University of Siena, Italy.

Lately I also became actively involved with Apecs (Association of Early Polar Career Scientists) in the range of scientific communication activities as a member of APECS Italy committee.

Research Summary

My Ph.D research is focused on quantitative characterization and genesis of large-scale eolic features present on East Antarctic Plateau called megadunes . With ad hoc GIS implemented alghoritms, that use as input data ICESat laser altimetry dataset, for the first time it became possible to derive megadune morphologic parameters and to study the relative importance of physical parameters on these forms evolution.

Megadune compromise severely the reliability of the paleoclimate interpretations by changing the chemical composition of deposited snow in the stratigrafic record. By explaining the mechanism of their formation I’m actually trying to offer a missing puzzle needed for physical models to predict more correctly the future ice sheet dynamics.

Biography 

Growing up in the center of the Alps (South-Tyrol, Italy), I became soon interested in high mountain areas and glaciers. After high school I went to Innsbruck University, Austria to start geography studies. During the master's program I started focusing my attention to geoinformatics and came up with a thesis in remote sensing and cryosphere. In there I specialized myself in the visualization (computer animations) of glacier changes with the aid of GIS and remote sensing data. After that, I was for more than three years research assistant at the department of Applied Remote Sensing at EURAC research in Bozen/Bolzano – Italy. I was working on several projects with a wide range of satellite data. Especially in the last years I was employed in a project to monitor snow cover in the Alps with MODIS data. In March 2010 Zurich University was calling and I got a PhD position in the ice2sea project, which brought me to the remote sensing of glaciers and icecaps in Arctic regions. 

Qualifications:

PhD Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland (2010-present).
Research assistant Institute of Applied Remote Sensing, EURAC research, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy (2006 – 2010).
Master Department of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Austria (1999 - 2006).

Research Summary: Mapping and modeling of glaciers and icecaps in Greenland

My PhD focuses on the mapping and modeling of local glaciers and icecaps in Greenland. It is splitted in two parts. The first part is devoted to the remote sensing of glaciers in order to create a glacier inventory for the eastern coast of Greenland including the required topographic information. The second one is devoted to mass balance modeling to specify potential volume changes in the future in order to better estimate global sea-level rise from local glaciers and ice caps from Greenland.

Biography 

Originally I wanted to become a lawyer or a doctor, or maybe an inventor where I could do real world things & affect real world people. After a single year with 2 fantastic physics teachers I found what I’d been looking for: how to understand the world and use this knowledge to improve people’s lives. I went to Durham University to study physics where I spent much of my Masters’ year working on solar cells to provide power to people rather than discussing the fascinating but less tangible creation of the Universe or hunt for the Higgs.

Climate science mesmerised me and remote sensing is the way to track its progress whilst providing vital information for planners every year, and this led to me starting my PhD on Snow Observations and Modelling. A common media dismissal of climate science is that ‘it’s all just models’ but from ground measurements in Sweden to satellite measurements from the heavens I’ve discovered that’s not true. 

Research Summary:  Snow Observations and Modelling

I am working on using physics to simulate how snow packs together and how snow grains change over time to improve satellite estimates of snow mass. Right now I am working with the SNOWCAN computer, I want to use it to identify important processes that should be included in a simpler, quicker model that can calculate snow over wider areas.

In preparation for this, I have been looking at how the grain size of snow varies over short distances by using reflectance measurements from a spectroradiometer in Sweden (and soon in Finland). These will be used to test measurements from the same property from MODIS satellite products. 

Full Profile coming soon 

Biography 

I hold degrees in Computational Physics (MPhys) and Earth System Science (MSc), have studied energy systems and environmental decision making and am currently working towards a PhD in glaciology focusing on the Greenland ice sheet. Between degrees I worked in engineering in the field of cellular telecoms, specialising in radio network architecture and off-grid power systems in emerging markets. I’m also a trustee at the Centre for Sustainable Energy (www.cse.org.uk) and an editor of The Oil Drum (www.theoildrum.com), a popular weblog studying energy security and policy. To get away from the computer I maintain an allotment and compete in triathlon events.

Research Summary:  PhD Title 'Constraining the Mass Balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet'

My PhD research is motivated in large part by the importance and current uncertainty of sea level rise as a dangerous consequence of climate change. Greenland is predicted to be particularly vulnerable to climate change over the next century and recent observations suggest that the mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) has increased significantly over the last ~decade.

The surface mass balance (SMB) of the GrIS has been determined for the last 50 years through a combination of observations and modelling. It has been suggested that the processes controlling SMB, which accounts for roughly half the ice loss, are well constrained compared to the other component of mass loss: solid ice flux. 

Observational evidence to support this suggestion is limited, however. My project investigates this uncertainty through a model inter-comparison of four different simulations of the SMB of the GrIS. The aim of this study is to identify and explain the inter-model variations and to evaluate model output against a suite of satellite and in-situ data sets (including GRACE and ICESat) to improve methodology and better constrain GrIS SMB estimates.

Biography

In 2005 I graduated with a BSc in Geography from Sheffield University, a year later I enrolled in an MSc also at Sheffield in Polar and Alpine Change. During the MSc I became interested in geomorphology and remote sensing, and this culminated in my dissertation, a geomorphic study of Gronfjordbreen in Svalbard which relied heavily on remote sensing, in the form of LiDAR, aerial photography and ATM data.

I had such fun on my MSc that afterwards I decided to apply for PhDs, and in February 2011 I started one at Northumbria University focused on evaluating snow remote sensing using ground based sensors.

Research Summary:  Evaluation of snow remote sensing

My research uses in-situ observations of snowpack properties, including near-infrared (NIR) photography, snow density and optical grain size to create a dataset of high resolution observations of snowpack properties within multiple footprints of a ground-based microwave radiometer.

Following data collection in winter 2011 I aim to analyse the influence of snowpack properties on the sub-footprint variability of passive microwave brightness temperature (Tb) by modelling the snowpack’s Tb at a sub-footprint scale using the n-HUT radiative transfer model.

Biography

Upon seeing the images of Neptune sent back by the Voyager spacecraft at around age 5, I decided that I wanted to become a NASA astronaut. Growing up in geologically rich New England, I also became quite fond of my rock collections. The perfect combination of space and geology (rather, geophysics) presented itself in the field of planetary science.

Still hoping to become an astronaut someday, I graduated from Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, Massachusetts) with a degree in Astrophysics and Geological Sciences, and am now a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan), in the Department of Atmospheric Oceanic and Space Sciences. Due to my background in the planetary realm, I spend my research time looking at how to apply geophysical processes of the Earth to features on planets; more specifically, along with my adviser, I use models of ice sheet dynamics to investigate the icy moons of the outer planets. 

Outside of school, I like to spend time with my family back home in Maine, traveling, spending time outdoors, and most of all skiing.  

Research Summary:  Astroglaciology: Terrestrial Cryospheric and Tectonic Model Applications to the Icy Satellites of the Outer Solar System

My Ph.D. research is focused on the processes that form the unique features that have been observed on the icy moons of the outer planets, most specifically in my case, Enceladus (of Saturn) and Europa (of Jupiter). Since these moons often have an icy shell floating above a rocky core, we generally assume that they are basically glorified, if spherical, ice sheets. I use mostly Cassini spacecraft data, and as this data is fairly sparse relative to the abundant data sets for the Earth, much of our work is fairly unconstrained. My most recent project focused on the formation of the “bizarre” terrain found at the South Pole of Enceladus, which features 130 km parallel fractures in the ice surrounded by a circular mountain chain about 1 km tall. Currently, I am attempting to develop a model of orogenic uplift in ice in order to determine how the circular mountain range may have formed. We use digital elevation maps, created from Cassini image data, to determine the elevation changes in the ice. I hope to continue working on these moons in the future, as there’s so little known about them and therefore so much to discover!

Biography 

I started my undergraduate studies in physics at the University of Goettingen, Germany in 2004. Looking for some way to apply my knowledge I focused more on atmospheric science and changed to the University of Hamburg with close collaborations with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. There I got the chance to get insight into many issues of climate research as well as had my first contact with remote sensing. What drew me to it was simply the fact how powerful it is and how much we can learn from the data. In-situ measurement are usually only case studies, which cannot easily be applied for other region or conditions, while models will never be fully able to describe our climate system. For me remote sensing is therefor the best tool we have to learn about our climate system. After spending six months at the University Center on Svalbard my second affinity became the Arctic, so back in Hamburg I wrote my master thesis about clouds and the cloud influence on sea ice loss - a study mostly based on data from CloudSat and CALIPSO satellites. Learning that it is not possible to understand the arctic climate without precise knowledge of the sea ice distribution, my current position dealing with validation of the new CryoSat data was just perfect to combine my interests and to learn more about it.  

Research Summary:  Sea ice thickness retrieval and validation of CryoSats Radar Altimeter System.   

My main goal is the classification of sea ice as well as thickness retrievals from CryoSats Radar Altimeter system in the Arctic. As many validation campaigns have been carried out in the recent years my work is now focused on describing typical waveforms for different ice types in different conditions from these data. The validation campaigns contain both data from an Airborne Synthetic Aperture and Interferometric Radar Altimeter System (ASIRAS) and a cross track scanner laser altimeter. Having both instruments provides a great opportunity to get more insight into the correlation between surface roughness and radar signal waveform. This knowledge can then be applied to the CryoSat data to retrieve valuable information about ice types in the entire Arctic.