As glaciologist I study the mass balance of the polar cryosphere with focus on sea ice – ocean – ice shelf interaction. I discovered the instability of Antarctic outlet glaciers following the Larsen-A ice shelf collapse, and lead a research group pioneering the satellite based measurement of grounding line ice thickness in Antarctica. As a research tool for mapping ice dynamics and thickness I make use of satellite remote sensing (Synthetic Aperture Radar – SAR; interferometric SAR - InSAR). An essential part of my research is satellite validation using airborne measurements (electromagnetic induction sounding of sea ice), ground based geophysics (phase sensitive radar for detecting basal melting of ice shelves; GPS and tiltmeters for ice shelf tidal bending), amongst other glaciological research tools. I spent 15 field seasons in Antarctica, and participated in ground validation and airborne geophysical work in the Arctic (Greenland, Svalbard), Patagonia, and the Alps (Europe and New Zealand). More recently, I lead a team for developing a drone system to measure snow depth on sea ice, and participated in airborne sea ice thickness measurements in the Ross Sea.
Mass balance of glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice
Ice Shelf - Ocean - Sea Ice interaction
Polar ice thickness change
Remote sensing of the cryosphere
