Adrian is a senior research scientist at the British Antarctic Survey with 30 years of experience in the study of interactions between land ice and the ocean.
He joined BAS in 1985 as a glaciologist with a background in physics and geophysics and initially undertook three seasons of fieldwork on Ronne Ice Shelf. Using the results of those glaciological measurements he estimated the rates of melting and freezing at the ice shelf base and developed a simple numerical model of the ocean circulation beneath the ice shelf to explain those results. The problem of ice‐ocean interactions has remained the primary focus of his research efforts throughout his career.
In recent years he has mainly been concerned with the study of how ocean-driven melting of the Amundsen Sea ice shelves is controlling the rate at which ice is being lost from that sector of Antarctica. The resulting thinning of inland ice there currently represents Antarctica’s main contribution to sea level rise.
Over the course of his career he has gained experience in the development and application of a number of tools to both observe and model the ice-ocean system, including the use of phase-sensitive radar to measure the melt rates of ice shelves, the deployment of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles to explore the sub-ice cavities, and the development of numerical models, ranging from simple, process-oriented forward and inverse models to ocean general circulation and coupled climate models.
This project investigated the stability of Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf to produce sea-level projections using hot water drilling, ocean measurements beneath the ice shelf, sediment coring, radar surveys and autonomous submersibles.
Science on the move – the mission to understand the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
iStar-B strives to better understand ocean and ice interaction, processes and variability
iStar-B studies ocean circulation and melting beneath the ice shelves of the south-eastern Amundsen Sea
Melting of ice shelves in West Antarctica speeds up and slows down in response to changes in deep ocean temperature, and is far more variable than previously thought, according to […]
The yellow high-tech autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), affectionately known as Boaty McBoatface, has successfully returned from an ambitious science expedition deep below half a kilometre of ice. It is the […]
Local weather plays an important part in the retreat of the ice shelves in West Antarctica, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications today (Friday 17 February). […]
An international team of researchers has discovered why fresh water, melted from Antarctic ice sheets, is often detected below the surface of the ocean, rather than rising to the top […]
Interactions of ocean and atmosphere
Focus on Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica Pine Island Glacier, on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is the largest single contributor to sea-level rise in Antarctica. The stability of the […]
Pine Island Glacier sensitive to climatic variability A new study published in Science this month suggests the thinning of Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica is much more susceptible to […]
Warm ocean speeds melting of Antarctic glacier New results from an investigation into a large glacier in Antarctica and its impact on global sea level rise are published this week […]
New research sheds light on Antarctica”s melting Pine Island Glacier New results from an investigation into Antarctica’s potential contribution to sea level rise are reported this week (Sunday 20 June) […]
Robot submarine searches for signs of melting under Antarctic Ice Shelf A team of British and American scientists has successfully deployed an autonomous robot submarine on six missions beneath an […]
16 October 2006 PR No. 16/2006 Scientists are getting their first glimpse into the inner secrets of an ice shelf, thanks to the innovative application of a new radar technique […]