My focus is on the two great glaciology issues: ice-sheet deglaciation and sea level rise, and the role and future of mountain glaciers as a water resource. My contributions include:

• IPCC lead-authorship of the Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC);
• a new assessment; of the role of Asia’s mountain glaciers in regional hydrology and socio-economics that identifies their importance in protecting societies against acute drought stress;
• highly cited studies identifying the extent, mechanism and underlying cause of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet and tidewater glacier loss through accelerated glacier flow and ocean-driven ice-shelf thinning;
• the Bedmap2 (and now Bedmap3) project that I managed and for which I created the core data products of topography and ice thickness that are proving fundamental to much contemporary continental-scale Antarctic Ice Sheet modelling.

My ongoing work involves finding two of the major missing pieces in hydrology’s jigsaw: auditing glacier ice volumes on the river-basin scale using a new airborne radar survey platform that I have developed and have deployed successfully in the Nepal Himalayas; developing a better way to measure mountain snowfall (SWE) over much larger areas than has so far been possible. My technical background is in synthetic aperture radar and laser remote sensing, low-frequency radar field surveys of glaciers and ice sheets, GIS and mountain water resources.

These are tools that I apply in both a polar and alpine context, and the use of Antarctic research techniques and equipment to glaciers in High Mountain Asia fits well with the increasing focus of UK science on overseas development issues.

• Pritchard, H., King, E., Goodger, D., Boyle, D., Goldberg, D., Recinos, B., & Orr, A. (2025). Raw and processed helicopter-borne radio-echo sounding ice thickness data from the glaciers of the Khumbu Himal, Nepal (2019) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/e39647f5-fb72-4d16-acbd-9784ed2167b8

• Pritchard, H., Fretwell, P., Fremand, A., Bodart, J., Kirkham, J., Aitken, A., Bamber, J., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R., Blankenship, D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Christianson, K., Conway, H., Corr, H., Cui, X., Damaske, D., Damn, V., … Zirizzotti, A. (2024). BEDMAP3 – Ice thickness, bed and surface elevation for Antarctica – gridding products (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/2d0e4791-8e20-46a3-80e4-f5f6716025d2

• Arthern, R., Williams, R., Hindmarsh, R., & Pritchard, H. (2022). Fields and parameters related to the flow of ice in the Antarctic Ice Sheet recovered using inverse methods and satellite data (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/5f0ac285-cca3-4a0e-bcbc-d921734395ab

• Fretwell, P., Pritchard, H., Fremand, A., Bodart, J., Aitken, A., Bamber, J., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R., Blankenship, D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Christianson, K., Conway, H., Corr, H., Cui, X., Damaske, D., Damn, V., Drews, R., … Zirizzotti, A. (2022). BEDMAP3 – Ice thickness, bed and surface elevation for Antarctica – standardised shapefiles and geopackages (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/a72a50c6-a829-4e12-9f9a-5a683a1acc4a

• Fremand, A., Fretwell, P., Bodart, J., Pritchard, H., Aitken, A., Bamber, J., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R., Blankenship, D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Christianson, K., Conway, H., Corr, H., Cui, X., Damaske, D., Damn, V., Drews, R., … Zirizzotti, A. (2022). BEDMAP3 – Ice thickness, bed and surface elevation for Antarctica – standardised data points (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/91523ff9-d621-46b3-87f7-ffb6efcd1847

• Fretwell, P., Pritchard, H., Vaughan, D., Bamber, J., Barrand, N., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R., Blankenship, D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Callens, D., Conway, H., Cook, A., Corr, H., Damaske, D., Damn, V., Ferraccioli, F., Forsberg, R., … Bodart, J. (2022). BEDMAP2 – Ice thickness, bed and surface elevation for Antarctica – standardised shapefiles and geopackages (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/0f90d926-99ce-43c9-b536-0c7791d1728b

• Fretwell, P., Fremand, A., Bodart, J., Pritchard, H., Vaughan, D., Bamber, J., Barrand, N., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R., Blankenship, D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Callens, D., Conway, H., Cook, A., Corr, H., Damaske, D., Damn, V., … Zirizzotti, A. (2022). BEDMAP2 – Ice thickness, bed and surface elevation for Antarctica – standardised data points (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/2fd95199-365e-4da1-ae26-3b6d48b3e6ac

• Fretwell, P., Pritchard, H., Vaughan, D., Bamber, J., Barrand, N., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R., Blankenship, D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Callens, D., Conway, H., Cook, A., Corr, H., Damaske, D., Damn, V., Ferraccioli, F., Forsberg, R., … Zirizzotti, A. (2022). BEDMAP2 – Ice thickness, bed and surface elevation for Antarctica – gridding products (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/fa5d606c-dc95-47ee-9016-7a82e446f2f2

• Pritchard, H., Farinotti, D., & Colwell, S. (2021). Time series of water pressure, water temperature and ground temperature from lakes Orajarvi (Finland), and Tomasee and Silsersee (Switzerland) from winters 2018-2021 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/170fc6fa-9878-43fc-9abd-e6196bad60a2

• Pritchard, H. (2017). Ground-penetrating radar data from Lirung and Langtang Glaciers, Nepal, 2015 (Version “1.0”) [Data set]. Polar Data Centre; British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council; Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.. https://doi.org/10.5285/b14057b1-1951-45a0-a055-7d0d17102263

• King, E., Pritchard, H., & Smith, A. (2015). Rutford Ice Stream bed elevation DEM from radar data (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/54757cbe-0b13-4385-8b31-4dfaa1dab55e

1. PRESCIENT

   PRESCIENT supports long-term, strategically important measurements and capabilities for the wider science community.

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2. The Big Thaw

   The Big Thaw studies snow and glacier changes in the Alps and Himalayas to improve forecasts of mountain water resources for global communities.

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3. Bedmap3

   Bedmap3 is a collaborative community project with the aim to produce a new map and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography.

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4. Bedmap

   Bedmap is a collaborative community that has produced maps and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography

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5. Antarctic surface mass and energy exchanges

   SURFEIT unites UK and international scientists to study Antarctic ice and atmosphere interactions, improve sea-level projections, and support climate action.

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6. GRADES-IMAGE

   The aim of this programme was to image englacial layering and bedrock topography over this sensitive catchment of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Antarctic Peninsula.

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7. Water Resources of the Upper Indus Basin

   This project investigated how much water is stored in the glaciers and snow of the Upper Indus Basin, and how climate variability influences water availability.

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8. National Capability for Global Challenges

   Polar Expertise – Supporting Development

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9. Bedmap2

   Bedmap2 is a suite of gridded products describing surface elevation, ice-thickness and the sea floor and subglacial bed elevation of the Antarctic.

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10. Bedmap Himalayas

    Bedmap Himalayas measures how much water is stored as glacier ice in High Mountain Asia by mapping ice thickness using radar.

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11. Ocean-driven ice-shelf thinning in Antarctica

    By exploiting advances in ice sheet modelling, and new Antarctic-wide datasets, this project aims to predict how far and how fast the observed ocean-driven thinning of floating ice shelves will propagate into the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet, and assess the consequences for global sea level over decadal-to-centennial timescales.

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1. UK scientists contribute to global UNESCO report warning of unprecedented glacier loss

   A scientist from the British Antarctic Survey has contributed to a major new international publication, coordinated by the UK National Commission for UNESCO, which highlights the accelerating decline of glaciers […]

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2. New map of landscape beneath Antarctica unveiled

   The most detailed map yet of the landscape beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet has been assembled by a team of international scientists led from the British Antarctic Survey.

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3. Hamish Pritchard awarded Innovation in Meteorology Prize

   British Antarctic Survey glaciologist Hamish Pritchard has won the 2023 Harry Otten Prize for Innovation in Meteorology.

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4. Glaciers in the spotlight on BBC’s Our Frozen Planet

   How much water the mountain glaciers of the Himalayas contain and how the mighty Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica will contribute to global sea-level rise form part of the final […]

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5. BBC’s Frozen Planet II: science into television

   In 2011, Frozen Planet gave BBC viewers an unprecedented insight into life in the Poles. The final episode featured British Antarctic Survey (BAS) glaciologist Dr Andy Smith using explosives to […]

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6. Study sets course for research on Himalayan waters

   A new study featuring contributions from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists has identified 100 pressing research questions on climate change and water resources in the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) that must be answered to protect the communities that live there.

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7. Measuring glaciers in the Himalayan mountains

   Technology pioneered in Antarctica could soon be providing much-needed data on the amount of ice in the glaciers of High Mountain Asia thanks to an ingenious helicopter-mounted, low-frequency radar developed […]

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8. NEWS STORY: Bedmap opens up Antarctica

   Bedmap2 gives scientists a more detailed view of Antarctica”s landmass Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey have been working with a host of international collaborators to present the most detailed […]

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9. NEWS STORY: Sea level rise calculated

   British Antarctic Survey researchers part of landmark study to improve projections for future sea level An international team of satellite experts including researchers at British Antarctic Survey has produced the […]

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10. PRESS RELEASE: Secrets of hidden rift valley

    Hidden rift valley discovered beneath West Antarctica reveals new insight into accelerating ice loss Scientists have discovered a one mile deep rift valley hidden beneath the ice in West Antarctica, […]

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11. NEWS STORY: Assessing potential sea level rise

    New studies improve scientists’ understanding of the potential contribution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to global sea level rise Three peer-reviewed papers in Nature and Nature Geoscience published in recent […]

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12. PRESS RELEASE: Ocean currents driving ice loss

    Warm ocean currents cause majority of ice loss from Antarctica Reporting this week (Thursday 26 April) in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists led by British Antarctic Survey […]

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13. New map reveals what lies beneath the frozen continent

    Scientists at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have produced the most detailed map of underneath Antarctica — its rock bed. BEDMAP is a close-up view of the landscape beneath the Antarctic […]

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14. PRESS RELEASE: Ice thinning captured by satellites

    Lasers from space show thinning of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets The most comprehensive picture of the rapidly thinning glaciers along the coastline of both the Antarctic and Greenland ice […]

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15. Hundreds of Antarctic Peninsula glaciers accelerating as climate warms

    Hundreds of glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are flowing faster, further adding to sea level rise according to new research published this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Climate […]

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16. Widespread acceleration of tidewater glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula

    Hundreds of glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are flowing faster, further adding to sea-level rise. Climate warming, that is already causing Antarctic Peninsula increased summer snow melt and ice shelf […]

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