I am a marine geophysicist using cutting-edge technology to understand how the Polar Regions will respond to climate change. I use geophysical techniques such as ship-based echosounding and seismic profiling to map the imprint of ancient ice sheets as they deglaciated in the past, and use these maps to learn how Earth’s modern ice sheets could react to a warming world.  My current research recycles high-resolution 3D seismic data from the energy industry in the North Sea and uses it to investigate the mechanisms through which the ancient ice sheets formerly covering the UK and Western Europe melted away at the end of the last ice age. I have completed two expeditions to Antarctica — including to Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica — and have also conducted fieldwork in the Himalayas, installing weather stations that will improve understanding of high-altitude snow dynamics and the water cycle of high-mountain regions. I have an active interest in effective science communication and climate policy, and have worked at and for various policy-related initiatives and events including the UK Government Office for Science and at the COP27 Cryosphere Pavilion.

Kirkham, J.D., Rosser, N.J., Wainwright, J., Jones, E.C.V., Dunning, S.A., Lane, V.S., Hawthorn, D.E., Strzelecki, M.C. and Szczuciński, W. (2017). Drift-dependent changes in iceberg size‑frequency distributions. Scientific reports, 7(1), 15991. 10.1038/s41598-017-14863-2

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

• 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

• Hogan, K., Larter, R., Graham, A., Nitsche, F., Kirkham, J., Totten Minzoni, R., Clark, R., Fitzgerald, V., Anderson, J., Hillenbrand, C., Simkins, L., Smith, J., Gohl, K., Arndt, J., Hong, J., Heywood, K., Abrahamsen, E., Thompson, A., Dunbar, R., & Wellner, J. (2020). A multibeam-bathymetric compilation for the southern Amundsen Sea shelf, 1999-2019 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/f2dfeda9-bf44-4ef5-89a3-ee5e434a385c

• Larter, R., Hogan, K., Hillenbrand, C., Smith, J., Batchelor, C., Cartigny, M., Tate, A., Kirkham, J., Roseby, Z., Kuhn, G., Graham, A., & Dowdeswell, J. (2019). A bathymetric compilation over Anvers-Hugo Trough, Perrier Trough and Palmer Deep, 1990-2017 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/70905d9c-6dc0-421b-b20b-1e2dff97e802

1. Ice age valleys give clues to future ice sheet change

   Deep valleys buried under the seafloor of the North Sea record how the ancient ice sheets that used to cover the UK and Europe expelled water to stop themselves from […]

   Read more of: Ice age valleys give clues to future ice sheet change

   

2. ‘MRI’ scan reveals spectacular ice age landscapes beneath the North Sea

   Spectacular ice age landscapes beneath the North Sea have been discovered using 3D seismic reflection technology.  Similar to MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) the images reveal in unprecedented detail huge seafloor […]

   Read more of: ‘MRI’ scan reveals spectacular ice age landscapes beneath the North Sea