Oliver Marsh, Author at British Antarctic Survey

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Oliver Marsh

Lifetime of Halley Glaciologist

Oliver Marsh is a glaciologist responsible for the monitoring and assessment of glaciological change on the Brunt Ice Shelf and around Halley VI Research Station. He has participated in eleven field seasons in Antarctica with the US, NZ and British Antarctic Programs.

Employment:

Sep 2018 – Present: Glaciologist, British Antarctic Survey
Jul 2015 – Aug 2018: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Canterbury, NZ
Jun 2014 – Jun 2015: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, USA

Education:

Feb 2010 – Jul 2013: PhD, University of Canterbury, NZ
Sep 2008 – Jul 2009: MPhil, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge
Sep 2005 – Jul 2008: BSc in Physical Geography, Durham University

Research interests

Ice-shelf ocean interaction
Grounding line ice dynamics
Satellite interferometry & altimetry
Fracture mechanics & calving

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2025

Wild, Christian T. . Drews, Reinhard . Neckel, Niklas . Lee, Joohan . Kim, Sihyung. Han, Hyangsun. Lee, Won Sang . Helm, Veit . Rosier, Sebastian Harry Reid . Marsh, Oliver J. . Rack, Wolfgang . (2025) Monitoring shear-zone weakening in East Antarctic outlet glaciers through differential InSAR measurements.

Morris, Ashley . Lipovsky, Bradley P. . Walker, Catherine C. . Marsh, Oliver J. . (2025) Ice shelf calving due to shear stresses: observing the response of Brunt Ice Shelf and Halloween Crack to iceberg calving using ICESat-2 laser altimetry, satellite imagery, and ice flow models.

Marsh, O.J. . Arthern, R.J. . De Rydt, J. . (2025) Ocean tides trigger ice shelf rift growth and calving.

Price, Daniel. Snodgrass, Joseph. Rack, Wolfgang. Purdie, Heather. Hulbe, Christina. Wild, Christian T. Stevens, Craig. Marsh, Oliver J. . Ryan, Michelle. McDonald, Adrian. Gragg, Kelly. Forbes, Martin. (2025) Basal reflectance and melt rates across the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, from grounding line to ice shelf front.

2024

Freer, B.I.D. . Marsh, O.J. . Fricker, H.A. Hogg, A.E. Siegfried, M.R. Floricioiu, D. Sauthoff, W. Rigby, R. Wilson, S.F. (2024) Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica.

Gomez-Fell, Rodrigo. Rack, Wolfgang. Marsh, Oliver J. . Purdie, Heather. (2024) Lateral flexure of Erebus Ice Tongue due to ocean current forcing and fast ice coupling.

Marsh, Oliver J. . Luckman, Adrian J. Hodgson, Dominic A. . (2024) Brief communication: Rapid acceleration of the Brunt Ice Shelf after calving of iceberg A-81.

2023

Freer, Bryony I.D. . Marsh, Oliver . Hogg, Anna E. Fricker, Helen Amanda. Padman, Laurie. (2023) Modes of Antarctic tidal grounding line migration revealed by Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) laser altimetry.

Gomez-Fell, Rodrigo. Marsh, Oliver J. . Rack, Wolfgang. Wild, Christian T. Purdie, Heather. (2023) Basal mass balance and prevalence of ice tongues in the Western ross sea.

2022

Francis, Diana. Fonseca, Ricardo. Mattingly, Kyle S. Marsh, Oliver J. . Lhermitte, Stef. Cherif, Charfeddine. (2022) Atmospheric triggers of the Brunt Ice Shelf calving in February 2021.

2021

Gomez-Fell, Rodrigo. Rack, Wolfgang. Purdie, Heather. Marsh, Oliver . (2021) Parker Ice Tongue collapse, Antarctica, triggered by loss of stabilizing land-fast sea ice.

Marsh, O.J. . Price, D. Courville, Z.R. Floricioiu, D. (2021) Crevasse and rift detection in Antarctica from TerraSAR-X satellite imagery.

Drews, Reinhard. Wild, Christian T. Marsh, Oliver J. . Rack, Wolfgang. Ehlers, Todd A. Neckel, Nikals. Helm, Veit. (2021) Grounding-zone flow variability of Priestley Glacier, Antarctica, in a diurnal tidal regime.

Wild, C.T., Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., (2019), Differential InSAR for tide modelling in Antarctic ice-shelf grounding zones, The Cryosphere, doi:10.5194/tc-2018-269
Begeman, C.B., Tulaczyk, S., Marsh, O.J., Mikucki, J.A., Stanton, T.P., Hodson, T.O., Siegfried, M.R., Powell, R.D., Christianson, K. and King, M.A., (2018), Ocean stratification reduces melt rates at the grounding zone of the Ross Ice Shelf, Journal of Geophyscial Research – Oceans, 123 (10), 7438-7452
Wild, C.T., Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., (2018), Unravelling InSAR observed Antarctic ice-shelf flexure using 2-D elastic and viscoelastic modelling, Frontiers in Earth Science, doi:10.3389/feart.2018.00028
Bingham, R.G., King, E.C., Davies, D., Cornford, S.L., Smith, A.M., Arthern, R.J., Brisbourne, A.M., De Rydt, J., Graham, A.G.C., Spagnolo, M., Marsh, O.J., Shean, D.M., Joughin, I.R. and Vaughan, D.G., (2017), Diverse landscapes beneath Pine Island Glacier influence rates of ice loss, Nature Communications, doi:10.1038/s41467-017-01597-y
Rosier, S. H. R., Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., Gudmundsson, G.H., Wild, C.T. and Ryan, M., (2017), On the interpretation of ice shelf flexure measurements, Journal of Glaciology, 1-9, doi:10.1017/jog.2017.44
Rack, W., King, M.A., Marsh, O.J., Wild, C.T. and Floricioiu, D., (2017), Analysis of ice shelf flexure and its InSAR representation in the grounding zone of the Southern McMurdo Ice Shelf, The Cryosphere, doi:10.5194/tc-2017-13
Wild, C. T., Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., (2017), Viscosity and elasticity: a model intercomparison of ice shelf bending in an Antarctic grounding zone, Journal of Glaciology, 15, 1-8, doi:10.1017/jog.2017.15
Marsh, O.J., Fricker, H.A., Siegfried, M.R., Christianson, K., Nicholls, K.W., Corr, H.F.J. and Catania, G., (2016), High basal melting forming a channel at the grounding line of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1002/2015GL066612
Golledge, N.R., Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., Jones, R.S., (2014), Basal conditions of two Transantarctic Mountain outlet glaciers from observation-constrained diagnostic modeling, Journal of Glaciology, doi:10.3189/2014JoG13J131
Marsh, O.J., Rack., W., Lawson, W., Golledge, N., Floricioiu, D., (2014), Grounding zone ice thickness from satellite: Inverse modelling of tidal elastic bending, Journal of Glaciology, doi: 10.3189/2014JoG13J033
Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., Floricioiu, D., Golledge, N., Lawson, W., (2013), Tidally-induced velocity variations of the Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica, and their representation in satellite measurements of ice velocity, The Cryosphere, 7, 1761-1785, doi:10.5194/tcd-7-1761-2013.
Price, D., Rack., W., Haas, C., Langhorne, P. and Marsh, O.J., (2013), Sea ice freeboard in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, derived by surface-validated ICESat laser altimeter data, Journal of Geophysical Research, 118, 1-17, doi:10.1002/jgrc.20266.
Marsh, O.J., Rack., W., (2012), A method of calculating ice-shelf surface velocity using ICESat altimetry, Polar Record, 48, 25-30, doi:10.1017/S0032247411000362.
Hibbins, R.E., Marsh, O.J., McDonald, A.J., Jarvis, M.J., (2010), A new perspective on the longitudinal variability of the semidiurnal tide, Geophysical Research Letters, 37, L14804, doi:10.1029/2010GL044015.

Marsh, O., & De Rydt, J. (2025). GPS data relating to the growth of Halloween Crack, Brunt Ice Shelf from 2016 to 2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/6244cca4-8eaa-41a0-a9c1-d89167b02b85
Marsh, O., & De Rydt, J. (2025). GPS and ApRES data relating to the growth of Chasm-1, Brunt Ice Shelf from 2016 to 2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/3d6fd5ae-e94d-4d0b-a5e9-5779ca84855e
Marsh, O., Floricioiu, D., & Freer, B. (2024). Double-difference TerraSAR-X interferograms and derived grounding lines at the grounding line of the Kamb and Whillans Ice Streams, West Antarctica, 2012-2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/e1d182b1-6aa6-434e-9390-f7956227cb82
Marsh, O. (2023). GPS data from Brunt Ice Shelf close to the site of Halley VI Research Station from 2013 to August 2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/76dec018-3ea8-4ecc-9b53-5dd915daf214

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