Peter Tuckett

I joined the department as an undergraduate physical geography student in 2014, and soon developed a keen interest in glaciology. I stayed in Sheffield to complete an MSc course in Polar & Alpine Change, during which I investigated the extent to which surface meltwater influence ice velocities at five outlet glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. This project then lead directly on to my PhD work, where I am studying the occurrence and impact of surface meltwater across the entire Antarctic Ice Sheet.

My research uses remote sensing datasets to investigate surface hydrological and ice dynamic processes at an ice sheet scale. I am particularly interested in the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and how it may respond to future changes in climate. I enjoy conducting fieldwork in a variety of geographical contexts, and have conducted fieldwork in locations including west Greenland, New Zealand and California.

Investigating the impact of surface melt on the Antarctic Ice Sheet

The Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough freshwater to raise global sea level by approximately 58 metres. Predictions of the future contribution to sea level rise from ice sheets have a large uncertainty, hindering our ability to plan for future increases in sea level.

Atmospheric warming has resulted in increased melting in parts of Antarctica, and surface meltwater is widespread around the margin of the continent. Surface meltwater has the potential to influence ice dynamic processes in several ways, yet it is unknown whether melt-induced changes will accelerate, stabilize or have a negligible effect upon future ice losses.

This project uses remote sensing techniques to investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of meltwater across Antarctica, and the influence that this has on ice motion. This will improve our understanding of meltwater-ice interactions in Antarctica to reduce uncertainty in predicting sea level rise.

Supervisors: Dr Jeremy Ely, Dr Andrew Sole, Dr Stephen Livingstone, Dr James Lea