Dr Jeremy Ely
School of Geography and Planning
Senior Lecturer
j.ely@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7994
+44 114 222 7994
222 7994, Geography and Planning Building
Full contact details
Dr Jeremy Ely
School of Geography and Planning
222 7994
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
School of Geography and Planning
222 7994
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
Sheffield
S3 7ND
- Profile
-
Jeremy Ely obtained his BSc in Geography from the University of Sheffield in 2011, where he stayed to undertake his PhD titled "Flow Signatures on the Bed and the Surface of Ice sheets" which was awarded in 2016.
Jeremy undertook a 4 year postdoc on the BRITICE-CHRONO project, as a research associate in ice sheet modelling and data interaction. He was then awarded a 5-year NERC Independent Research Fellowship, "A novel approach to constraining ice sheet models with glacial geomorphology."
Jeremy is now a Senior Lecturer, and leads the NERC highlight topic "Deplete and Retreat, the Future of Andean Water Towers."
- Research interests
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The aim of Jeremy's research is to make data on past ice mass fluctuations useful for understanding the behaviour of glaciers and ice sheets in our warming world. As such, Jeremy has combined multiple different techniques to make insights into the following areas.
Water Resource Change in the Andes
I am principle investigator of the Deplete and Retreat project, which focuses on water resources across South America. This work has taken me across South America, where we have been installing weather stations and glacier monitoring equipment to improve our knowledge of high altitude environments. The team will integrate high resolution climate, glacier and hydrology models, to make hindcasts and forecasts of future water resources.
Glacial Geomorphology
I am interested in the formation of subglacial bedforms, the landforms which are produced at the sole of a glacier or ice sheet. My research led to the confirmation of a long held (40 year!) hypothesis that subglacial bedforms belong to a morphological continuum. I have also dug holes into subglacial bedforms, and flown UAVs over them in order to work out how they form. I am also interested in the formation of meltwater related landforms.Palaeo-ice sheets
The action of the ice sheets which existed during the last ice age can be deciphered from the landforms and sediments they left behind. I worked on BRITICE-CHRONO, where my job was to make numerical ice sheet models interact with data pertaining to the last ice sheet to cover Britain and Ireland. I also work alongside the PALGLAC team, helping to improve model-data interactions in palaeoglaciology.Ice Sheet Surfaces - Structures and Hydrology
I was part of the team which discovered the widespread occurrence of meltwater streams on the surface of Antarctica. This surprising discovery has large implications for the future of the ice sheets in Antarctica. Ongoing work is looking in more detail at the dynamic influence meltwater has on ice flow on the Antarctic Peninsula. Beyond water, I am interested in the formation of beautiful ice surface landscapes.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Accelerating Glacier Area Loss Across the Andes Since the Little Ice Age. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(13).
- ACME2: An extended toolbox for automated cirque metrics extraction. Geomorphology, 445, 108982-108982.
- Quantifying the uncertainty in the Eurasian ice-sheet geometry at the Penultimate Glacial Maximum (Marine Isotope Stage 6). The Cryosphere, 17(11), 4751-4777. View this article in WRRO
- Numerical modelling of subglacial ribs, drumlins, herringbones, and mega-scale glacial lineations reveals their developmental trajectories and transitions. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.
- Tunnel valley formation beneath deglaciating mid-latitude ice sheets: observations and modelling. Quaternary Science Reviews.
- 60 million years of glaciation in the Transantarctic Mountains. Nature Communications, 13(1).
- Effects of basal topography and ice-sheet surface slope in a subglacial glaciofluvial deposition model. Journal of Glaciology.
- Topographic controls on ice flow and recession for Juneau Icefield (Alaska/British Columbia). Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.
- Collapse of the last Eurasian Ice Sheet in the North Sea modulated by combined processes of ice flow, surface melt, and marine ice sheet instabilities. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 126(4). View this article in WRRO
- Retreat dynamics of the eastern sector of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation. Journal of Quaternary Science.
- Exploring the extent to which fluctuations in ice‐rafted debris reflect mass changes in the source ice sheet : a model–observation comparison using the last British–Irish Ice Sheet. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
- Reply to: “Impact of marine processes on flow dynamics of northern Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers” by Rott et al.. Nature Communications, 11(1). View this article in WRRO
- The deglaciation of the western sector of the Irish Ice Sheet from the inner continental shelf to its terrestrial margin. Boreas. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the ingredients required to successfully model the placement, generation, and evolution of ice streams in the British-Irish Ice Sheet. Quaternary Science Reviews, 223. View this article in WRRO
- Rapid accelerations of Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers driven by surface melt. Nature Communications, 10. View this article in WRRO
- The dynamics of mountain erosion: cirque growth slows as landscapes age. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. View this article in WRRO
- Recent progress on combining geomorphological and geochronological data with ice sheet modelling, demonstrated using the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
- Book Review. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 130(5), 656-656.
- ATAT 1.1, an Automated Timing Accordance Tool for comparing ice-sheet model output with geochronological data. Geoscientific Model Development Discussions, 12(3), 933-953. View this article in WRRO
- A chronology for North Sea Lobe advance and recession on the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts during MIS 2 and 6. Proceedings of the Geologists Association. View this article in WRRO
- Marine ice sheet instability and ice shelf buttressing of the Minch ice stream, Northwest Scotland. The Cryosphere, 12, 3635-3651. View this article in WRRO
- Sedimentation during Marine Isotope Stage 3 at the eastern margins of the Glacial Lake Humber basin, England. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
- Progressive ductile shearing during till accretion within the deforming bed of a palaeo-ice stream. Quaternary Science Reviews, 193, 1-23. View this article in WRRO
- Using the size and position of drumlins to understand how they grow, interact and evolve. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 43(5), 1073-1087. View this article in WRRO
- Spatial organization of drumlins. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 43(2), 499-513. View this article in WRRO
- Correction: Corrigendum: Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves. Nature, 551(7682), 658-658.
- Climate patterns during former periods of mountain glaciation in Britain and Ireland: Inferences from the cirque record. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 485, 466-475. View this article in WRRO
- BRITICE Glacial Map, version 2: a map and GIS database of glacial landforms of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet. Boreas. View this article in WRRO
- The periodic topography of ice stream beds: Insights from the Fourier spectra of mega-scale glacial lineations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. View this article in WRRO
- The timing and consequences of the blockage of the Humber Gap by the last British−Irish Ice Sheet. Boreas. View this article in WRRO
- Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves. Nature, 544, 349-352. View this article in WRRO
- Insights on the formation of longitudinal surface structures on ice sheets from analysis of their spacing, spatial distribution, and relationship to ice thickness and flow. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. View this article in WRRO
- Paleofluvial and subglacial channel networks beneath Humboldt Glacier, Greenland. Geology. View this article in WRRO
- Devising quality assurance procedures for assessment of legacy geochronological data relating to deglaciation of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. Earth-Science Reviews, 164, 232-250. View this article in WRRO
- ACME, a GIS tool for Automated Cirque Metric Extraction. Geomorphology. View this article in WRRO
- The glacial geomorphology of the western cordilleran ice sheet and Ahklun ice cap, Southern Alaska. Journal of Maps. View this article in WRRO
- Using UAV acquired photography and structure from motion techniques for studying glacier landforms: application to the glacial flutes at Isfallsglaciären. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. View this article in WRRO
- Do subglacial bedforms comprise a size and shape continuum?. Geomorphology, 257, 108-119. View this article in WRRO
- Ice stream motion facilitated by a shallow-deforming and accreting bed. Nature Communications, 7. View this article in WRRO
- Flow-stripes and foliations of the Antarctic ice sheet. Journal of Maps, 12(2), 249-259. View this article in WRRO
- Discriminating between subglacial and proglacial lake sediments: an example from the Dänischer Wohld Peninsula, northern Germany. Quaternary Science Reviews, 112, 86-108. View this article in WRRO
- Manual mapping of drumlins in synthetic landscapes to assess operator effectiveness. Journal of Maps, 11(5), 719-729. View this article in WRRO
- Size, shape and spatial arrangement of mega-scale glacial lineations from a large and diverse dataset. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 39(11), 1432-1448. View this article in WRRO
- Looking through drumlins: testing the application of ground-penetrating radar. Journal of Glaciology, 60(224), 1126-1134.
- Surface mass balance modelling of the Juneau Icefield highlights the potential for rapid ice loss by the mid-21st century. Journal of Glaciology, 1-36.
- Accelerating glacier volume loss on Juneau Icefield driven by hypsometry and melt-accelerating feedbacks. Nature Communications, 15(1).
- Behavioural tendencies of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet revealed by data–model comparison. Journal of Quaternary Science.
- A Greenland-wide empirical reconstruction of paleo ice sheet retreat informed by ice extent markers: PaleoGrIS version 1.0. Climate of the Past, 20(3), 701-755.
- Assessing ice sheet models against the landform record: the Likelihood of Accordant Lineations Analysis (LALA) tool. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. View this article in WRRO
- Reconstruction of the palaeo‐sea level of Britain and Ireland arising from empirical constraints of ice extent: implications for regional sea level forecasts and North American ice sheet volume. Journal of Quaternary Science. View this article in WRRO
- Growth and retreat of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet, 31 000 to 15 000 years ago: the BRITICE‐CHRONO reconstruction. Boreas.
- Review of Gowan et al. eology datasets of North America for use with ice sheet models.
- Estimating the style and duration of former glaciation in the mountains of Britain and Ireland.
- Author response to reviewers.
- Marine ice sheet instability and ice shelf buttressing of the Minch Ice Stream, northwest Scotland. The Cryosphere, 12(11), 3635-3651.
- Supplementary material to "Marine Ice Sheet Instability and Ice Shelf Buttressing Influenced Deglaciation of the Minch Ice Stream, Northwest Scotland".
- Supplementary material to "ATAT 1.0, an Automated Timing Accordance Tool for comparing ice-sheet model output with geochronological data".
- Continent-wide bimonthly mapping of Antarctic surface meltwater using Google Earth Engine.
- Exploring mechanisms and rates of tunnel valley formation beneath deglaciating mid-latitude ice sheets using high-resolution 3D seismic data and numerical modelling.
- Exploring controls of the early and stepped deglaciation on the western margin of the British Irish Ice Sheet. Journal of Quaternary Science.
- Supplementary material to "Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica".
- Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 15(12), 5785-5804.
Book reviews
- Book Review. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 127(4), 532-532.
Software / Code
Datasets
Other
- The importance of bed roughness on ice sheet flow investigated using a full-Stokes ice flow model.
- Contrasting regional ice margin dynamics of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet revealed by the landform record.
- Deglaciation pattern of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet across Fennoscandia.
- Insights into the LGM-to-present evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet from a data evaluated ensemble of numerical model simulations.
- Snowfall over the Andes: a convection-permitting climate model.
- A landform-driven simulation of deglaciation of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet and the PalGlac project’s progress on data-modelling integration.
- Application of a new statistically rigorous comparison tool of observed and modelled flow directions of the last British-Irish ice sheet over time.
- Supplementary material to "Surface mass balance modelling of the Juneau Icefield highlights the potential for rapid ice loss by the mid-21st century".
- Modelling the future of Nevado Coropuna (Peru), the world’s largest tropical ice cap..
- Sensitivity of the Eurasian Ice Sheet: Improved model-data comparison routines.
- Monthly Antarctic-wide surface meltwater evolution between 2006 and 2021, and its links to climate.
- Topographic controls on ice flow and recession for Juneau Icefield (Alaska/British Columbia).
- Further numerical simulations of subglacial bedform formation: Implications for interpreting palaeo-landscapes.
- The effects of basal topography and ice-sheet surface slope in a subglacial glaciofluvial deposition model.
- A new, multi-scale mapping approach for reconstructing the flow evolution of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet using high-resolution digital elevation models..
- Investigating the Sensitivity of North Sea Glacial Isostatic Adjustment during the Last Interglacial to the Penultimate Deglaciation of Global Ice Sheets.
- Geomorphological constraints for tropical glacier retreat description and modelling: the MOTICE project in Nevado Coropuna and Quelcaya icecaps (Perú)..
Preprints
- A Greenland-wide empirical reconstruction of paleo ice-sheet retreat informed by ice extent markers: PaleoGrIS version 1.0, Copernicus GmbH.
- Surface mass balance modelling of the Juneau Icefield highlights the potential for rapid ice loss by the mid-21st century, Copernicus GmbH.
- Quantifying the Uncertainty in the Eurasian Ice-Sheet Geometry at the Penultimate Glacial Maximum (Marine Isotope Stage 6), Copernicus GmbH.
- Continent-scale mapping reveals a rise in East Antarctic surface meltwater, Research Square Platform LLC.
- Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica.
- Accelerating Glacier Area Loss Across the Andes Since the Little Ice Age. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(13).
- Grants
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- Principal Investigator: NERC Highlight Topic "Deplete and Retreat: The Future of Andean Water Towers." £2,464,875
- Principal Investigator: NERC Independent Research Fellowship. "A novel approach to constraining ice sheet models with glacial geomorphology." £589,660.
- Principal Investigator: European Space Agency Category-1 proposal, “The drainage of meltwater across Shackleton Glacier, Antarctica”. 2017.
- Principal investigator: TanDEM-X Scientific Access to data grant. 2017.
- Principal Investigator: SURE Scheme award, 2015: “The Pattern of Ice Sheet Dynamics and Retreat in Alaska.” Awarded Value: £1080.
- Principal Investigator: INTERACT Transnational Access Award, 2014: “Flute Morphometry from Photogrammetry (FluMP).” Awarded Value: €8,700, plus 36 field person days.
- Co-Investigator: NERC-GEF Loan, 2014: “Insights on the formation of glacial bedforms and ice-bed interaction using fluting field morphometrics, sedimentology and sediment thicknesses.” Estimated value: £2,800.
- CliC travel support, 2014: £500.
- Teaching activities
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I am course lead for our MSc(Res) in Polar and Alpine Change
I have taught at all levels, and am currently involved in the following modules:
- GEO6669 - Polar and Alpine Change Research Project
- GEO356 - Dissertation for Geography and Environmental Science
- GEO6613 - Polar and Alpine Change Field Course
- GEO31011 - Our frozen planet: past and present
- Professional activities and memberships
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Awards:
Dick Chorley Medal and Prize for Postgraduate Research, British Society for Geomorphology, 2016.
John Glen award for best student poster, International Glaciological Society British Branch meeting, 2012.
Lewis Penny Medal for Early Career Research, Quaternary Research Association, 2024.