Pursuing a PhD degree

Research Area: Glaciology

Supervisor: Dan Moore

Entry Date: 09/2014

Expected Graduation Date: June 2021

Research Statement: Glacier melt models are important for predicting change to fresh water resources and global sea level. Around 10 – 20 % of the global surface area of glaciers is covered with rock debris. Rock debris covering glaciers complicates melt modelling. Energy balance and empirical melt models have been developed for debris-covered glaciers but to date, few studies have attempted to quantify the accuracy of different models. I am comparing point scale models of debris-covered glacier melt using published observations from debris-covered glaciers around the world, as well as field observations from Satopanth bamak (glacier) in the Central Himalaya (India). I aim to contribute a measure of the accuracy of empirical models of debris-covered glacier melt, to quantify the relative performance of models of different levels of complexity, and to test an existing, open-source energy balance model, which was developed for permafrost, for application to debris-covered glacier melt. This work is carried out in collaboration with an established research team at Satopanth bamak, from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai.

Glaciology