Staff Profile

Research interests: Climate change and the cryosphere

• Response of polar ice masses to climate change
• Outlet glacier dynamics
• Himalayan ice loss and debris cover
• Glacial hazards
• Extra-terrestrial ice
• Application of remote sensing / GIS to glaciated environments

Sep 2014 - present: Lecturer in Physical Geography, Newcastle University

Oct 2013 – Aug 2014: Lecturer in Glaciology, Aberystwyth University, Climate Change Consortium of Wales.

Oct 2010 – Oct 2013: PhD, Department of Geography, Durham University. Thesis title: ‘Ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions in the Arctic Seas’.

Aug 2008-Oct 2010: Environmental and GIS/remote sensing specialist at Environmental Research and Assessment (ERA), Cambridge.

Oct 2007 – Jul 2008:  M.Phil. in Polar Studies, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge. Thesis title: ‘The role of atmospheric and oceanic forcing in Greenland outlet glacier behaviour.’

Jul 2005 – Aug 2005: Intern, World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich.

Oct 2004 – June 2007: Geography, BA (Hons), St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge.

My research focuses on the response of glaciated regions to climate change. In order to do this, I use a combination of remote sensing, GIS and numerical modelling. My study areas include Greenland, Svalbard, Russian High Arctic, New Zealand and the European Alps. Current projects include:

• Assessing pan-Arctic outlet glacier retreat rates.
• Analysing multi-decadal changes in Novaya Zemlya outlet glacier dynamics.
• Investigating ice tongue loss and glacier acceleration in northern Greenland.
• Reconstructing a glacial lake outburst flood in Mount Cook, New Zealand.

Undergraduate teaching:

Stage 1:

GEO1019: Physical Geography Field Course (module leader)

GEO1020: Introduction to Physical Geography

Stage 2:

GEO2127: Doing Physical Geography Research: Theory and Practice

GEO2137: Key Methods for Physical Geographers

GEO2226: Glacial Environments (module leader)

GEO2227: Physical Geography Field course: New Zealand (Module leader)

Stage 3:

GEO3099: Dissertation

GEO3128: Polar Environments

Postgraduate teaching

HSS8005: Introduction to quantitative methods (GIS component)

Current postgraduate students:

PhD Students

Emily Hill (Newcastle University). Project title: The Greenland Ice Sheet in a warming world: Determining drivers of current and future change on northern Greenland outlet glaciers. Funded by NERC, via IAPETUS Doctoral Training Partnership. 

Arminel Lovell (Newcastle University). Project title: Explaining the varying response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change. Funding: NERC IAPETUS Doctoral Training Partnership

Jake-Collins May (Newcastle University), Sep 2017 – present (primary supervisor). Ice, water and Mars: Investigating glacio-fluvial activity and landforms on the Red Planet.  Funding: Newcastle University Research Excellence Academy. 

Charlie Bunce (Edinburgh University), Sep 2016 – present (additional supervisor). Greenland tidewater glacier dynamics. Funding: NERC

Joshua Leigh (Durham University), Sep 2017 – present (additional supervisor). Past, Present and Future Response of Norwegian Glaciers to climate forcing. Funding: NERC IAPETUS Doctoral Training Partnership.

Jennifer Arthur (PhD, Durham University), Sep 2018 – present (additional supervisor). Remote Sensing of Supraglacial Lakes in East Antarctica. Funding: NERC IAPETUS Doctoral Training Partnership.

Masters students

Amy Barrett (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2017 – present (primary supervisor). Short-term supraglacial melt pond formation, development and coalescence in the Bhutan-China border region of the Himalayas.

James Linighan (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2017 – present (primary supervisor). Examining the temporal and spatial patterns of melt pond evolution on Annapurna South Glacier, Nepal.

Jack Oxtoby (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2017 – present (primary supervisor). Formation of ice cliffs and their impacts on melt rates on Annapurna South Glacier.

Alex McKee (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2017 – present (second supervisor). Assessing the spatial pattern of rockfalls above glaciers in the Mont Blanc area and their coupling with glaciers/

Hayley Andrews (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2018 – present (primary supervisor). Characterisation of a NE Greenland ice stream and the assessment of the driving factors behind the initiation of fast flow.

Emily Cave (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2018 – present (primary supervisor). Hydrology and Hydrochemistry of a debris covered glacier during an ablation season: a case study of Miage Glacier, Italy.

Connor Dowes (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2018 – present (primary supervisor). To assess the impact that temporal and spatial variations in supraglacial lakes have on an active glacial system.

Caroline Taylor (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2018 – present (primary supervisor). A study of the temporal and spatial patterns of supraglacial pond evolution in the Bhutan-China border region of the Himalayas.

Lauren Derby (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2018 – present (second supervisor). Subglacial controls on the flow of Foundation ice stream, West Antarctica.

Previous postgraduate students:

Jake-Collins May (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2016 – Dec 2017 (primary supervisor). Origins of Glacial, Fluvial and Glaciofluvial Landforms in the Nereidum Montes, Mars. Funding: School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Fees Bursary. 

Rebecca Dell (MPhil, Newcastle University), Sep 2016 – Sep 2017 (primary supervisor). Structural dynamics and calving behaviour at Fjallsjokull, south-east Iceland, between 1970 and 2017. Funding: School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Fees Bursary.

Charlie Bunce (M.Phil. Newcastle University). Sep 2015 – Sep 2016. Project title: Dynamic response of marine-terminating outlet glaciers to climate forcing in south-east and north-west Greenland. Funded by School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Masters Fees Bursary.

Johnathan Ryan (PhD, Aberystwyth University) 2012-present. Jonathan’s PhD investigates the short-term dynamics of marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland and the albedo of the Greenland Ice Sheet using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Funding: National Environmental Research Council.

Kay Barker (MSc in Glaciology, Aberystwyth University) 2013-2014. ‘The influence of frontal position, fjord width, glacier structure and sea ice on the velocities of five Northern Greenland marine-terminating outlet glaciers: 1999-2014’.

• Williams R, Griffiths H, Carr JR, Hepburn A, Gibson M, Williams J, Irvine-Fynn T. Integrating historical, geomorphological and sedimentological insights to reconstruct past floods: insights from Kea Point, Mt Cook Village, New Zealand. Geomorphology 2022, 398, 108028.
• Arthur JF, Stokes CR, Jamieson SR, Carr JR, Leeson AA, Verjans V. Large interannual variability in supraglacial lakes around East Antarctica. Nature Communications 2022. In Press.
• Goliber S, Black T, Catania G, Lea JM, Olsen H, Cheng D, Bevan S, Bjork A, Bunce C, Brough S, Carr JR, Cowton T, Gardner A, Fahrner D, Hill E, Joughin I, Korsgaard NJ, Luckman A, Moon T, Murray T, Sole A, Wood M, Zhang E. TermPicks: a century of Greenland glacier terminus data for use in scientific and machine learning applications. Cryosphere 2022, 16(8), 3215-3233.
• Goliber S, Black T, Catania G, Lea J, Olsen H, Cheng D, Bevan S, Bjork A, Bunce C, Brough S, Carr JR, et al. A century of Greenland glacier terminus data for use in machine learning applications. The Cryosphere Discussions 2021. Submitted.
• Leigh JR, Stokes CR, Evans DJA, Andreassen LM, Carr JR. Glacial and periglacial geomorphological map of central Troms and Finnmark county, Arctic Norway. Journal of Maps 2021, 17(2), 348-366.
• Taylor C, Robinson T, Dunning S, Carr JR, Westoby M. Glacial lake outburst floods threaten millions globally: a new metric for quantifying risk. Nature Climate Change 2021. Submitted.
• Taylor C, Carr JR, Rounce D. Spatiotemporal supraglacial pond and ice cliff changes in the Bhutan–Tibet border region from 2016 to 2018. Journal of Glaciology 2021, Epub ahead of print.
• Ballinger TJ, Hanna E, Hall RJ, Carr JR, Brasher S, Osterberg EC, Cappelen J, Tedesco M, Ding Q, Mernild S. The role of blocking circulation and emerging open water feedbacks on Greenland cold season air temperature variability over the last century. International Journal of Climatology 2021, 41(S1), E2778-E2800.
• Arthur JA, Stokes CR, Jamieson SSR, Miles B, Carr JR, Leeson AA. The triggers of the disintegration of Voyeykov Ice Shelf (2007), Wilkes Land, East Antarctica, and its subsequent evolution. Journal of Glaciology 2021, 67(265), 933-951.
• Hill EA, Gudmundsson GH, Carr JR, Stokes CR. Twenty-first century response of Petermann Glacier, northwest Greenland to ice shelf loss. Journal of Glaciology 2021, 67(261), 147 - 157.
• Carr E, Carr JR, Ross N. Differing seasonal and interannual dynamics of Alison Glacier and Igdlugdlip Sermia Glacier, due to glacier-specific factors. Arctic, Antarctic, Alpine Research 2020. Submitted.
• Arthur JA, Stokes CR, Jamieson SSR, Carr JR, Leeson AA. Distribution and seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on Shackleton Ice Shelf, East Antarctica. The Cryosphere 2020, 14(11), 4103–4120.
• Collins-May JL, Carr JR, Balme MR, Ross N, Russell AJ, Brough S, Gallagher C. Post-impact evolution of the southern Hale Crater ejecta, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets 2020, 125(9), e2019JE006302.
• Arthur J, Stokes CR, Jamieson SSR, Carr JR, Leeson A. Progress in understanding Antarctic supraglacial lakes using remote sensing. Progress in Physical Geography 2020, 44(6), 837-869.
• Leigh JR, Stokes CR, Evans DJA, Carr JR, Andreassen LM. Timing of Little Ice Age maxima and subsequent glacier retreat in northern Troms and western Finnmark, northern Norway. Arctic, Antarctic, Alpine Research 2020, 52(1), 281-311.
• Brough S, Carr RJ, Ross N, Lea J. Exceptional Retreat of Kangerlussuaq Glacier, East Greenland, Between 2016 and 2018. Frontiers in Earth Sciences 2019, 7, 123.
• Leigh JR, Stokes CR, Carr RJ, Evans IS, Andreassen LM, Evans DJA. Identifying and mapping very small (<0.5 km2) mountain glaciers on coarse to high-resolution imagery. Journal of Glaciology 2019, 65(254), 873-888.
• Dell R, Carr R, Phillips E, Russell AJ. Response of glacier flow and structure to proglacial lake development and climate at Fjallsjökull, south-east Iceland. Journal of Glaciology 2019, 65(250), 321-336.
• Lovell AM, Carr JR, Stokes CR. Spatially Variable Glacier Changes in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal, 2000 to 2016. Remote Sensing 2019, 11(12), 1452.
• Hill EA, Carr JR, Stokes CR, Gudmundsson GH. Dynamic changes in outlet glaciers in northern Greenland from 1948 to 2015. The Cryosphere 2018, 12(10), 3243-3263.
• Bunce C, Carr RJ, Nienow PW, Ross N, Killick R. Ice front change of marine-terminating outlet glaciers in northwest and southeast Greenland during the 21st Century. Journal of Glaciology 2018, 64(246), 523-535.
• Lovell AM, Carr JR, Stokes CR. Topographic controls on the surging behaviour of Sabche Glacier, Nepal (1967 to 2017). Remote Sensing of Environment 2018, 210, 434-443.
• Hill EA, Gudmundsson GH, Carr JR, Stokes CR. Velocity response of Petermann Glacier, northwest Greenland to past and future calving events. The Cryosphere 2018, 12(12), 3907-3921.
• Hill EA, Carr JR, Stokes CR. A Review of Recent Changes in Major Marine-Terminating Outlet Glaciers in Northern Greenland. Frontiers in Earth Science 2017, 4, 111.
• Adalgeirsdóttir G, Ananicheva M, Andersen ML, Carr R, Clason C, Colgan WT, Copland L, Glazovsky A, Hubbard A, Kjeldsen KK, Mernild S, Moholdt G, Wagner T, Wouters B, Van Wychen W. Changes to Arctic land ice. In: Box, JE; Sharp, ME, ed. Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA). Oslo, Norway: Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), 2017, pp.137-168.
• Carr JR, Bell H, Killick R, Holt T. Exceptional retreat of Novaya Zemlya's marine-terminating outlet glaciers between 2000 and 2013. The Cryosphere 2017, 11(5), 2149-2174.
• Carr JR, Stokes CR, Vieli A. Threefold increase in marine-terminating outlet glacier retreat rates across the Atlantic Arctic: 1992–2010. Annals of Glaciology 2017, 58(74), 72-91.
• Carr JR, Vieli A, Stokes CR, Jamieson SSR, Palmer SJ, Christoffersen P, Dowdeswell JA, Nick FM, Blankenship DD, Young DA. Basal topographic controls on rapid retreat of Humboldt Glacier, northern Greenland. Journal of Glaciology 2015, 61(225), 137-150.
• Ryan JC, Hubbard AL, Box JE, Todd J, Christoffersen P, Carr JR, Holt TO, Snooke N. UAV photogrammetry and structure from motion to assess calving dynamics at Store Glacier, a large outlet draining the Greenland ice sheet. The Cryosphere 2015, 9, 1-11.
• Carr JR, Stokes CR, Vieli A. Recent retreat of major outlet glaciers on Novaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic, influenced by fjord geometry and sea-ice conditions. Journal of Glaciology 2014, 60(219), 155-170.
• Carr JR, Vieli A, Stokes CR. Climatic, oceanic and topographic controls on marine-terminating outlet glacier behavior in north-west Greenland at seasonal to interannual timescales. Journal of Geophysical Research 2013, 118(3), 1210-1226.
• Carr JR, Stokes CR, Vieli A. Recent progress in understanding marine-terminating Arctic outlet glacier response to climatic and oceanic forcing: Twenty years of rapid change. Progress in Physical Geography 2013, 37(4), 435 – 46.
• Harris CM, Carr JR, Lorenz K, Jones S. Important Bird Areas in Antarctica: Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, South Orkney Islands. Environmental Research & Assessment Ltd., Cambridge, 2011.