About me

I am a Professor of Glaciology at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway/Norwegian Polar Institute and at the University of Bristol (UK). I am passionate about understanding how glaciers work and bringing them to life for everyone.

My Research

I study what happens when glaciers and ice sheets melt – how meltwater forms intricate plumbing systems within and beneath the ice, and how this liquid water in turn creates a home for many tiny life forms (micro-organisms) in one of the most extreme places on Earth. I’m fascinated by how these microbes survive within glaciers, and in essence, how chemistry and biology interact with geology (called “biogeochemistry) in glaciers to influence the cycling of carbon within the Earth’s system and our climate, rivers and oceans.

“Once thought sterile wastelands stranded at our peaks and poles, glaciers are now known to be living ecosystems with deep connections to Earth’s carbon and nutrient cycles”

— Steffen Glacier, Northern Patagonian Ice Field (credit: JL Wadham)

Many of the places I study are invisible to us – for example, the murky depths of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, where vast river and lake systems are buried up to 4 km beneath its surface. This has led me to collaborate with engineers and technologists to help develop novel devices and technologies to help us access and understand these invisible worlds – by going where we cannot.

Surprising glacier discoveries