
Dr Tom Mitcham
PhD, MPhys
Expertise
Current positions
Senior Research Associate
School of Geographical Sciences
Contact
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Research interests
I am a glaciologist, with primary research interests in the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets, investigated through the use of numerical ice sheet models and satellite remote sensing data.
Working as a member of the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM), I contribute to the UK's national capability in ice sheet modelling and to the UKESM's TerraFIRMA project, exploring the potential for rapid changes and tipping points in the dynamics of the Earth's ice sheets.
I have also taught on a range of undergraduate and master's units in the School of Geographical Sciences, on topics such as glaciology, climate change and risk, statistics and scientific programming.
Previously, I was a postdoctoral research fellow at Northumbria University working on the NSFGEO-NERC joint-funded project "A new mechanistic framework for modelling rift processes in Antarctic ice shelves", implementing new techniques for representing brittle ice fracture processes in numerical models.
My background is in physics, which I studied at the University of Manchester. I then undertook a PhD at the University of Bristol, supervised by Professor Jonathan Bamber and Professor Hilmar Gudmundsson. My research examined the role that ice shelves play in controlling the dynamics of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, with a particular focus on the Larsen C Ice Shelf.
Publications
Selected publications
11/03/2022The instantaneous impact of calving and thinning on the Larsen C Ice Shelf
Cryosphere
Recent publications
07/04/2022On the validity of the stress-flow angle as a metric for ice-shelf stability
Journal of Glaciology
The instantaneous impact of calving and thinning on the Larsen C Ice Shelf
Cryosphere
Thesis
The role of ice shelves in Antarctic ice dynamics
Supervisors
Award date
21/06/2022