ICERS - Ice and Climate Research at 51²è¹Ý¶ù
This research cluster studies past, present and future climatic changes and their impacts on ice masses, oceans, the atmosphere, and landscapes.
51²è¹Ý¶ù our work
In the Ice and ClimatE Research at 51²è¹Ý¶ù (ICERS) research cluster, we study past, present and future changes of the climate, glaciers and ice sheets and their impacts on the atmosphere, oceans, landscapes, and society. This enables us to better understand how the Earth system is responding to climate change and to provide actionable science for informing policy, adaptation, and sustainable decision-making. We also look beyond Earth to understand ice and climate processes on other planets, such as Mars.
Research themes
- Fundamental ice sheet and glacier processes
Ice sheets and glaciers are sensitive barometers of climate. The current climate crisis has caused many of them to lose mass to the oceans, raising global sea levels. Our researchers study how these ice masses expand and recede, how they flow, how meltwater interacts with the ice and underlying sediments, and what information about past climate is recorded in the ice. Such fundamental knowledge is essential to understand how ice masses have responded to past and present climate change and how they will respond in future.
- The imprints of ice sheets and glaciers on the landscape
Ice sheets and glaciers dramatically alter landscapes, reshaping valleys, moulding bedrock, depositing hills, and cutting away at mountains. These processes are ongoing today beneath contemporary ice sheets and glaciers, but observing them is difficult because the ice obscures our view. To improve our understanding of how glaciers and ice sheets affect landscapes, our researchers study the landforms left behind by ice sheets that existed during previous glacial cycles. By studying areas that were formerly occupied by ice sheets (e.g., Canada, Scandinavia, Britain and Ireland), we can better understand the sub-ice environment where many landscapes and landforms were generated.
- Snow, ice and climate change in mountain regions
Mountains are hotspots of biodiversity, regulators of regional climate, and providers of water for billions of people. Yet, mountains are also some of the most rapidly warming environments on the planet, leading to decreased snowfall, receding glaciers, and increasing natural hazards. Our research aims to predict how these mountain climates are changing, and the ramifications for downstream ecosystems and societies.
- The atmosphere and oceans in a warming world
The oceans and atmosphere are changing in response to global heating. Our research aims to understand these systems at global and regional scales. This includes work on North Atlantic Ocean responses to meltwater inputs, the Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Circulation, and variability in tropical hurricanes, monsoons and El Niño.
- Actionable science for informing policy and climate adaptation
The changing climate is having an impact on our everyday lives, including by increasing the frequency and severity of climate-related natural hazards, changing water availability, and driving sea-level change. Our research turns observations into practical forecasts (e.g. of sea-level rise and water resource changes) to investigate how the ongoing climate crisis is affecting people and make recommendations for policy-makers. We provide evidence that governments, communities, and planners can use to adapt to a changing climate. This draws on all strands of our research, and our experts influence policy agendas at local, national and global levels.
- Extraterrestrial glaciation
Data returned from robotic space missions have revealed that Mars, Pluto, and even Mercury host glaciers on their surfaces. Our neighbouring planet, Mars has thick polar ice caps, thousands of mountain glaciers across its mid-latitudes, and intriguing landscapes indicative of more extensive glaciation in the past. Our researchers are bridging the gap between Earth-based glaciology and planetary science to drive forward understanding of glacial and ice-related processes on other planets, and their relationship to planetary climate evolution.
Examples of funded projects
- AdaptAIR: Climate adaptation through Artificial Ice Reservoirs (AIRs) in the Himalayas (Sheffield PI: Jeremy Ely) - ERC Synergy, 2026-2032
- : Greenland Runoff Monitoring using Passive Seismics (PIs: Stephen Livingstone, Andrew Sole) - Advanced Research and Invention Agency, 2025-2027
- Unlocking Martian Climate Archives: The Glaciological Groundwork for the First Ice Cores from Mars (PI Frances Butcher) - Royal Society University Research Fellowship, 2025-2033
- PICANTE: Processes, Impacts, and Changes of ANTarctic Extreme Weather (PI: Julie Jones, Sheffield Co-I: Sihan Li) - NERC Research Grant, 2024-2028
- : Flow Response of Antarctic glaciers to Meltwater (Sheffield PI Andrew Sole, Sheffield Co-Is Stephen LIvingstone, Jeremy Ely) - NSFGEO-NERC Grant, 2024-2027
- : The Future of Andean Water Towers (PI: Jeremy Ely, Sheffield Co-Is: Julie Jones & Sihan Li) - NERC Highlight Topic, 2022-2026
- DeCAdeS: Drivers of Oceanic Change in the Amundsen Sea (PI: Julie Jones) - NERC Large Grant 2020-2026
Get involved with our work
The ICERS research cluster is led by Dr Frances Butcher. If you are a member of the School of Geography and Planning and wish to join the cluster, or you work in a related field and wish to collaborate, please get in touch.
