Circumpolar and Cryospheric Earth Observation 

My research is based on using remotely sensed data (LiDAR, ATM, Landsat, etc.) to monitor the dynamics and mass balance of glaciers, icecaps, and ice sheets.

Biography
Originally from Newton, MA (USA), through a love of the outdoors and some fortuitous travelling, I came to develop a fascination with glaciers and all things polar. I studied Chemistry and Earth & Planetary Sciences (with a citation in French Language) at Harvard University from 2004 until 2008; for a summer field course, I participated as a student researcher on the Juneau Icefield Research Program 2007. After completing my undergraduate degree, I moved to Cambridge, England in October 2009 to begin SPRI's MPhil in Polar Studies funded by Trinity College's Eben Fiske Studentship and have remained at SPRI for a PhD. A US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship supports my work.

I have participated in field research in locations such as New England (structural geology), Southeast Alaska's Juneau Icefield (GPS surveys, mass balance), Namibia (carbonate geology, Snowball Earth), and Antarctica's Dry Valleys (cosmogenic nuclide analysis). With a diverse research background, my current research focuses on remote sensing of the cryosphere.

Qualifications
■Ph.D. Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge (Trinity College), UK (2009-present)
■M.Phil. in Polar Studies, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge (Trinity College), UK (2009)
■B.A. (Magna cum laude) in Chemistry (High Honors) and Earth & Planetary Sciences (Highest Honors) with a foreign language citation in French, Harvard University (Adams House), USA (2008)

Research
My PhD research is focused on taking advantage of the increased spatial and spectral resolution of the Airborne Thematic Mapper (ATM) relative to Landsat ETM+ imagery in order to develop a more effective method for remote sensing of glacier facies to serve as a proxy for mass balance. Field research collecting in situ reflectance of various glacial surfaces with a field spectroradiometer (July-August 2010; see our fieldwork blog) in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard is a crucial component. I also have a polar-related Twitter feed @PopePolar.

Ongoing research begun during my MPhil is centred on using photoclinometry to interpolate an incomplete LiDAR survey of Langjökull Icecap, Iceland and using the resulting data set to investigate how the icecap has evolved over the last decade. Findings included a revised mass balance of the icecap, visualization of a recent surge of outlet Hagafellsjökull Eystri, and potential clues as to the future behaviour of the icecap.

Broad research interests:
■Remote sensing of the cryosphere
■Present-day behaviour of the glaciers and icecaps
■Ice-climate interactions, including developing glacial hazards
■Mass balance measurement and glacier monitoring techniques
Specific research themes:
■Integrating high-rez multispectral and topographic data
■Multispectral classification of glacier facies
■Remotely sensed geodetic mass balance
■Air/spaceborne glacier mass balance proxies.

 
Publications
Selected publications and presentations
■Pope, A. and W.G. Rees, 2010. Characterisation of glacier facies with the Airborne Thematic Mapper, 11th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium, Scott Polar Research Institute.
■Early Career Stipend Recipient:
Pope, A., Rees, W.G., Willis, I.C., Arnold, N.S., Pálsson, F., and R. Hodgkins, 2010. Recent Changes to Langökull, Iceland: Integrating airborne LiDAR and satellite imagery, International Polar Year Oslo Science Conference, Oslo.
■Awarded John Glen Prize for Best Student Poster:
Pope, A., Rees, W.G., Willis, I.C., Arnold, N.S., Pálsson, F., and R. Hodgkins, 2009. Recent Changes to Langökull, Iceland: Integrating airborne LiDAR and satellite imagery, International Glaciological Society 34th Annual British Branch Meeting, University of Sheffield.
■Karlsson, N.B., Pope, A., Hall, J., Jones, L., Atkinson, H., Renner, A., Thomas, L., Banwell, A., Gravelle, R., Irvine, E., Hendry, K., Gray, T., Henley, S., and S. Torres, 2009. Introduction to the UKPN and its activities, International Glaciological Society 34th Annual British Branch Meeting, University of Sheffield.
■Pope, A., (2009). Recent Changes to Langjökull Icecap, Iceland: An investigation integrating airborne LiDAR and satellite imagery, M.Phil. Thesis, University of Cambridge.
■Pope, A., (2008). Exposure dating with Exposure dating with 21Ne and its application to Antarctic ice sheet history, B.A. (Honors) Thesis, Harvard University.
■Schofield, E., Veeramani, H., Pope, A., Bencheikh-Latmani, R., and J. Bargar, 2006. Structural chemistry of cation-doped bacteriogenic UO2, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco.

Teaching
■Lecturer, Reach Cambridge (2010), Physical Geography
■Education and Outreach Speaker, UK Polar Network (2009-present), Polar field sciences
■Peer Tutor, Harvard University (2005-2008), Chemistry, Earth Sciences, French.

External activities
■President: Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (2010-2011)
■Vice President, Council Member, and Field Schools Coordinator: Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (2009-2010)
■Committee Member: United Kingdom Polar Network (2009-present)
■Organizer: 11th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium, September 2010. Cambridge, UK.
■Session Co-convener: "Adventures in the field: Impacts of field programs for students, teachers, artists, writers and others" at the IPY Oslo Science Conference, June 2010. Oslo, Norway.
■Organizer: UKPN Cryospheric Sciences Workshop, November 2009. Sheffield, UK.
■Men's Lower Boats Captain: 1st & 3rd Trinity Boat Club (2009-2010)

A keen hiker and outdoorswoman since my teenage years, my interest in Polar regions stemmed first from participation in an expedition to Greenland in summer 2000. This interest was further developed during a physical geography degree at the University of Reading, including two periods of fieldwork and travel on Svalbard. An interest in remote sensing came later, whilst pursuing a Masters in Glaciology at Aberystwyth University. The fusion of these led me to complete my M.Sc. Research Project on ‘The use of a rule based classification for change detection in a glacial landscape: using Landsat TM and ASTER imagery of the North Patagonian Icefield’.

I have served two rewarding years as secretary of the UK Polar Network, a voluntary network with the twin aims of promoting networking amongst, and career development for, early career researchers in all areas of Polar science; and presenting their science to a wider audience through education & outreach events. UKPN is part of the wider Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). With other UKPN members I was involved in organizing a 3 day ‘Cryospheric Science’ career development workshop at Sheffield in November 2009, and am now part of the team planning a 2 day Remote Sensing Summer School to be held in Reading in July 2011.

Still enthusiastic about the great outdoors, I'm most likely to be found spending my spare time hiking or rock climbing, and I also enjoys cycling and skiing.

 

Research Summary: Sea ice fluxes through the Fram Strait: remote sensing detection, variability and climatic modulation

Now in my 3rd year, my PhD project has focused on tracking the movement of individual sea ice floes in the Fram Strait from satellite radar, making use of ENVISAT Wide Swath & Radarsat images. An algorithm originally developed for the purpose of tracking large tabular icebergs in the Antarctic has been adapted to accommodate the different shapes and backscattering characteristic of sea ice, and put to use in the Fram Strait. The Fram Strait was chosen as a study area because it is of key importance for the export of ice from the Arctic, and well known for the presence of strong surface currents. The study area is within the area of the East Greenland current, and also covers the fast ice/ drift ice boundary. The ice tracking algorithm uses shape recognition to match identified ice objects between consecutive images. This has proved ideal for tracking ice movement in the summer months, the time of year when traditional cross-correlation methods are least reliable.

Biography

I am a Research Associate funded by the National Centre for Earth Observation, and based in the Meteorology department at Reading University. My job involves finding new applications of Earth Observation, and understanding the physics and mathematics of satellite data.

With hindsight, Earth Observation seems like an obvious career choice for someone who has always been fascinated by both space and the environment, but until a few years ago I hadn’t even heard of it. My undergraduate degree was in engineering, and I worked for a year as a civil engineer in the ‘real world’. Having returned to university to do a masters in Environmental Science, I stumbled across the Environmental Systems Science Centre at the University of Reading, applied for a PhD in Earth Observation and haven’t looked back!

Outside of my research, I have an interest in science communication and policy, and I spent three months in early 2009 working for the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. I am also involved in the NCEO's education and outreach activities.

Research Summary

My PhD was (eventually) titled "Northern hemisphere snow: measurement, modelling and predictability". Retrievals of snow water equivalent have been made from passive microwave instruments for several decades, but there remain many concerns about the assumptions used in the simple retrieval algorithms and their applicability globally. I am interested in developing a better understanding of the interaction between snow, vegetation and electromagnetic radiation, at many frequencies, so we can better exploit the multiple sources of data over snow-covered surfaces.

As a Post-Doc, I have been writing a simplified convection model for simulating radar observations of rainfall. The experiments I will do with the system are designed to improve our understanding of data assimilation – how best to combine observations with models. Usually, these sorts of experiments are performed with the large, complex computer models that are used to produce weather forecasts, as data assimilation is a key part of producing a good forecast. The disadvantage of this is that these models are so complex that the impact of new data or techniques can be difficult to understand and interpret. By writing a much more simplified model, I hope to get more physical insight into the impact of the data on the model forecasts.

Biography

I graduated from TU Dresden (Germany) with a diploma in Geography and minor subjects in Meteorology, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry. I first became interested in polar research during my ERASMUS visit to Newcastle University in 2006, where I applied photogrammetric techniques to study glacier volume change in Svalbard. After completing internships at the Geo-Research-Center (GFZ Potsdam) and the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI Potsdam), I decided to return to the UK where I am currently working towards a PhD in Geomatic Engineering at Newcastle University. The thing I find most interesting about earth observation of polar environments is the ability to observe changes that might not have been seen before.

Outside of my research, I am actively involved in the UKPN committee, of which I was vice-president in 2010, and I am especially interested in international student exchange and networking. Outside of work I am a keen triathlete and enjoy orienteering.

Research Summary

My PhD research is focused on measuring glacier volume change from remotely sensed datasets such as historical aerial stereo photography and digital elevation models from satellites systems such as ASTER. By using a least-squares 3D surface matching technique I am trying to minimize offsets between multi-scale, multi-source and multi-temporal dataset to measure glacier volume change more precisely. Areas of interest include the Antarctic Peninsula, Greenland and Svalbard. I hope my research can contribute to better understanding of historical and recent glacier change in regions with a lack of glacier mass balance records.