Interview: "Reconstructing past glacial change on Svalbard is challenging given the limited evidence remaining"

In this interview, iC3 PhD student Jakob Hamann discusses his research on past glacial-interglacial cycles in Svalbard, his fieldwork and Antarctic expeditions, his interest in outreach and his passion for polar science and outdoor exploration.

Could you briefly describe yourself and the focus of your research?

My name is Jakob Hamann, though most people call me Jake, and I am a PhD student affiliated with iC3 at the Department of Geosciences of UiT The Arctic University of Norway. My PhD research aims to reconstruct past glacial and environmental change on Svalbard before the Last Glacial Maximum, with a particular focus on Marine Isotope Stages 4 (~71,000–57,000 years ago) and 3 (~57,000–29,000 years ago).

Before starting this position, I worked for several years as a student assistant in the Geophysics Department at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. There, I had the opportunity to participate in two Antarctic expeditions aboard the research vessel Polarstern, focusing on marine seismic work.

Since my master’s thesis, which I conducted at the University Centre in Svalbard, my work has focused on palaeo-glaciology in Svalbard, using terrestrial Quaternary glacial-geological approaches.

Why is it important to study past glacial-interglacial cycles?

Palaeo-glacial and palaeo-environmental research helps us reconstruct how glaciers, landscapes, and depositional environments responded to past changes in climate, sea level, and ice-sheet dynamics. These records preserve processes that are difficult to observe on human timescales, but are essential for understanding how high-Arctic environments react to both regional and global forcings.

By placing present-day change in a longer-term context, this work helps improve how we interpret Arctic environmental change and how we model future responses.

How are you conducting this research?

My PhD is fieldwork-heavy, which is exciting. It involves reconnaissance-style fieldwork to explore areas where we don’t know much about terrestrial glacial environmental changes.

I analyze sediments, describe stratigraphic sections, and collect samples for chronological methods like luminescence dating, radiocarbon dating, or cosmogenic nuclide dating. The goal is to characterize landscapes and constrain their timing of deposition.

What technologies or methodologies are you most excited about in your field?

I’m particularly interested in cosmogenic nuclide dating, especially in situ carbon-14 dating, as well as emerging applications of luminescence dating on bedrock surfaces. These methods have not yet been widely applied in Svalbard, partly because they are quite new and technically demanding and because suitable rock-outcrops can be difficult to access logistically.

However, I see a lot of potential in combining these approaches to better constrain when glacial advances and retreats occurred, and whether some areas remained ice-free or were repeatedly covered by ice during the last glacial period.

What’s one scientific question you hope to answer in the future?

I hope to better constrain glacial and environmental change in Svalbard before the Last Glacial Maximum, and to understand how these changes were linked to the glaciological and climatic forcings of the time. Much of this record has been overprinted or removed by later glaciations, so the remaining evidence is limited, making it especially exciting and valuable.

Ultimately, I hope this work can contribute to broader reconstructions of Arctic ice-sheet dynamics and environmental feedbacks, helping us better understand current and future changes and inform decision-making toward a more sustainable future.

Can you elaborate on your Antarctic expeditions aboard the Polarstern?

I participated in two Antarctic expeditions as a student assistant for the geophysics department of the Alfred Wegener Institute. The first was an eight-week cruise from Cape Town into the eastern Antarctic sector. My role involved marine seismic work, including helping to set up air-gun systems and streamers, and monitoring sub-bottom profilers.

The second expedition lasted more than eleven weeks. It included resupply work at the German Antarctic research base Neumayer, followed by geophysical surveying around the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica.

During this expedition, I also developed my own research project on meltwater releases, using radar remote sensing verified by field observations to investigate meltwater channels.

What has been the most memorable moment in your academic path so far?

The first time I went to Antarctica was unforgettable. It was my first experience in such a remote and hostile environment, where everything beyond the ship felt completely dominated by nature.

Spending two months in a place with little to no human infrastructure, and seeing landscapes that very few people ever get to see, was a defining moment for me. It strengthened my passion for polar research and made me realize how special it is to work in these regions.

If you could change one thing in science, what would it be?

I would like to see science outreach and communication valued more strongly. Outreach is often treated as something additional, but it is essential for making research accessible and showing why it matters, especially because much scientific research is publicly funded.

I think outreach should be more actively integrated into research institutions and projects, so that communication becomes a natural part of doing science rather than something separate from it.

What do you do during your free time?

I enjoy almost anything outdoors, especially hiking, camping, and spending time outside in rough or harsh weather conditions. I am also very easy to motivate and often join whatever activities the people around me are excited about.

What are you most looking forward to in the next year, professionally or personally?

I’m excited to head back to Svalbard for fieldwork. I’ll be there from August to November, which will allow me to start exploring sites for my research.

It’s been two years since I was last there, so I’m looking forward to being back in that unique environment and starting to collect data for my PhD.

Jakob Hamann is a PhD student at the Department of Geosciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Interested in collaborating with him? Check out his publications and connect with him on LinkedIn.