RU1: Carbon and ice sheets
Nobody knows how much carbon is stored beneath ice sheets or how much will be released as the earth continues to warm. This prevents scientists from predicting, and policy makers from preparing for, future changes ocean biogeochemistry, and the global climate.
We are for the first time quantifying the extensive stores of carbon and methane hydrate beneath present-day ice sheets. We are drilling deep boreholes in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and performing geochemical and microbiological analyses of the extracted ice and sediments. In addition, we are analysing surface sediments and potential gas hydrates, and using offshore seismic and multi-beam data to establish likely sediment distributions beneath the ice.
Our aim is to transform scientific understanding of carbon cycling processes under the ice and produce the first comprehensive inventory of sub-ice sheet carbon.
Research Leads
Professor Alun Hubbard
RU1 Research Lead
Dr Henry Patton
RU1 Assistant Research Lead
Early Career Scientists
PhD Research Opportunities
iC3 offers a friendly and supportive working environment to early career researchers and masters students who are passionate about polar science.
