Marie Porter

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Profile

PhD student: Physics, Sea Ice & Technology Department: Profile

My research focuses around how variability in the circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean is able to influence the behaviour of glaciers in the pan – Atlantic region. Of particular interest in this study are the Norwegian and Labrador basins and the subpolar gyre along with the glaciers of south west Norway and the upper regions of the southern Greenland Ice sheet.

Education

2008 to now PhD student, SAMS and University of Aberdeen

2005 to 2008 BSc (Hons) Meteorology and Oceanography, University of East Anglia (2:1)

Project

Linking recent variability in Atlantic Ocean circulation and glacier mass balance in Greenland and Norway: Project description and objectives

Melt water from the glaciers around the North Atlantic could potentially influence the overturning circulation; which helps to control global climate. Current sea level rise is strongly affected by small glaciers such as those in Norway, whilst future sea level rise is likely to be highly influenced melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The systems affecting the glaciers and Ice Sheet in these regions are not fully understood. Very little research has looked at the ability of changes in the ocean to influence the behaviour of land-locked ice. The aim of this project is to try to understand more about what forces these glaciers and whether looking to the ocean can tell us more than atmospheric circulation alone.

Supervisors

Professor Toby Sherwin (Director of Studies), SAMS

Dr Brice Rea (Supervisor), University of Aberdeen

Dr Doug Mair (Supervisor), University of Aberdeen

Project funder

Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, the Environment and Society (SAGES)

University

UHI Millennium Institute

Publications

Publications and presentations

Porter, M., T. Sherwin, B. Rea, and D. Mair (2008) Linking recent variability in Atlantic Ocean circulation and glacier mass balance in Greenland and Norway. Oral presentation, UHI Postgraduate Conference, SAMS, Oban.
Porter, M., T. Sherwin, B. Rea, D. Mair (2009) North Atlantic Ocean circulation and regional glacier mass balance: Patterns over the past 60 years. SAMS internal report no. 260
Porter, M., T. Sherwin, B. Rea, and D. Mair (2009) How are the glaciers in south-west Norway influenced by the ocean? Poster presentation, UK polar network, cryosphere meeting.

Other

Other activities / measures of esteem

Bursary awards

2007 Neil MacDougal Bursary for Practical Oceanography, SAMS

Public understanding of science

2009 – Sharing Science, Science communication, Sensations, Dundee and SAMS, Oban
2010 – STEM-NET, Primary School Science Club
2010 – Talks to high schools in the Aberdeen area about working in the Arctic

Other relevant information

2009 – Physics tutorials for first year students studying BSc (Hons) Marine Science at SAMS UHI
2007 & 2009 – Ellett Line cruise on the RRS Discovery
2010 – Arctic Glaciology post-graduate course, UNIS, Svalbard