Professor Alison Banwell

Professor

School: Geography and Natural Sciences

I am a glaciologist broadly focused on the impacts of Earth’s changing climate on the cryosphere. More specifically, I investigate how ice-atmosphere and ice-ocean interactions affect ice dynamic processes, with a primary focus on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, including their ice shelves. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, I combine satellite remote-sensing techniques with in-situ field observations. Working with numerical modellers, I integrate new observations and understanding into both process-scale and Earth system models to improve projections of cryosphere-driven sea-level rise. I have led multiple field campaigns to Antarctica and also worked in Greenland, Svalbard, the Nepal Himalaya, and the European Alps.

For further information about my research and publications please see my profiles on Google Scholar, or Scopus.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
A comparison of supraglacial meltwater features throughout contrasting melt seasons: southwest Greenland, Glen, E., Leeson, A., Banwell, A., Maddalena, J., Corr, D., Atkins, O., Noël, B., McMillan, M. 6 Mar 2025, In: Cryosphere
Greenland Ice Sheet Wide Supraglacial Lake Evolution and Dynamics: Insights From the 2018 and 2019 Melt Seasons, Dunmire, D., Subramanian, A., Hossain, E., Gani, M., Banwell, A., Younas, H., Myers, B. 1 Feb 2025, In: Earth and Space Science
Antarctic-wide ice-shelf firn emulation reveals robust future firn air depletion signal for the Antarctic Peninsula, Dunmire, D., Wever, N., Banwell, A., Lenaerts, J. 24 Feb 2024, In: Communications Earth and Environment
First (Reflected) Light: GNSS Reflectometry on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Datta-Barua, S., Banwell, A., Parvizi, R., Baverel, A., Allen, C., Weedman, A., Garcia, L., Larson, K. 10 Oct 2024, Proceedings of the 37th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2024), Baltimore, United States, Institute of Navigation
Observed meltwater-induced flexure and fracture at a doline on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Banwell, A., Willis, I., Stevens, L., Dell, R., MacAyeal, D. 3 May 2024, In: Journal of Glaciology
Substantial contribution of slush to meltwater area across Antarctic ice shelves, Dell, R., Willis, I., Arnold, N., Banwell, A., de Roda Husman, S. 27 Jun 2024, In: Nature Geoscience
Surface Reflectivity Variations of Global Navigation Satellite System Signals From a Mixed Ice and Water Surface, Parvizi, R., Khan, S., Banwell, A., Datta-Barua, S. 1 Mar 2024, In: Navigation, Journal of the Institute of Navigation
Triggers of the 2022 Larsen B multi-year landfast sea ice breakout and initial glacier response, Ochwat, N., Scambos, T., Banwell, A., Anderson, R., MacLennan, M., Picard, G., Shates, J., Marinsek, S., Margonari, L., Truffer, M., Pettit, E. 10 Apr 2024, In: Cryosphere
A new model for supraglacial hydrology evolution and drainage for the Greenland Ice Sheet (SHED v1.0), Gantayat, P., Banwell, A., Leeson, A., Lea, J., Petersen, D., Gourmelen, N., Fettweis, X. 19 Oct 2023, In: Geoscientific Model Development
GNSS Reflectometry Correlation with Camera Images for Surface Type Determination, Datta-Barua, S., Parvizi, R., Banwell, A., Khan, S. 6 Oct 2023, Proceedings of the 36th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of the Institute of Navigation, ION GNSS+ 2023, Denver, United States, Institute of Navigation

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Substantial contribution of slush to meltwater area across Antarctic ice shelves, Dell, R., Willis, I., Arnold, N., Banwell, A., de Roda Husman, S. 27 Jun 2024, In: Nature Geoscience
Observed meltwater-induced flexure and fracture at a doline on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Banwell, A., Willis, I., Stevens, L., Dell, R., MacAyeal, D. 3 May 2024, In: Journal of Glaciology
Antarctic-wide ice-shelf firn emulation reveals robust future firn air depletion signal for the Antarctic Peninsula, Dunmire, D., Wever, N., Banwell, A., Lenaerts, J. 24 Feb 2024, In: Communications Earth and Environment
Quantifying Antarctic-Wide Ice-Shelf Surface Melt Volume Using Microwave and Firn Model Data: 1980 to 2021, Banwell, A., Wever, N., Dunmire, D., Picard, G. 28 Jun 2023, In: Geophysical Research Letters
The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, Banwell, A., Datta, R., Dell, R., Moussavi, M., Brucker, L., Picard, G., Shuman, C., Stevens, L. 25 Feb 2021, In: Cryosphere