Dr Nicholas Barrand BSc, MSc, PhD

Dr Nicholas Barrand

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Lecturer in Geosciences
Undergraduate Admissions Tutor (Physical Geography)

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 3103
Email
n.e.barrand@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Nick is a glaciologist, specialising in mass balance and dynamics of Earth's glaciers and ice sheets. His research aims to understand how and why Earth's land ice cover is changing and the impact of these changes on global sea levels and downstream systems. This research involves application and analysis of airborne and satellite remote sensing tools, in situ measurements and numerical models.

Qualifications

P.G.Cert. Academic Practice, University of Birmingham (Distinction)
Ph.D. Glaciological Remote Sensing, University of Wales Swansea
M.Sc. Geographical Information Science, University of Leeds (Distinction)
B.Sc. Physical Geography, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1st Class Hons.)

Biography

Nick was educated at the Universities of Newcastle (BSc), Leeds (MSc) and Leeds / Swansea (PhD). His published MSc research concerned spaceborne observation of controls on glacier surging in the Karakoram Himalaya. His PhD research, supervised by Tavi Murray in collaboration with the Norsk Polarinstitutt, continued to employ earth observation and geodetic techniques (digital photogrammetry and airborne laser altimetry), this time in combination with extensive field validation, to investigate mass balance and climate linkages of glaciers in the Norwegian High Arctic (Svalbard). In 2008 he took up the position of Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta (Canada) working with Martin Sharp on the sea-level contribution of glaciers in the Yukon, and satellite remote sensing and field validation of glacier change in the Canadian Sub (Labrador) and High Arctic (Nunavut). In 2010 he moved to the NERC British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, to work with Richard Hindmarsh and David Vaughan on Antarctic Peninsula ice flow modelling, observation and modelling of Antarctic surface melt dynamics, and mass balance and dynamics of high-latitude glaciers and ice caps. He joined the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham in 2013, where he is currently Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Geosciences. Nick leads a research group specialising in cryospheric remote sensing, mass balance and dynamics of Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets, and impacts to global sea-levels and downstream systems. 

Teaching

University of Birmingham

  • GGM103 Global Environmental Issues (Contributor)
  • GGM316 Swiss Alps Fieldclass (Contributor)
  • EVS357 Professional Placement for Environmental Scientists and Physical Geographers (Contributor)
  • GGM348 Remote Sensing of the Cryosphere (module leader)

External / Other

  • Past UoB contributions to: GGM102 Topics in Environment & Ecology; GGM105 Fieldwork & Tutorials; GGM201 Research Methods for Dissertations; GGM203 Geomatics; ESCM237 Field Skills II: Assynt Field Course; ESCM262 Resources of the Earth
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks, International Summer School in Glaciology. ‘Remote Sensing in Glaciology’ (lectures, practical classes, project supervision)
  • NERC CENTA graduate training: ‘Matlab for Beginners - An Introduction’ (exercises, computer lab, advice surgery)
  • NERC ES4 Spring Schools (Southampton, Edinburgh, Lancaster) ‘The Antarctic Ice Sheet and Global sea-level rise’ (lectures)
  • Teaching Assistant (UofA, SU, UoL): Introductory Studies in Earth Science; Remote Sensing of the Cryosphere; Environmental Research Methods; Digital Mapping and GIS; Analytical Skills in Physical Geography; GIS for the Geosciences; Glacial & Periglacial Environments; Digital Image Processing for Environmental Remote Sensing.

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Barrand is broadly interested in supervision of research projects in the following areas: glacier and ice sheet mass balance, remote sensing of ice flow dynamics, remote sensing of snow and ice melt, ice flow and melt modelling, regional-scale glacier area, volume and velocity change, response of glaciers to climate change, ice shelf processes, and environmental and hydrological applications of remote sensing tools, particularly in the polar regions.

Research

Nick is a glaciologist, specialising in mass balance and dynamics of Earth's glaciers and ice sheets. His research aims to understand how and why Earth's land ice cover is changing and the impact of these changes on global sea levels and downstream systems. This research involves application and analysis of airborne and satellite remote sensing tools, in situ measurements and numerical models.

Publications

Highlight publications

Schannwell, C, Cornford, S, Pollard, D & Barrand, N 2018, 'Dynamic response of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet to potential collapse of Larsen C and George VI ice shelves', The Cryosphere, vol. 12, pp. 2307-2326. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2307-2018

Milner, AM, Khamis, K, Battin, TJ, Brittain, JE, Barrand, NE, Füreder, L, Cauvy-Fraunié, S, Gíslason, GM, Jacobsen, D, Hannah, DM, Hodson, AJ, Hood, E, Lencioni, V, Ólafsson, JS, Robinson, CT, Tranter, M & Brown, LE 2017, 'Glacier shrinkage driving global changes in downstream systems', National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings, vol. 114, no. 37, pp. 9770-9778. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1619807114

Schannwell, C, Barrand, N & Radic, V 2016, 'Future sea-level rise from tidewater and ice-shelf tributary glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula', Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 453, pp. 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.07.054

MacKay, JD, Barrand, N, Hannah, D, Krause, S, Jackson, CR, Everest, J & Aðalgeirsdóttir, G 2018, 'Glacio-hydrological melt and run-off modelling: application of a limits of acceptability framework for model comparison and selection', The Cryosphere, vol. 12, no. 7, pp. 2175-2210. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2175-2018

Recent publications

Article

Mackay, JD, Barrand, NE, Hannah, DM, Krause, S, Jackson, CR, Everest, J, MacDonald, AM & Dochartaigh, BÉÓ 2020, 'Proglacial groundwater storage dynamics under climate change and glacier retreat', Hydrological Processes, vol. 34, no. 26, pp. 5456-5473. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13961

Mackay, JD, Barrand, NE, Hannah, DM, Krause, S, Jackson, CR, Everest, J, Aðalgeirsdóttir, G & Black, AR 2019, 'Future evolution and uncertainty of river flow regime change in a deglaciating river basin', Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 1833-1865. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1833-2019

Costi, J, Arigony-Neto, J, Braun, M, Mavlyudov, B, Barrand, NE, Da Silva, AB, Marques, WC & Simoes, JC 2018, 'Estimating surface melt and runoff on the Antarctic Peninsula using ERA-Interim reanalysis data.', Antarctic Science, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 379-393. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102018000391

Barrand, N, Way, RG, Bell, T & Sharp, MJ 2017, 'Recent changes in area and thickness of Torngat Mountain glaciers (northern Labrador, Canada)', The Cryosphere, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 157-168. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-157-2017

Meredith, MP, Stammerjohn, SE, Venables, HJ, Ducklow, HW, Martinson, DG, Iannuzzi, RA, Leng, MJ, Van Wessem, JM, Reijmer, CH & Barrand, NE 2016, 'Changing distributions of sea ice melt and meteoric water west of the Antarctic Peninsula', Deep-Sea Research. Part 2: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.04.019

van Wessem, JM, Ligtenberg, SRM, Reijmer, CH, van de Berg, WJ, van den Broeke, MR, Barrand, NE, Thomas, ER, Turner, J, Wuite, J, Scambos, TA & van Meijgaard, E 2016, 'The modelled surface mass balance of the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5 km horizontal resolution', Cryosphere, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 271-285. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-271-2016

Way, RG, Bell, TJ & Barrand, NE 2015, 'Glacier change from the little Ice Age to present in the Torngat Mountains, northern Labrador, Canada', Geomorphology, vol. 246, pp. 559-569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.07.006

Schannwell, C, Barrand, NE & Radic, V 2015, 'Modeling ice dynamic contributions to sea level rise from the Antarctic Peninsula.', Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 120, no. 11, pp. 2374-2392. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003667

van Wessem, JM, Ligtenberg, SRM, Reijmer, CH, van de Berg, WJ, van den Broeke, MR, Thomas, ER, Barrand, NE, Turner, J, Wuite, J, Scambos, TA & van Meijgaard, E 2015, 'The modelled surface mass balance of the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5 km horizontal resolution.', The Cryosphere, vol. 9, pp. 5097-5136. https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-9-5097-2015

Way, RG, Bell, T & Barrand, NE 2014, 'An inventory and topographic analysis of glaciers in the Torngat Mountains, northern Labrador, Canada', Journal of Glaciology, vol. 60, no. 223, pp. 945-956. https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J195

Turner, J, Barrand, NE, Bracegirdle, TJ, Convey, P, Hodgson, DA, Jarvis, M, Jenkins, A, Marshall, G, Meredith, MP, Roscoe, H, Shanklin, J, French, J, Goosse, H, Guglielmin, M, Gutt, J, Jacobs, S, Kennicutt II, MC, Masson-Delmotte, V, Mayewski, P, Navarro, F, Robinson, S, Scambos, T, Sparrow, M, Summerhayes, C, Speer, K & Klepikov, A 2014, 'Antarctic climate change and the environment: an update', Polar Record, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 237-259. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247413000296

Irvine-Fynn, T, Hanna, E, Barrand, NE, Porter, P, Kohler, J & Hodson, A 2014, 'Examination of a physically-based, high-resolution, distributed Arctic temperature-index melt model, on Midtre Lovénbreen, Svalbard', Hydrological Processes, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 134-149. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9526

Davies, BJ, Golledge, NR, Glasser, NF, Carrivick, JL, Ligtenberg, SRM, Barrand, NE, van den Broeke, MR, Hambrey, MJ & Smellie, JL 2014, 'Modelled glacier response to centennial temperature and precipitation trends on the Antarctic Peninsula', Nature Climate Change, vol. 4, pp. 993-998. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2369

Luckman, A, Elvidge, A, Jansen, D, Kulessa, B, Kuipers Munneke, P, King, J & Barrand, NE 2014, 'Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice Shelf and the impact of föhn winds', Antarctic Science, vol. 26, no. 06, pp. 625-635. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102014000339

The Randolph Consortium 2014, 'The Randolph Glacier Inventory: a globally complete inventory of glaciers', Journal of Glaciology, vol. 60, no. 221, pp. 537-552. https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J176

View all publications in research portal