Links to research

Scottish glaciology SURGEs ahead

Wednesday 2nd February saw the second meeting of SURGE (Scottish Universities Research in Glacial Environments) take place in the pleasant surroundings of the Old Library in the Geography Department at the University of Edinburgh. SURGE is a SAGES-funded initiative set up to encourage discussions and collaborations between researchers working in Scotland in fields related to ice and snow. As was pointed out, the 'U' in SURGE is mainly there to ensure a good acronym, and so the meeting was attended not only by researchers from most leading Scottish universities but also strong contingents from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban. This led to a diverse and interesting range of 15-minute presentations describing research in parts of the globe including the Alps, Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland and here in Britain. Later, a special session on the Glimmer/CISM ice sheet model from Drs. Nick Hulton and Magnus Hagdorn gave a good introduction to an existing state-of-the-art modelling tool that could be of use to much of the SURGE audience. Towards the end of the day Prof. Geoffrey Boulton and Dr. Doug Mair led discussions on the big issues in glaciology, and what SURGE should try to achieve in the future. Among the main conclusions emerging were that the big questions in glaciology can't be fully addressed by looking at ice and snow alone, but require researchers to consider the interactions of frozen water with bedrock, sediment, the atmosphere, oceans and even volcanoes. In this light, it was agreed that one of the benefits of a network like SURGE is that researchers get exposed to areas of cryospheric research that they may not usually consider, raising the possibility of interdisciplinary collaborations. This was further enhanced when a large number of the attendees carried on more informal discussions over drinks and a meal late into the evening. With over 40 scientists in attendance, the meeting proved that glaciology has a strong presence in Scotland. It is hoped that SURGE will continue to gain strength through the connections formed at the meeting, and an online forum that will soon be set up to enable further discussion and allow researchers to publicise their work among interested parties. The next SURGE meeting will be hosted by the University of Dundee in the autumn.

If you would like any further information about SURGE or are interested in attending the next meeting please contact Tim Reid

SAGES-Coastal and Sea Level Workshop

Alastair and Sue Dawson hosted a successful Coastal and Sea Level Workshop in Dundee on the 27th April 2010. For further details of the event and outcomes please click on the link for a report Coastal and Sea Level Workshop