Bethan Davies
@iceybethan
Professor of Glaciology and glacial geology, Newcastle University, UK. . Editor, Quaternary Science Reviews. IPCC WGI AR7 lead author. Chair, UK Arctic-Antarctic Partnership. She/hers 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
This work was generously funded by the NERC Arctic Office and involved a range of interdisciplinary colleagues from many institutions!
The traditional history of exploration in Greenland is determinedly rugged and masculine. However indigenous and European women were critical members of early expeditions, including in scientific data collection - something belied by some comments at the time.
“When the focus is on Greenland, it is us who are the decision makers – we are the ones who show which direction to go.” Prime Minister Múte Egede, 2019. Indigenous involvement in expeditions has historically been downplayed in expedition reports, but their skills and knowledge were vital.
Who were the indigenous people who helped the expeditions? How were women involved? Who were the sailors and soldiers on the expeditions? And how has geopolitics shaped, and still shapes, the governance of Greenland today?
Climate change impacts on the Antarctic Peninsula have global consequences. Great write up of our research in EOS. This is worth fighting for. eos.org/articles/ant...
The best and worst case futures for the Antarctic Peninsula- covered in the @dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...
When the free, volunteer service run by a stressed out scientist in her spare time doesn’t update as often as you’d like Anyway, FAQs are pulled from a Wordpress app and are updated regularly. The static page doesn’t update. As always - there’s no need to be rude. We’re all doing our best here
A lovely paper published today in final form by @owenking.bsky.social showing how cliffs and ponds on clean ice glaciers accelerate mass loss: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
It's been an excellent and very exciting week, planning the next IPCC report, meeting my new IPCC co-authors and talking climate science! #IPCC #IPCCAR7 @ipcc.bsky.social
Happy #PolarPride 2025! Celebrate diversity and the contributions of LGBTQIA+ people to polar science!
Join us on Monday 17th at 10 am uk time for our live streamed COP30 talk on tipping points in the Cryosphere! We’re talking at the Cryosphere Pavilion, Blue Zone.
Mark your diaries - It's Polar Pride on November 18th! Celebrate the achievements of LGQBTIA+ people in STEM and in polar science, and work to make work places more inclusive and supportive, and to challenge barriers and discrimination #polarpride #LGBTQinSTEM
Mer de Glace, Chamonix, earlier this week. The sad tarpaulin over the visitor glacier grotto shows how desperate it is to save this glacier. It also shows how hopeless it is. The only way to save the glaciers is to urgently cut carbon emissions.
Thrilled to have received the Richardson Medal from the @igsoc.bsky.social at the IGS symposium last night. I’m so touched and thank you to everyone who nominated me ❤️
It was a pleasure to contribute evidence to the long running Antarctic Inquiry, alongside @klausdodds.bsky.social and @huwiceandstuff.bsky.social. The Antarctic is changing rapidly, and requires urgent and targeted study to understand present and future sea level contributions.
Glacier shrinkage and eventual disappearance will decrease downstream water availability, and could contribute to extreme droughts in the arid and semi-arid Andes, impacting food and water security to populations along the length of the Andes.
Extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent and severe, with heat stress, forest fires, floods and landslides threatening local communities.
The brief is Available in English and Spanish. We show how glaciers are shrinking. Andean glaciers are thinning by an average of 0.7 m per year, ~35% faster than the global average.
The @wmo-global.bsky.social 'State of the Climate 2024' is published, with shocking stats & figures. Global annual temperature of 1.55C, helped by El Nino. The warmest year in 175 years, with accordingly strongly negative glacier mass balance and high sea level rise. library.wmo.int/records/item...
I was chuffed to be given American scones last time I was in Alaska. In the UK, this is a scone. I was amused by how they were similar but also different. Hadn’t realised there was an American take on what is considered the quintessential English treat.
Oh, this article hit a little close to the bone... www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Important advice from @celiavarves.bsky.social on how and why to consider policy and impact right from the start of a research project. #QRA2025
Full house for our first keynote speaker, Prof. Nina Kirchner, presenting her amazing work leading glaciological research in northern Greenland and Sweden, with interesting insights on co-production of knowledge and collaboration and communication of data results #QRA2025 @quaternaryra.bsky.social
No, there would have been deep ocean between the Greenland and the Fennoscandian ice sheets. See figure below (by @christinebatchelor.bsky.social). Though Arctic sea ice would likely have extended further south, extending the bears' ranges. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Excited to be on my way to give my first in person Royal Geographical Society lecture to school students today! #londonbound @rgsibg.bsky.social #glaciers #geographyteacher
Happy #PolarPride! Great to celebrate with Newcastle Uni physical geography research group today 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
Diverse groups do better science. Happy #PolarPride #LGBTQinSTEM day!