Harold Lovell
PhD student

Location: Room 104, Geography Building
email: h.lovell@qmul.ac.uk

Also External PhD student, Arctic Geology, The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), N-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway

PhD Research

Title
Ice-sediment-landform associations of surging glaciers in Svalbard

Supervisors
Dr. Sven Lukas (Queen Mary, University of London)
Prof. Doug Benn (The University Centre in Svalbard; University of St Andrews)
Prof. Jaap van der Meer (Queen Mary, University of London)

Funding
NERC algorithm studentship

Research Outline
Glacier surges are internally-controlled cyclical instabilities within the glacier system. They are commonly characterised by a sudden switch from a long quiescent period of up to 100 years of slow ice flow (<1 m per year) to a much shorter active phase that typically lasts from between 3 months to 10 years. During this active phase ice velocities can increase by between 10 to 1000 times, often resulting in the rapid advance of the glacier front. This switch is thought to be controlled by conditions at the bed of the glacier. The highly-dynamic behaviour of surges means that in order to fully understand past and contemporary ice sheet and glacier instabilities in changing climatic conditions we need to be able to identify both former and contemporary glacier surges.

This project aims to assess the ice-sediment-landform associations produced by modern surging glaciers on Svalbard. Detailed analysis of these can provide an insight into conditions at the bed of the glacier and the tectonic regime that is active during the surge. It is anticipated that these observations will also help to improve our understanding of the geomorphological record produced by surges, which in turn can then be applied to interpretations of the sediment-landform record in formerly glaciated areas.

Research Interests
Surging glacier and ice stream dynamics; glacier dynamics on Svalbard; glacial geomorphology and sedimentology; the glacial history of Patagonia

Background
MSc (by research) Durham University (2009–2010)

Thesis title ‘Ice dynamics and glacial history from remote sensing of the Seno Skyring-Seno Otway-Strait of Magellan region, southernmost Patagonia’

Supervisors Dr. Chris Stokes and Prof. Michael Bentley (Durham University)

BSc Geography University of Plymouth (2005–2008) – First class honours

Dissertation title ‘Reconstructing the glacial history of Glenshee from Spittal of Glenshee to Devil’s Elbow by mapping the glacial and glaciofluvial landforms’


Memberships
British Society for Geomorphology

Glacial Landsystems Working Group 

International Association of Sedimentologists

Quaternary Research Association

 

Publications

  • Lovell, H., Stokes, C. R. and Bentley, M. J. (2011) ‘A glacial geomorphological map of the Seno Skyring-Seno Otway-Strait of Magellan region, southernmost Patagonia’, Journal of Maps, v2011: 318–339. 10.4113/jom.2011.1156.

 

Conference Presentations

  • Lovell, H., Fleming, E. J., Benn, D. I. and Lukas, S. (2011) ‘Debris-rich structures within a High-Arctic tidewater surging glacier:  Tunabreen, Svalbard’, QRA Glacitectonics Workshop, Norfolk 11th – 15th September 2011 (oral presentation)
  • Lovell, H., Stokes, C. R., Bentley, M. J. and Benn, D. I. (2011) ‘Fast ice-flow linked to proglacial lake evolution in the central Strait of Magellan region, southernmost Patagonia’, INQUA 2011, Bern, Switzerland, 20th – 28th July 2011 (oral presentation)
  • Lovell, H., Stokes, C. R. and Bentley, M. J. (2010) ‘Evidence for ice streaming and abrupt high-magnitude proglacial lake drainage in southernmost Patagonia, South America’, UKPN Sedimentary Processes Workshop, Loughborough University, 18th November 2010 (poster)