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You are in:  Home » Staff and students » Academic staff » Elizabeth Morris OBE

Professor Elizabeth M. Morris, OBE, BSc, PhD

Visiting Professor at the Environmental Systems Science Centre, University of Reading

Glaciologist, working on the mass balance of polar ice sheets and their response to climate change using field observations, remote sensing techniques and modelling.

Biography

Liz Morris graduated from the University of Bristol in 1967 and remained at the Bristol Physics Department to study for a PhD. Her research interests include (i) basal processes of alpine glaciers (ii) development of physics-based models for hydrological and hydrochemical processes especially those involving snow and ice and (iii) the mass balance and dynamics of polar ice sheets. She has worked in the European Alps, Canadian Rockies, Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Svalbard and Antarctic.

Liz was appointed OBE in the Millennium Honours List for services to Polar Science and was awarded the Polar Medal in 203. She is a member of Wolfson College.

Career:

• 2006 to date: Senior Associate at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge University
• 2000-06: Seconded from the Natural Environment Research Council (British Antarctic Survey) to the Scott Polar Research Institute as NERC Arctic Science Adviser
• 1999-2000: Research Activities Coordinator, British Antarctic Survey.
• 1996: Guest Professor, University of Innsbruck.
• 1995 to date: Visiting Professor, University of Reading.
• 1986-1999: Head of Ice and Climate Division of the British Antarctic Survey.
• 1975-86: Principal Scientific Officer at the Institute of Hydrology
• 1973-75: Senior Research Associate, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.

Qualifications

• B Sc in Physics, University of Bristol, U.K., 1968.
• Doctor of Philosophy (Physics), University of Bristol, U.K., 1972.

Research

Major Research Interests

1. Mass balance and dynamics of polar ice sheets. Continuing program of field and numerical modelling work in the Arctic and Antarctic
2. Development of neutron scattering method of for snow density profiling
3. Snow modelling

Current Research Grants

Validation and provision of CryoSat measurements of fluctuations in the Earth's land and marine ice fluxes

PI: D J Wingham

Funding. Natural Environment Research Council NER/0/S/2003/

Publications

Selected publications

• Hawley, R L, Brandt, O, Morris, E M, Kohler, J, Shepherd, A P, Wingham, D J (2008) Techniques for measuring high-resolution firn density profiles: a case study from Kongsvegen, Svalbard. J Glaciol. Vol. 54 (186) p.463-468.
• Demuth, M.N., Marshall, H.-P. and Morris, E.M. (2008). High-resolution near-surface snow stratigraphy inferred from ground-based 8-18 GHz FMCW radar measurements: Devon Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada 2005-06, CryoSat Validation Experiment. 64th Eastern Snow Conference Proceedings. May, St. John's NFLD, 9 pp.
• Morris, E. M. (2008), A theoretical analysis of the neutron scattering method of measuring snow and ice density, J. Geophys. Res., 113, F03019, doi:10.1029/2007JF000962.
• R L Hawley, E M Morris and J McConnell (2008). Rapid techniques for determining annual accumulation applied at Summit Station, Greenland. J Glaciol. Vol.54 No.188 p.839-845.
• Brandt, O., R.L. Hawley, J. Kohler, J.O. Hagen, E.M. Morris, T. Dunse, J.B.T. Scott, and T. Eiken, (2008) Comparison of airborne radar altimeter and ground-based Ku-band radar measurements on the ice cap Austfonna, Svalbard, The Cryosphere Discuss. J1 - TCD, 2 (5), 777-810.
• Gray, J.M.N.T., Morland, L.W. and Morris, E.M. (1995). A phase changing dry snow pack model. J. Glaciol. 41, 11-29.
• Morris, E.M., Mulvaney, R. (1995). Recent changes in surface elevation of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet. Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde and Glazialgeologie 31, 7-15.
• Morris, E.M., Bader, H.-P. and Weilenmann, P. (1997). Modelling temperature variations in polar snow using DAISY. J Glaciol. 43, 180-191.
• Morris, E.M., King, J.C., Turner, J., Peel, D.A. and Doake, C.S.M. (1997). Antarctic Climate Change. The Globe 36, 3.
• Weidick, A., Morris, E.M. (1998). Local glaciers surrounding the continental ice sheets. In: Into the second century of world glacier monitoring - prospects and strategies. (Ed: Haeberli, W.) Studies and Reports in Hydrology 56, 197-205. UNESCO Publishing, Paris.
• Glendinning, J.H.G. and Morris, E.M. (1999) Incorporation of spectral and directional radiative transfer in a snow model. Hydrological Processes 13, 12/13, 1761-72.
• Morris, E.M. (1999). Surface ablation rates on Moraine Corrie Glacier, Antarctica. Global and Planetary Change 22, 221-31.
• Morris, E.M. (2002). Techniques for predicting runoff from glacierized areas. In: Peyto Glacier - One century of science. (Eds: Demuth, M.N., Munro, D.S. and Young, G.J.) National Hydrology Research Institute Science Report. NHRI, Saskatoon.
• Turner, J, Lachlan-Cope, TA, Marshall, GJ, Morris, EM, Mulvaney, R and Winter,W (2002) Spatial variability of Antarctic Peninsula net surface mass balance. Journal of Geophysical Research. Vol 10710.1029/2001JD000755.
• Morris, E.M. and Vaughan, D.G. (2003) Spatial and temporal variation of surface temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula and the limit of variability of ice shelves. In: Antarctic Peninsula Climate variability: A historical and paleoenvironmnetal perspective . Eds: E Domack, A Burnett, A Leventer, P Conley, M Kirby and R Bindschadler. Antarctic Research Series. Vol.79 p.61-68.Tribbeck, M J, Gurney, R J, Morris, E M and Pearson, D W C (2004) A new snow-SVAT to simulate the accumulation and ablation of seasonal snow cover beneath a forest canopy. Journal of Glaciology. Vol.50 No. 169 p.171-182.Morris, E.M. and Mulvaney, R. (2004) Recent variations in surface mass balance of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet. Journal of Glaciology. Vol.50 No. 169 p.257-267.
• Morris, E M and Cooper, J D (2004) Density measurements in ice boreholes using neutron scattering. Journal of Glaciology. Vol. 49 No. 167 p. 599-604.
• Hawley, R L, Morris, E M, Cullen R, Nixdorf, U, Shepherd, A P and Wingham, D J (2006) ASIRAS Airborne Radar Resolves Internal Annual layers in the Dry-snow zone of Greenland. GRL Vol.33, L04502, doi:10.1029/2005GL025147
• Morris, E.M. (2006). Techniques for predicting runoff from glacierized areas. In: Peyto Glacier - One century of science. (Eds: Demuth, M.N., Munro, D.S. and Young, G.J.) National Hydrology Research Institute Science Report No.8. NWRI, Saskatoon,p.203-225.
• Tribbeck, M J, Gurney, R J and Morris, E M (2006) The Radiative Effect of a Fir Canopy on a Snowpack. Journal of Hydrometeorology, Vol. 7, No. 5, pages 880B895.
• Hawley, R.L. and Morris E.M. (2006) Borehole stratigraphy and neutron-scattering density measurements at Summit, Greenland. Journal of Glaciology Vol. 52 No. 179 p. 491- 6.
• Scott, J B T, Mair, D, Nienow, P, Parry, V and Morris, E M (2006) A ground-based radar backscatter investigation in the percolation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. Remote Sensing of the Environment. 104, 361-373.
• Cullen, R, Davidson, MD, Drinkwater, MR, Haas, C, Hawley, RL, Mavrocordatos, CM, Morris, EM, Rack,W, Viau, P and Wingham, DJ (2006) ESA's new range of radar altimters for the extraction of geophysical parameters from land, sea ice and ocean surfaces. In: 15 years of progress in radar altimetry. Proceedings of the Venice Symposium 2006. Ed: D Danesy ESA Special publication SP-614
• Scott, J B T, Nienow, P, Parry, V, Mair, D, Morris, E M and Wingham, D J (2006) The importance of seasonal and annual layers in the backscatter to radar altimeters across the percolation zone of an ice sheet. Geophysical Research Letters 33, L24502, doi:10.1029/2006GL027974.
• Demuth M.N., E.M. Morris, H.P. Marshall, D.A. Fisher, J. Sekerka, R.M. Koerner and A.L.Gray. (2006) Characterising percolation and wet-snow facies variability on Devon Island Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada. International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW) 2006 Proceedings, Telluride, Colorado.
• Shepherd, A , Zhijun Du, , Benham, T J, Dowdeswell, J A and Morris, E M (2007) Mass balance of the Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic Annals of Glaciology 46, p.249-254

External Activities

• President of the International Glaciological Society (IGS), 2002-05
• Convenor/Editor, IUGG International Assembly, 2001-02
• President, ICSI (International Commission on Snow and Ice), 1995-2001
• ICSI Representative, SCAR Working Group on Glaciology, 1987-2001
• Vice-President of IGS 2000-2003
• Member, The Met Club, 1998-
• Member, Council of the Royal Meterological Society, 2006 -
• Member, Editorial Board UNESCO - Cambridge University Press International Hydrology Series, 1994-
• Member, Editorial Board of Cold Regions Research and Technology, 1996-
• Member, IGS Council 1995-1999
• Member, Awards Committee of IGS, 1996-97
• Member, Royal Society Antarctic Research Committee, 1992-96
• Editor, IGS Symposium on Representation of the Cryosphere in Climate and Hydrological Models, 1996-
• Vice-President, ICSI, 1991-95
• Chief Scientific Editor, 5th International Symposium on Antarctic Glaciology (VISAG), 1993
• Convenor/Editor, 6th IAMAP and 4th IAHS Joint International Assembly, 1993-94
• Member, Hadley Centre Scientific Steering Group, 1991 to date
• Member, UGAMP Sscientific Steering Committe , 1990-91
• Member, Editorial Advisory Board of Hydrological Processes, 1987-91
• Chairman, ICSI Division of Seasonal Snow Cover & Avalanches, 1983-91
• Convenor, 3rd Scientific Assembly of IAHS, 1989
• Convenor/Editor, 2nd Scientific Assembly of IAHS, 1986