Jemma Wadham
FieldsGlaciology
WorkplacesUniversity of Bristol
Alma materMA University of Cambridge
PhD University of Bristol
AwardsPhilip Leverhulme Prize (2007)
Websitehttps://www.jemmawadham.com/

Jemma L. Wadham is a British glacier biogeochemist.

Early life and education

Wadham completed her BA and MA in physical geography at Cambridge University[when?], and then completed her PhD in glaciology at the University of Bristol in 1998.[1]

Career

Wadham undertook a short post-doctoral research post at the University of Leeds before returning to the University of Bristol to take up a post at the Bristol Glaciology Centre.[2][3]

Wadham researches glacial ecosystems and investigates their impact on biogeochemical processes.[4][5][6] She has worked in the polar regions, including the Antarctic[4] and the Greenland ice sheets.[7] This has led to more than 90 articles[8] and a textbook on Antarctic lakes.[9]

Wadham has been involved with the International Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and subglacial science in Antarctica.[10] She has served on the Lake Ellsworth Exploration Steering Committee and is a contributor to this subglacial lake exploration programme.[11]

In 2012, Wadham's team at the University of Bristol used computer models to predict the amount of trapped methane under ice sheets and discovered 400 billion metric tons of carbon beneath.[12][4]

She is one of few women working on technology development for exploring subglacial lakes.[7] Her work in Greenland focused on the dynamics of ice sheets and their contribution to global biogeochemical cycles.[7][6]

In 2022, Wadham and her collaborator Dr. Monica Winsborrow were awarded €15 million to direct the Centre for ice, Cryosphere, Carbon and Climate (iC3), a ten-year Norwegian Centre of Research Excellence funded by the Norwegian Research Council that will run from 2023 to 2033.[13][14] iC3 is located at the University of Tromsø.[15]

Ice Rivers

In 2021, Wadham published a trade book, Ice Rivers,[16] which tells the story of glaciers and their place on a changing planet, alongside the authors' own story of travel and discovery. Reviewers commended the book for its 'outstanding introduction to glaciers', and for its insights into the life of a glaciologist.[17]

Awards and honours

She was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize in October 2007 for her international contribution to polar science.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Jemma Wadham - The Conversation". 6 May 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  2. ^ Bristol, University of. "Professor Jemma Wadham – School of Geographical Sciences". bris.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Bristol Glaciology Centre". bris.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Billions of Tons of Methane Lurk Beneath Antarctic Ice | Climate Change". Live Science. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  5. ^ Morales, Alex (30 August 2012). "Antarctica's Hidden Carbon Stores Pose Warming Risk in Study". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Jemma Wadham". speakezee.org. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  7. ^ "'Cryo-egg' to predict sea levels". BBC. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  8. ^ Bristol, University of. "Professor Jemma Wadham – School of Geographical Sciences publications". bris.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  9. ^ Antarctic Lakes. Oxford University Press. 14 October 2014. ISBN 978-0-19-967049-9. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Newsletter". scar.org. SCAR. 2013. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Consortium members". ellsworth.org.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  12. ^ Morales, Alex. "Antarctica's Hidden Carbon Stores Pose Warming Risk in Study". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  13. ^ "1,4 milliarder kroner til ni nye sentre for fremragende forskning" (in Norwegian). www.forskningsradet.no. 2022-09-23. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  14. ^ "Billions of Tons of Methane Lurk Beneath Antarctic Ice | Climate Change". Live Science. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  15. ^ Bhambra, Raveena (28 April 2025). "A forensic investigator of glacier change". Nature. 641 (8061): 274. Bibcode:2025Natur.641..274B. doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01300-y. PMID 40295849. – via www.nature.com.
  16. ^ Wadham, Jemma (2021). Ice Rivers: A Story of Glaciers, Wilderness, and Humanity. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1k13b56. Retrieved 13 June 2025. – via Princeton University Press.
  17. ^ Pyle, C (2022). "Ice rivers: A story of glaciers, wilderness and people". Teaching Geography. 47: 40.
  18. ^ "Philip Leverhulme Prize"