DoctorHeather Purdie

My research expertise is in the field of glaciology, specifically glacier mass balance, dynamics, and climate change, with a focus on mountain glaciers in Te Tiritiri-o-te-moana, the New Zealand Southern Alps. I am very interested in glaciological change that occurs over short temporal scales; that which impacts utilization of the glacier resource, for example glacier-tourism. I also focus on interactions and feedbacks between all aspects of glacier mass balance from snow accumulation processes to ablation processes, including the role of avalanche nourishment to glacier resilience. Most recently, I have been exploring rapid change at lake-calving glaciers, and the impact that crevasses have on glacier mass balance...

Current research projects:
* The role of crevasses on surface energy balance of alpine glaciers
* Bathymetric and terminus evolution at lake calving glaciers
* Morphological evolution and feedbacks at retreating glacier termini
* Characteristics of alpine snowpacks - managing snow in a warming world
* Implications of glacier retreat on tourism and recreation

Here is a link to my "Raising the Bar" talk....
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/smart_talk/audio/2018894949/the-university-of-canterbury-glaciologist-heather-purdie-explains-why-glaciers-are-a-barometer-of-climate-change