Associate ProfessorShelley MacDonell

I work in the Waterways Centre in the School of Earth and Environment focusing on cryosphere (snow and ice) science and cold regions hydrology. In particular I am interested in understanding the role of the cryosphere in generating, storing and delivering water to local catchments, as well as broader hydrological connectivity in the headwater zone. I use a combination of field, laboratory, and numerical methods to understand how snow and ice contribute to water supply, and how water is stored and transmitted through the landscape. I predominantly focus on arid and semiarid environments, where an understanding of water availability is crucial for making decisions about use downstream. In these environments, glaciers and snow are often scarce but are the primary short- and long-term water sources, and so understanding their behaviour has implications for making decisions in the moment, as well as for long term policy perspectives. My work is based in the Andes, Antarctica and Te Waipounamu.