Centre for Polar Observation & Modelling
The Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) is a research centre that studies processes in the Earth's polar latitudes that may affect the Earth's albedo, polar atmosphere and ocean circulation, and global sea level. We use theoretical and laboratory-derived understanding to form new mesoscale models of interactions between the ice, ocean and atmosphere, and use ground and satellite observations to test the predictions of these and other climate models. CPOM is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and is part of the National Centre for Earth Observation. It has research groups in the Department of Earth Sciences at University College London, at the Bristol Glaciology Centre at the University of Bristol and in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh.
Research at CPOM
CPOM pursues a wide range of projects as part of its program, typically of three years duration. The research page has a summary of the projects and provides a good summary of the range and nature of CPOM research. The research is performed by CPOM staff and students, each of whom has an entry in the people page. CPOM has a seminar series and hosts scientific meetings on polar matters of national interest, which are described in the meetings/seminars page. Links to our collaborators and other useful sites are described on the useful links page.
News
Oct 2008 GRL paper on the thinning of the Arctic sea ice
Last winter, the thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic fell by nearly half a metre (19 per cent) compared with the average thickness of the previous five winters.
May 2008 Steve Palmer awarded a fellowship
by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to fund a visit to the Japanese National Institute for Polar Research (NIPR)
Sept 2007 Dr Andrew Shepherd wins Leverhulme Prize 2007
for major contributions to our understanding of global environmental change.
16 Mar 2007 Science paper on Sea-level contributions of the Polar ice sheets
How fast sea levels rise over the coming century - potentially one of the most serious consequences of global warming - will depend on how fast the polar ice sheets melt.
2 Dec 2006 CPOM research featured in New Scientist
CPOM research recently published in Nature on Antarctic sub-glacial lake outbursts was featured on the front cover of the New Scientist, in a special edition.