[CRYOLIST] Thorben Dunse and Rachel Tilling are the winners of the 2016 IACS ECS Prize

Dear colleagues,

The winners of the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) 2016 Early Career Scientist Prize are Dr Thorben Dunse, University of Oslo, Norway, and Rachel Tilling, University College London, UK. The IACS Early Career Scientist Prize is an annual cash prize of € 1000 plus a certificate awarded to a nominated early career scientist who is assessed as having published the best scientific paper on a cryospheric subject during the previous calendar year (2015). The objective of the prize is to recognize excellence in cryospheric science by honouring and promoting someone in the early-stages of her or his career, and to draw attention to the work of IACS. 

The 2016 Prizes will be formally "presented" during the IACS Scientific Assembly, 12-17 February 2017 in Wellington, New Zealand (http://www.cryosphericsciences.org/iacsEvents.html). 

Please find below the citations by Regine Hock, Chair, on behalf of the 2016 Selection Panel:

The 2016 Prize was awarded to Dr Thorben Dunse for his paper Glacier-surge mechanisms promoted by a hydro-thermodynamic feedback to summer melt (T Dunse, T. Schellenberger, J. O. Hagen, A. Kääb, T. V. Schuler & C.H. Reijmer. The Cryosphere, 9(1), 197–215 (2015); doi:10.5194/tc-9-197-2015, February 2015) and Ms Rachel Tilling for her paper Increased Arctic sea ice volume after anomalously low melting in 2013 (R. L. Tilling, A. Ridout, A. Shepherd & D. J. Wingham. Nature Geoscience 8(8), 643–646 (2015); doi:10.1038/ngeo2489, July 2015)

Thorben Dunse and colleagues analyze unique field observations of ice velocity during the onset and development of a surge in one of the drainage basins of the Austfonna ice cap in Svalbard. The data set provides new insights into the yet poorly understood mechanisms of surging glaciers. The authors propose a hydro-thermodynamic feedback that mobilizes stagnant ice initially frozen to the bed, thus leading to fast basal motion and surge initiation. The possibility of such instabilities caused by warming initially cold marginal ice resisting fast drainage may have major implications for ice sheet stability.

Rachel Tilling and her colleagues assessed variations in Northern Hemisphere sea-ice thickness and volume between 2010 and 2014, and analyzed the drivers of these changes. Results reveal complex spatio-temporal patterns and indicate that Arctic sea-ice is sensitive to modest environmental changes. A pronounced increase in sea-ice volume following a cool summer indicates a resilience in Arctic sea-ice previously not anticipated.

Dr Dunse's and Ms Tilling's papers were awarded the Prize against strong competition from 16 nominated papers by other Early Career Scientists.  The four members of the Selection Panel for the Prize expressed their pleasure at the very high standard of the nominated entries.  Each submitted paper was ranked independently by two Panel members before the final decision was taken by the full panel.

Note that in future the prize will be awarded every second year to keep in pace with IACS Assemblies. Thus the Prize will be awarded to up to two Early Career Scientists again in 2019, based on the years 2017 & 2018, and the guidelines updated accordingly. We'll keep you posted at  http://www.cryosphericsciences.org/iacsAwards.html.

 

Best regards,

Regine Hock, Chair of the 2016 Selection Panel.

--
Dr Charles Fierz, physicist
Research scientist
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Research Unit Snow and Permafrost, Team Snow Cover and Micrometeorology

President
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