Sustainable polar science for a changing climate - Professor Andy Shepherd and Dr Sammie Buzzard

Changes impacting our polar regions are at the heart of the climate and ecological emergencies. Meanwhile, environmental science is responsible for almost half of the UK's science carbon footprint.

In this event we will explore emerging technologies we can use to monitor and predict environmental change, while ensuring the science remains sustainable (including digital twins, satellite observations, AI, and autonomous sensing).

About the speaker

Andy Shepherd is Head of the Department of Geography and Environment at Northumbria, Director of the NERC Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, Principal Scientific Advisor to the European Space Agency's CryoSat satellite mission, co-leader of the ESA-NASA Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise, and a contributing author to IPCC assessment reports.

Andy uses satellites to study Earth's climate, including the development of remote observations of the cryosphere – especially using radar altimetry. He has led field campaigns in Europe, Africa, the Arctic, and in Antarctica to calibrate and validate satellite sensors.

Sammie Buzzard is a glaciologist in the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) at Northumbria University. Her research focusses on the surface hydrology of Antarctica's ice shelves, and modelling how and where ice shelves may become vulnerable to sudden collapse.

Booking information

• Advance booking for this event is required. Please book via The Lit & Phil Society's website.

If you have any questions, please email events@rgs.org

This event has been organised by the North East regional committee with The Lit & Phil Society, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. For full details, please visit The Lit & Phil Society's accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org