Key Findings

Translated the Bayesian Hierarchical Model (BHM) approach to a global grid and successful implemented it via modifications to the functionality of a statistical computing package (read more).

Created a global GPS dataset to provide a ‘clean’ signal of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) – We developed an automated method for processing GPS time series to isolate the GIA signal and hence provide an observational estimate of global GIA uplift rates (read more)

Extended the BHM approach to investigate ice mass trends for Antarctica – We extended mass balance trends calculated for the Antarctic Ice Sheet using a BHM approach up to 2015, and contributed these results to the first World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) global sea level budget (GSLB) assessment (read more).

New estimate of land ice contribution to sea level rise – We produced a new synthesis of land ice mass trends during the satellite era (1992 to 2016) focusing on its contribution to sea level rise (read more).

New estimate of ice sheet contribution to future sea level rise – We used an approach called Structured Expert Judgement, which combines multiple experts’ individual predictions to estimate future ice sheet contributions to sea level rise under different temperature scenarios (read more).

Investigated how disagreements in basin-scale sea-level budgets are due to the different measurement systems used – We studied how different processing and averaging methods can introduce mismatches into results obtained from global density (Argo), ocean mass (GRACE) and sea surface height (altimetry) measurements (read more).

Demonstrated how sea level budgets should account for ocean bottom deformation (read more).

Proposed a new metric to assess the magnitude of hydrology trends relative to historical natural variability, which provides a more informative and complete assessment of the severity of trends than those taken from GRACE alone (read more).

We submitted our mid-project scientific report to the European Research Council in March 2019, and this is now available on the European Commission’s CORDIS website.