Area of the Antarctic named after Aberystwyth Professor

Hambrey Cliffs

Area of the Antarctic named after Aberystwyth Professor
Thursday 14 December 2006
An area of the Antarctica has been named after a glaciologist at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (UWA), in recognition of his many years of geological and glaciological research in the Antarctic and Arctic.

Hambrey Cliffs, named after Mike Hambrey, Professor of Glaciology in the Institute of Geography & Earth Science at UWA, are located on James Ross Island in the Antarctic. The island is about 40 miles in diameter, and covers and area twice the size of Ceredigion, although ¾ of it is covered by ice.

The Antarctic Place Names Committee considers suggestions from the scientific community for geographical names. Mike Hambrey has spent two seasons working on James Ross Island.

Commenting on the name, Mike Hambrey said:
“I'm chuffed and honoured! I think my late father, who had an interest in Antarctic history, would have been especially pleased. Actually, it was here (in 2002) that the scree slope I was crossing gave way and I fell awkwardly, dislocating my shoulder.”

The Centre for Glaciology at Aber has a formal link with the British Antarctic Survey through Professor John Smellie, the senior volcanologist there, who is a Visiting Departmental Research Fellow. He has organised and led several seasons' work to James Ross Island, as well as many other parts of the continent. He, too, is recognised with a new geographical name, Smellie Peak, a volcanic mountain in the middle of the island.

“John and I have been working together on the interaction between glaciers and volcanoes on James Ross Island. The work is part of my ongoing research, spread over nine seasons,  to unravel the glacial history of Antarctica, since the ice sheet first developed about 34 million years ago. By looking at the past record, we can begin to predict how Antarctica will respond to future climatic warming”

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