Title: Through a sea-level lens: insights into palaeo ice sheets and climate

Authors: Natasha Barlow

Affiliations: School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Abstract: Since 2008, the PAGES working group PALeo constraints on SEA level rise (PALSEA) has brought together observational scientists and ice sheet, climate, and sea-level modellers in order to better define observational constraints on past sea-level change and improve our understanding of ice-sheet responses to rapid climate change.  Building on decades of research before, the PALSEA community has driven forward this key research area; for example, developing sea-level database gold standards which have led to a significantly improved understanding of ice sheet mass balance during warm periods.  By integrating ice sheets and climate models, PALSEA research has explored the key drivers of both ice sheet melt and inception. The PALSEA community has also motivated improvements in chronology techniques and glacio-isostatic adjustment modelling, allowing a better understanding of rates of Earth system response to climate change. This talk explores some of the highlights of palaeo sea level and ice sheet research over the past 17 years and looks towards key questions for the future, where working alongside the diverse PAGES community will be key.

Biography: Natasha is Professor of Environmental Change at the University of Leeds, UK. Her research focuses on the rates and magnitudes of past sea level to understand changes in ice sheets, climate and tectonics. Natasha also works alongside industry to ensure that Quaternary environmental change research lays the foundations for sustainable offshore wind development, and is interested in how climate change drives the storage of blue carbon in coastal and marine environments. 
Natasha is a former leader of PALSEA, the palaeo sea-level and ice sheet working group of PAGES, and currently serves as a member of the PAGES Scientific Steering Committee and on the editorial board of the Journal of Quaternary Science.  Beyond her research, she is captivated by the role of non-academic communication in the climate crisis and is scientific advisor on ‘Meltwater’, an immersive performance focussing on ‘water’ as an environmental disruptor.