Miss Anna Kurop

I am a geoscientist interested in Quaternary global environmental change, with special emphasis on large past and present ice sheets and smaller-scale glaciers. I use a range of geological, geochemical and palaeoecological methods to reconstruct past dynamics and extent of ice bodies as well as characteristics of the surrounding environments. This work feeds into our understanding of interactions between climate and the environment.

Before joining BES, I completed BSc in Environmental Geoscience at the University of Edinburgh with a project focused on reconstructing the chronology of ice retreat from An Garbh Coire in the Cairngorm Mountains. Later, I graduated with a MSc in Quaternary Geology at Lund University in Sweden. My project investigated the Holocene chronology and dynamics of Helagsglaciären, Sweden's southernmost but largely unresearched glacier.

My current work aims to reconstruct the timing of the most recent ice sheet retreat from the Outer Hebrides, and an associated sea level change.

As a geologist and geomorphologist, I look at sediment records and landforms in order to reconstruct past environmental change manifested in glacier/ice-sheet expansion and retreat. This knowledge feeds into our understanding of consequences of the ongoing climate change. Specifically, my research interests are:

• What is the manner and speed of ice retreat or advance? What does it depend on?
• How did sea level change in the Minch region and how did it affect the retreating ice in the area?
• How is environmental information retained in sediments, how long does it last, and how can we use it?