Robbie Mallett
@robbiemallett.bsky.social
I study sea ice at the Arctic University of Norway.
www.robbiemallett.com
www.robbiemallett.com
Something that I did not hear discussed at the time (and have not heard since) is the symbolism of the Russians sending their icebreaker RV Akademik Federov to assist RV Polarstern at the start of the 2019/20 MOSAiC sea ice drift campaign.
They had newer & more powerful ships, so why pick Federov?
They had newer & more powerful ships, so why pick Federov?
September 13, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Something that I did not hear discussed at the time (and have not heard since) is the symbolism of the Russians sending their icebreaker RV Akademik Federov to assist RV Polarstern at the start of the 2019/20 MOSAiC sea ice drift campaign.
They had newer & more powerful ships, so why pick Federov?
They had newer & more powerful ships, so why pick Federov?
New blog post: "What would Thomas Kuhn think about me?"
In it I consider incremental science, paradigm shifts, CryoSat-2 radar waves, and me.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
In it I consider incremental science, paradigm shifts, CryoSat-2 radar waves, and me.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
What would Thomas Kuhn think about me? — Robbie Mallett
Alternative titles included “WWTKD” and “Am I precipitating a crisis?” The March edition of Nature featured an interesting perspective by Tiffany Shaw and Bjorn Stevens entitled “ The other climate ...
www.robbiemallett.com
August 15, 2025 at 8:57 AM
New blog post: "What would Thomas Kuhn think about me?"
In it I consider incremental science, paradigm shifts, CryoSat-2 radar waves, and me.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
In it I consider incremental science, paradigm shifts, CryoSat-2 radar waves, and me.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Up close and personal with one of the Arctic's infamous boundary layer inversions!
July 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Up close and personal with one of the Arctic's infamous boundary layer inversions!
Updating a figure with 2025 data for a research proposal. The shift in conditions around 2016 are becoming starker by the year...
July 24, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Updating a figure with 2025 data for a research proposal. The shift in conditions around 2016 are becoming starker by the year...
As my PhD came to a close in 2022 I was lucky to join an icebreaker campaign in the Weddell Sea.
TLDR: lots of very hard, very coarse snow.
Rosie Willatt then led a very nice analysis of the radar data we collected, and it's out today in GRL.
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
TLDR: lots of very hard, very coarse snow.
Rosie Willatt then led a very nice analysis of the radar data we collected, and it's out today in GRL.
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
July 7, 2025 at 7:11 PM
As my PhD came to a close in 2022 I was lucky to join an icebreaker campaign in the Weddell Sea.
TLDR: lots of very hard, very coarse snow.
Rosie Willatt then led a very nice analysis of the radar data we collected, and it's out today in GRL.
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
TLDR: lots of very hard, very coarse snow.
Rosie Willatt then led a very nice analysis of the radar data we collected, and it's out today in GRL.
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Paper out today led by @aliduffey.bsky.social where we compare the atmospheric boundary layer in climate models to 7000 vertical profiles from Soviet ice stations + ~500 from the MOSAiC & SHEBA campaigns.
More forays into the world of polar meteorology to come!
dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024...
More forays into the world of polar meteorology to come!
dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024...
Representation of Arctic Winter Atmospheric Boundary Layer Stability Over Sea Ice in CMIP6 Models
A cloudy state, without strong low-level stability (LLS), is often observed over winter Arctic sea ice but is absent in most Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) models
CMIP6 models show...
dx.doi.org
June 8, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Paper out today led by @aliduffey.bsky.social where we compare the atmospheric boundary layer in climate models to 7000 vertical profiles from Soviet ice stations + ~500 from the MOSAiC & SHEBA campaigns.
More forays into the world of polar meteorology to come!
dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024...
More forays into the world of polar meteorology to come!
dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024...
Fun to speak to the Blue Compass conference in Tromsø today about Arctic sea ice decline: it's strongly confined to shallow waters and exclusive economic zones, posing an immediate governance challenge.
June 4, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Fun to speak to the Blue Compass conference in Tromsø today about Arctic sea ice decline: it's strongly confined to shallow waters and exclusive economic zones, posing an immediate governance challenge.
Some new work out today on salt movement in snow covered sea ice, led by Anton Komarov at U Manitoba.
Anton ran with the lab approach I used with Vishnu Nandan, but eliminated some of methodological uncertainties to produce much more compelling results.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Anton ran with the lab approach I used with Vishnu Nandan, but eliminated some of methodological uncertainties to produce much more compelling results.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Bridging the gaps: Unraveling the impact of snow properties on brine wicking and runoff | Journal of Glaciology | Cambridge Core
Bridging the gaps: Unraveling the impact of snow properties on brine wicking and runoff - Volume 71
www.cambridge.org
May 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Some new work out today on salt movement in snow covered sea ice, led by Anton Komarov at U Manitoba.
Anton ran with the lab approach I used with Vishnu Nandan, but eliminated some of methodological uncertainties to produce much more compelling results.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Anton ran with the lab approach I used with Vishnu Nandan, but eliminated some of methodological uncertainties to produce much more compelling results.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
already in an early career catastrophe research role but thanks
Hi all, we're hiring an early career catastrophe research role in our group! Master's or PhD, flexible on area of specialization, experience in cat modeling not required. US only but remote is available, we've got a hybrid team in Boston, London, and scattered across US and UK.
Analyst, Catastrophe Mgt in Remote | Careers at Remote | Kelsey Mulder
Pleased to announce I’m hiring! I’m looking for a Research Analyst based in the U.S. This is a remote position.
https://lnkd.in/eeUYTttF
www.linkedin.com
May 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
already in an early career catastrophe research role but thanks
Really happy to be one of two finalists for "Best popular article written by a scientist" this year at the ABSW awards.
Particularly poignant to be considered for the Katharine Giles Award. I never met Katharine, but I was often steered by her legacy while working for @cpom-uk.bsky.social
Particularly poignant to be considered for the Katharine Giles Award. I never met Katharine, but I was often steered by her legacy while working for @cpom-uk.bsky.social
May 21, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Really happy to be one of two finalists for "Best popular article written by a scientist" this year at the ABSW awards.
Particularly poignant to be considered for the Katharine Giles Award. I never met Katharine, but I was often steered by her legacy while working for @cpom-uk.bsky.social
Particularly poignant to be considered for the Katharine Giles Award. I never met Katharine, but I was often steered by her legacy while working for @cpom-uk.bsky.social
Wrote about the myth of an empty, distant Arctic for @geographical.co.uk
geographical.co.uk/news/the-arc...
geographical.co.uk/news/the-arc...
Don't care about the Arctic because it's empty and distant - care because it's busy and close
An Arctic resident's view of the row about Camilla Hempleman-Adams' trek across Baffin Island
geographical.co.uk
April 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Wrote about the myth of an empty, distant Arctic for @geographical.co.uk
geographical.co.uk/news/the-arc...
geographical.co.uk/news/the-arc...
Another blog post, this time about the recent ICARP IV Summit in Boulder, CO.
I've written about the townhall meeting that I helped run with other co-chairs of Research Priority Team 2.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
I've written about the townhall meeting that I helped run with other co-chairs of Research Priority Team 2.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
The ICARP IV Summit — Robbie Mallett
The Arctic science community undergoes a planning exercise every ten years. This process is known as the International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP), and we’re currently on its fourth...
www.robbiemallett.com
April 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Another blog post, this time about the recent ICARP IV Summit in Boulder, CO.
I've written about the townhall meeting that I helped run with other co-chairs of Research Priority Team 2.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
I've written about the townhall meeting that I helped run with other co-chairs of Research Priority Team 2.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
New blog post about my SCAR Fellowship experiment at the Churchill Marine Observatory.
Oxygen isotope data now back from the lab, and all looking good!
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Oxygen isotope data now back from the lab, and all looking good!
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
A SCAR fellowship adventure — Robbie Mallett
I was received a fellowship award from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). The unlike its sister fellowship from IASC (which I’ve also written about, and more on that soon), the SCA...
www.robbiemallett.com
April 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
New blog post about my SCAR Fellowship experiment at the Churchill Marine Observatory.
Oxygen isotope data now back from the lab, and all looking good!
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Oxygen isotope data now back from the lab, and all looking good!
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Thirty years later (2022 vs 1992) I was in the same basket, in the same Weddell Sea, also looking at pancake ice.
The more things change...
The more things change...
March 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Thirty years later (2022 vs 1992) I was in the same basket, in the same Weddell Sea, also looking at pancake ice.
The more things change...
The more things change...
Short critique of my own work out today in J Glaciology.
Five years ago I made a back-of-envelope calculation of seasonal densification rate of snow on sea ice.
It unexpectedly became quite popular! Here I show it was roughly right even if the method was a bit dodgy...
doi.org/10.1017/jog....
Five years ago I made a back-of-envelope calculation of seasonal densification rate of snow on sea ice.
It unexpectedly became quite popular! Here I show it was roughly right even if the method was a bit dodgy...
doi.org/10.1017/jog....
March 14, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Short critique of my own work out today in J Glaciology.
Five years ago I made a back-of-envelope calculation of seasonal densification rate of snow on sea ice.
It unexpectedly became quite popular! Here I show it was roughly right even if the method was a bit dodgy...
doi.org/10.1017/jog....
Five years ago I made a back-of-envelope calculation of seasonal densification rate of snow on sea ice.
It unexpectedly became quite popular! Here I show it was roughly right even if the method was a bit dodgy...
doi.org/10.1017/jog....
Reposted by Robbie Mallett
Can climate models reproduce observed trends?
The answer can be challenging. Our new review paper in Science Advances led by Isla Simpson and Tiffany Shaw @drshaw.bsky.social discusses challenges and ways forward in confronting climate models and observations.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The answer can be challenging. Our new review paper in Science Advances led by Isla Simpson and Tiffany Shaw @drshaw.bsky.social discusses challenges and ways forward in confronting climate models and observations.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
March 13, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Can climate models reproduce observed trends?
The answer can be challenging. Our new review paper in Science Advances led by Isla Simpson and Tiffany Shaw @drshaw.bsky.social discusses challenges and ways forward in confronting climate models and observations.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The answer can be challenging. Our new review paper in Science Advances led by Isla Simpson and Tiffany Shaw @drshaw.bsky.social discusses challenges and ways forward in confronting climate models and observations.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Inspired by @zacklabe.com to put my invited talk slides online.
www.robbiemallett.com/presentations
One thing you'll notice is that I'm fond of the animated GIF!
A thread of my favourites, starting with not-graphs.
[Divers surfacing from under Antarctic sea ice at Rothera]
www.robbiemallett.com/presentations
One thing you'll notice is that I'm fond of the animated GIF!
A thread of my favourites, starting with not-graphs.
[Divers surfacing from under Antarctic sea ice at Rothera]
March 6, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Inspired by @zacklabe.com to put my invited talk slides online.
www.robbiemallett.com/presentations
One thing you'll notice is that I'm fond of the animated GIF!
A thread of my favourites, starting with not-graphs.
[Divers surfacing from under Antarctic sea ice at Rothera]
www.robbiemallett.com/presentations
One thing you'll notice is that I'm fond of the animated GIF!
A thread of my favourites, starting with not-graphs.
[Divers surfacing from under Antarctic sea ice at Rothera]
Very sceptical that an ice floe could be 3m wide and 10m thick.
Not least because it would float in a way that would make it 10m wide and 3m thick....
Not least because it would float in a way that would make it 10m wide and 3m thick....
This #PancakeDay here's our recipe for pancake ice:
🧊 Get some ice forming on the top of your water
🌊 Bump bits of ice together with small waves
♻️ This rounds their edges as they freeze!
🥞 Grow the disc edges with trapped frozen foam
These pancakes will be up to 3m wide + 10m thick.
Bon Appétit 👩🍳
🧊 Get some ice forming on the top of your water
🌊 Bump bits of ice together with small waves
♻️ This rounds their edges as they freeze!
🥞 Grow the disc edges with trapped frozen foam
These pancakes will be up to 3m wide + 10m thick.
Bon Appétit 👩🍳
March 4, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Very sceptical that an ice floe could be 3m wide and 10m thick.
Not least because it would float in a way that would make it 10m wide and 3m thick....
Not least because it would float in a way that would make it 10m wide and 3m thick....
Exciting to see U Waterloo's CryoSAR on the Calgary airport runway last night. Side-looking Ku- and L-band radars mounted in a Cesna caravan.
Sadly no passenger seats for today's flight over Fortress Mountain 😭
Sadly no passenger seats for today's flight over Fortress Mountain 😭
February 28, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Exciting to see U Waterloo's CryoSAR on the Calgary airport runway last night. Side-looking Ku- and L-band radars mounted in a Cesna caravan.
Sadly no passenger seats for today's flight over Fortress Mountain 😭
Sadly no passenger seats for today's flight over Fortress Mountain 😭
A real and sad loss for American climate science.
Zack has inspired me since the beginning of my polar science journey. If I turn out to be half the scientist he is, I'll be happy.
This move is disrespectful to him, but also to the public.
Zack has inspired me since the beginning of my polar science journey. If I turn out to be half the scientist he is, I'll be happy.
This move is disrespectful to him, but also to the public.
Last Tuesday, I was set to give a talk on 'climate change in the Northeast' at a retirement home but had to cancel due to hourly job threats.
After nearly two weeks of overwhelming uncertainty, today it happened. I was fired from my dream of working at NOAA. I'm so sorry to everyone also affected.
After nearly two weeks of overwhelming uncertainty, today it happened. I was fired from my dream of working at NOAA. I'm so sorry to everyone also affected.
February 27, 2025 at 11:09 PM
A real and sad loss for American climate science.
Zack has inspired me since the beginning of my polar science journey. If I turn out to be half the scientist he is, I'll be happy.
This move is disrespectful to him, but also to the public.
Zack has inspired me since the beginning of my polar science journey. If I turn out to be half the scientist he is, I'll be happy.
This move is disrespectful to him, but also to the public.
We successfully simulated a sea ice flooding event inside the Churchill Marine Observatory today!
We sawed out our snow covered slab from the ice sheet and achieved a negative freeboard, taking a suite of geophysical & isotopic observations before and afterwards.
We sawed out our snow covered slab from the ice sheet and achieved a negative freeboard, taking a suite of geophysical & isotopic observations before and afterwards.
February 20, 2025 at 10:51 PM
We successfully simulated a sea ice flooding event inside the Churchill Marine Observatory today!
We sawed out our snow covered slab from the ice sheet and achieved a negative freeboard, taking a suite of geophysical & isotopic observations before and afterwards.
We sawed out our snow covered slab from the ice sheet and achieved a negative freeboard, taking a suite of geophysical & isotopic observations before and afterwards.
Excited to start my SCAR Fellowship adventure!
🇦🇶 Meet the 2024 SCAR Fellows 🇦🇶
We're thrilled to award five SCAR Fellowships this year, supporting ECRs in Antarctic science. 🌍❄️
We'd like to thank the Prince II Albert Foundation & KOPRI for their support!
Applications for the 2025 Fellows will open later this year.
👏 scar.org/scar-news/20...
We're thrilled to award five SCAR Fellowships this year, supporting ECRs in Antarctic science. 🌍❄️
We'd like to thank the Prince II Albert Foundation & KOPRI for their support!
Applications for the 2025 Fellows will open later this year.
👏 scar.org/scar-news/20...
February 12, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Excited to start my SCAR Fellowship adventure!
This week in "ideas I thought were new but actually aren't".
In the final sentence of her 2005 PhD thesis, Katherine Giles stressed that it would be really neat to steer ICESat onto a CryoSat ground track.
It took 15 years and a second iteration of both missions for Cryo2Ice to happen!
In the final sentence of her 2005 PhD thesis, Katherine Giles stressed that it would be really neat to steer ICESat onto a CryoSat ground track.
It took 15 years and a second iteration of both missions for Cryo2Ice to happen!
February 7, 2025 at 10:29 AM
This week in "ideas I thought were new but actually aren't".
In the final sentence of her 2005 PhD thesis, Katherine Giles stressed that it would be really neat to steer ICESat onto a CryoSat ground track.
It took 15 years and a second iteration of both missions for Cryo2Ice to happen!
In the final sentence of her 2005 PhD thesis, Katherine Giles stressed that it would be really neat to steer ICESat onto a CryoSat ground track.
It took 15 years and a second iteration of both missions for Cryo2Ice to happen!
New blog post:
Hyping the mission: the tensions between the public-facing comms of space agencies and scientists.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Hyping the mission: the tensions between the public-facing comms of space agencies and scientists.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Hyping the mission: the tensions between the public-facing comms of space agencies and scientists. — Robbie Mallett
Space agencies like ESA need to constantly justify their budgets to governmental funders. They need to "hype" their Earth Observation missions and the associated data sets. If they stop hyping the mis...
www.robbiemallett.com
February 3, 2025 at 9:31 AM
New blog post:
Hyping the mission: the tensions between the public-facing comms of space agencies and scientists.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Hyping the mission: the tensions between the public-facing comms of space agencies and scientists.
www.robbiemallett.com/researchblog...
Reposted by Robbie Mallett
January 2025 was quite unexpectedly the warmest January on record at 1.75C above preindustrial, beating the prior record set in 2024.
This is despite the presence of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific, with the El Niño event of 2023/2024 long faded. www.theclimatebrink....
This is despite the presence of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific, with the El Niño event of 2023/2024 long faded. www.theclimatebrink....
February 2, 2025 at 8:57 PM
January 2025 was quite unexpectedly the warmest January on record at 1.75C above preindustrial, beating the prior record set in 2024.
This is despite the presence of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific, with the El Niño event of 2023/2024 long faded. www.theclimatebrink....
This is despite the presence of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific, with the El Niño event of 2023/2024 long faded. www.theclimatebrink....