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Reason Mlambo, our Edinburgh PhD student in GeoSciences, recently attend ISRSE40 in Farnborough, and here are his main take aways from the conference. In Reason’s own words:

“Attending the 40th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE40) was a really insightful experience. The event brought together experts from academia, industry, and government, all focused on how Earth observation (EO) technologies are shaping our understanding and management of the planet. The academic sessions were quite enlightening, and covered a wide array of EO applications—from monitoring crops to urban planning and mitigating climate change. Another highlight were the panels – notably the ones on EO’s role in sustainable development. It’s clear that EO technologies have a big part to play in helping us achieve sustainability goals. The discussions were broad, touching on everything from technical issues, societal impacts as well as ethical implications of deploying EO technologies in the era of AI. These exchanges underscored the pivotal role EO data has in informed policymaking and efficient resource management. I particularly enjoyed the mentoring sessions which took place every day during lunchtime. During these sessions I had the privilege to meet experienced professionals in the EO sector, who shared career advice, industry trends, and their own experiences in the field. A recurring theme throughout the conference was the underutilisation of EO data. Despite the vast amounts of EO data being collected “… only about 3% is actually being meaningfully utilised”. It was noted that there’s a real chance here for the EO community to step up and show how this data can be better leveraged across different sectors.

I also made a quick stop at the Farnborough Space Show, which was taking place concurrently with the conference. It was exciting to see what’s new in the space sector, with companies showcasing the latest in satellite technology and data analytics. Events like these give a great peek into future possibilities in EO and related fields. Overall, the conference and the space show were packed with learning and networking opportunities. I also came away with valuable insights on how I could enhance my own PhD project.”

We would like to thank our funder the Natural Environment Research Council and Reason’s supervisor, Gary Watmough, for supporting our student in his PhD journey.

On Wednesday 19^th February, at the invitation of our colleagues from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), we spent the day visiting our partner’s headquarters in the city of Cambridge. The day began with a presentation summarizing the work currently underway at BAS including hosting doctoral students under various landscape and focal awards, advanced training fieldwork in the polar regions and an overview of what lies ahead for BAS and its polar operations in the near future. Our students learnt about a SiCLING project (weird fluffy stuff – no pun intended) and on the logistics and environmental challenges when building on the Rothera Research Station. More on the ongoing construction project aiming at modernizing the UK’s largest research and operations hub in Antarctica can be found here. 

We also heard on the local and global effects of climate change and the fascinating work happening behind the scenes when developing reports for policymakers and the UN (IPCC Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate).

Next, we received a presentation on paleoclimate study of the microparticles trapped in ice cores aiming to reconstruct past environmental changes and had a glimpse of the Antarctic sea floor ecosystems. 

In the second part of the day, we heard from SENSE students and their counterparts based in BAS on their latest findings and the progress they’re making in their respective research fields. Not only did they have an opportunity to showcase their public speaking skills (we are well impressed!) but more importantly, to shine a light on the topics they are passionate about – true scientists in the making.

Last but not least, we had a unique opportunity to tour two of the research facilities at BAS: the Mission Control room and the Herbarium. In the state-of-the-art Mission Control room our students journeyed to the Antartic, even if only virtually. In the Herbarium, hosting over 40,000 plant specimens from the polar and sub-polar regions, the students observed how the professionals organize the vast collection of plants and manage data. Seeing the inner workings of both facilities and interacting with researchers and technicians throughout the day, gave the visitors an excellent insight into the important work taking place at BAS and was an eye-opening experience with valuable takeaways.

We know how much our students value opportunities to network with like-minded individuals. We trust that the visit to BAS led to interdisciplinary collaborations, fresh perspectives, and constructive feedback, and hopefully elevated the quality of our students’ research.

The visit wouldn’t be possible without the support of Andrew Fleming, Ali Teague, and our two wonderful students Katie Lowery and Luisa Aviles Podgurski. A special thank you note goes out to our funder, the Natural Environment Research Council.

Between 11th and 12th February, 7 SENSE students participated in the ESA ESTEC workshops on the future of Earth Observation in 2040+

The workshops provided insights into EO policy, long-term strategies, and industry challenges, broadening our students’ perspective beyond academia and sparking career-related inspiration.

Interacting with experts and learning about ESA’s initiatives encouraged our students to seek future collaboration opportunities and pursue further engagement with the EO community.

For those nearing the end of their PhDs, the knowledge gained was particularly relevant to job applications and interviews, demonstrating a broader understanding of the EO landscape.

Our students valued the chance to connect with leading figures in the EO field, including ESA decision-makers and industry professionals. New connections have been formed by some that could potentially shape their future careers – fingers crossed!

Attending as a group was beneficial, offering mutual support in networking and the opportunity to collectively provide meaningful feedback to ESA on important EO strategy topics. Here are some of the thoughts shared by our students with ESA on the proposed European Blueprint for Earth Observation:

• Accessibility and usability of EO data, ensuring inclusivity for researchers with varying technical expertise
• ESA’s Zero Debris commitment, focusing on enforcement and international policy coordination
• Resilience and redundancy in EO missions, emphasizing the need for continuity strategies
• Training development, particularly in cloud computing and emerging data formats
• Outreach and policy engagement, advocating for stronger EO awareness among policymakers and the public
• Inspiring the next generation of EO scientists through school engagement and curriculum integration
• Ethics, data governance, and misinformation, addressing privacy concerns and AI transparency
• Improved communication and fostering better community interaction.

The students’ valuable comments, based on their experiences of using ESA EO data, was well received, and is being directly fed into the mission requirements for the Next Generation of Sentinel missions.

Students greatly appreciated the financial support and encouragement from SENSE, which made their participation possible and eliminated financial barriers.

A special thank you note goes to Kathy Whaler and Christine Gommenginger for their valuable input and guidance offered to the students before their trip, and to the Natural Environment Research Council and the European Space Agency.

Bryony joined NERC SENSE CDT on 1st October 2020 and completed her PhD at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) as a University of Leeds registered student. Her research focused on the use of satellite altimetry to improve understanding of the dynamics of Antarctic grounding zones, supervised by Dr Oliver Marsh, Prof. Anna Hogg and Prof. Helen A. Fricker.

Bryony was awarded her PhD in July 2024 and—just three days after her viva—joined the RRS Sir David Attenborough on her maiden voyage to the Arctic. During the 6-week KANG-GLAC cruise to the fjords of south-east Greenland, Bryony was part of the physical oceanography team. Her responsibilities included running CTD casts to measure ocean properties in and around the fjords, and processing the continuous weather, oceanographic and seafloor data collected by the ship’s instruments. The primary goal of the cruise was to gather data to better understand the interactions between the flows of warm water into the fjords and rates of glacier melt, and the resulting impact on marine productivity, sedimentation and nutrient cycling.

A highlight of the cruise (alongside seeing polar bears and orcas for the first time!) was Bryony’s coordination of a live ‘Meet the Scientist’ workshop. This interactive session, organized in collaboration with SatSchool and Dynamic Earth, reached over 4,000 pupils across Scotland, offering them a first hand glimpse into life as a polar scientist. The event also featured a video Bryony created to showcase the team’s activities during the research cruise, which you can watch here: 

In October 2024, Bryony took the next step in her career by moving to San Diego to start a Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This two-year fellowship allows her to continue her pioneering research on Antarctic grounding zones, benefiiting from advanced training and application of artificial intelligence methods. 

To learn more about Bryony’s work, check out her two PhD publications in The Cryosphere and Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.

Following the success of our writing retreats in early 2024, we recently arranged for a couple more for our students with great success. Our students had the opportunity to dedicate some time to focus on writing. The retreats included mindfulness and stretching sessions, walking/running/tennis activity sessions and optional evening yoga. Our students had an excellent time and even met some friendly llamas on a chilly Yorkshire morning.

By Leam Howe

It might come as a surprise, but even in the relatively mild climate of Scotland, snow
manages to endure year-round in certain mountain locations. In fact, until recently, some
highland corries would house perennial snow patches for many decades without seeing
them melt. The fine balance between preferential snow deposition in winter and sheltering in
summer makes predicting the distribution of these snow patches a rigorous test for the kind
of physically based snow models used in climate projection and impacts studies. This is the
basis of my PhD research.

This summer, my fieldwork took me to Coire Cas on Cairngorm Mountain, where I aimed to
map the areal extent and measure the reflective properties of some persistent snow patches.
My tool for the job was a DJI M210 drone equipped with a multispectral sensor matched to
the Sentinel-2 satellite sensor. Conducting multispectral drone surveys requires two things
notoriously scarce in the Scottish Highlands: low winds and clear skies. Moreover, this
summer was dubbed ‘Scotland’s worst since 2015,’ limiting us to a single day of drone
surveys. The scarcity of cloud-free days this season is visualised in figure 1, which
showcases all the satellite images captured from the Sentinel-2 over Cairngorm Mountain
this summer.

Despite the inclement weather, we did manage to retrieve some spectral measurements of
the late-lying snow on the 24th June (figure 2 shows one of the short-lived sunny intervals on
the day). These data will help improve the snow mapping algorithms which, in turn, feed into
research and contribute to discussions concerning biodiversity, water resources, and risk
management in cold and mountainous regions.

In addition to my fieldwork, this summer I made my first ‘pilgrimage’ to a remote North-East
facing corrie on Braeriach mountain called Garbh Choire Mòr. This location is considered to
be the snowiest place in the UK and houses the famous Sphinx snow patch (see figure 3).
The Sphinx has made it to popular news platforms numerous times over the past few years,
and this year marks an unprecedented fourth consecutive year of its disappearance. Figure
4 shows a timeline marking the years that the Sphinx has disappeared; the trend seen here
mirrors the significant impacts of climate change on Scotland’s winter conditions. Current
projections suggest a stark future with ‘little to no snow by the 2080’ — a disheartening
forecast for chionophiles like myself.

We are very excited to announce that our Cohort 1 student Calum Hoad secured a position as a Senior Science Officer – Seagrass Habitat Mapping. From day 1 on 11th November, Calum has faced the challenge of juggling a professional career and a PhD head-on.

A few words from Calum on his experience so far working for Project Seagrass:

“I’m delighted to be starting a new role which utilises the skills I’ve developed throughout my PhD to aid our understanding of seagrass distribution, important in the context of both the biodiversity and climate crises. I’ll be starting my new role part-time while I finish my PhD work“

We know Calum will continue to thrive and we wish him all the very best, and can’t wait to hear more about his new adventure.

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“Crustal properties and heat flow
in Victoria Land and Wilkes
Subglacial Basin, Antarctica –
forward and inverse modelling of
gravity and magnetic data
coupled with petrological
measurements“.

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We are proud to announce that Maximilian Lowe become our first SENSE student to be awarded a PhD degree on 16th September 2024.

Maximilian joined NERC SENSE CDT on 1st October 2020 and did his PhD at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) as a University of Edinburgh registered student under the supervision of Dr Robert Larter, Dr Tom Jordan and Dr Daniel Goldberg.

What’s next for Max?

Max has completed a 3-month Postdoc role at BAS and is taking up an exciting new role as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the satellite and airborne geophysics group at Kiel University. He has also submitted a Marie Curie Global Fellowship proposal between BAS and the University of Tasmania. We eagerly await the outcome!

Max’s first and second PhD chapters were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. His third chapter was published in the Geophysical Journal International.

SENSE would like to take this opportunity to thank our funder the Natural Environment Research Council, our partner institution the British Antarctic Survey, Max’s supervisors both at BAS and the University of Edinburgh, the examiners Dr Graeme Eagles and Prof Robert Bingham, our SENSE wider community, and Max’s family and friends, for their invaluable support and input into Max’s PhD journey.

From all of us at SENSE – congratulations! Wishing you all the very best in your future career in academia.

SENSE CDT Deputy Director Gary Watmough presents at UNGA79 Science Summit on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Wicked problems – How to Analyze Links between Environment, Climate and Poverty, Health and Child Deprivation”