Geophysics and Glaciology at Amherst College
Glaciers sit in contact with the atmosphere, the ocean, and the solid Earth. To predict their behavior over the coming centuries, we need to understand how the fast-changing atmosphere and ocean are responding to human caused global warming, as these systems “force” changes to glaciers. But knowledge of the forcing is not enough. The response of the glaciers to global warming is equally dictated by their internal dynamics and the way they interact with the rock that forms their substrate, both of which are poorly understood. My research aims to advance our understanding of the physics of glaciers, with three primary goals:
| Horgan, H. J. et al. (May 2025). A West Antarctic grounding-zone environment shaped by episodic water flow. Nature Geoscience 18(5), 389–395. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01687-3 |
| Hills, B. H., N. Holschuh, A. O. Hoffman, A. N. Horlings, E. Erwin, L. R. Kirkpatrick, T. J. Fudge, E. J. Steig, and K. Christianson (Mar. 2025). Radar-Derived Crystal Orientation Fabric Suggests Dynamic Stability at the Summit of Hercules Dome. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 130(3), e2023JF007588. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JF007588 |
| Mutter, E. L. and N. Holschuh (2025). Advancing interpretation of incoherent scattering in ice penetrating radar data used for ice core site selection. The Cryosphere. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2450 |
| Hoffman, A. O., K. Christianson, C.-Y. Lai, I. Joughin, N. Holschuh, E. Case, J. Kingslake, and the GHOST science team (Mar. 2025). Inland migration of near-surface crevasses in the Amundsen Sea Sector, West Antarctica. The Cryosphere 19(3), 1353–1372. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1353-2025 |
| Pritchard, H. D. et al. (Mar. 2025). Bedmap3 updated ice bed, surface and thickness gridded datasets for Antarctica. Scientific Data 12(1), 414. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04672-y |
| Verboncoeur, H., M. R. Siegfried, N. Holschuh, J. P. Winberry, D. Byrne, W. Sauthoff, T. C. Sutterley, and B. Medley (2024). Multi-decadal evolution of Crary Ice Rise region, West Antarctica, amid modern ice-stream deceleration. Journal of Glaciology 71, e3. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.79 |
| Hoffman, A. O., N. Holschuh, M. Mueller, J. Paden, A. Muto, G. Ariho, C. Brigham, J. E. Christian, L. Davidge, E. Heitmann, B. Hills, A. Horlings, S. Morey, G. O’Connor, T. J. Fudge, E. J. Steig, and K. Christianson (Nov. 2023). Scars of tectonism promote ice-sheet nucleation from Hercules Dome into West Antarctica. Nature Geoscience 16(11), 1005–1013. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01265-5 |
| Frémand, A. C. et al. (2023). Antarctic Bedmap data: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) sharing of 60 years of ice bed, surface, and thickness data. Earth System Science Data 15(7), 2695–2710. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023 |
| Alley, R. B., N. Holschuh, B. Parizek, L. K. Zoet, K. Riverman, A. Muto, K. Christianson, E. Clyne, S. Anandakrishnan, and N. T. Stevens (2023). GHOSTly flute music: drumlins, moats and the bed of Thwaites Glacier. Annals of Glaciology, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.43 |
| Needell, C. and N. Holschuh (2023). Evaluating the Retreat, Arrest, and Regrowth of Crane Glacier against Marine Ice Cliff Process Models. Geophysical Research Letters 50(e2022GL102400). https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102400 |
| Fudge, T., B. Hills, A. N. Horlings, N. Holschuh, J. E. Christian, L. Davidge, A. Hoffman, G. K. O’Connor, K. Christianson, and E. J. Steig (2022). A site for deep ice coring at West Hercules Dome: results from ground-based geophysics and modeling. Journal of Glaciology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.80 |
| Hoffman, A. O., K. Christianson, N. Holschuh, E. Case, J. Kingslake, and R. Arthern (2022). The Impact of Basal Roughness on Inland Thwaites Glacier Sliding. Geophysical Research Letters, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL096564 |
| Hills, B. H., K. Christianson, A. O. Hoffman, T. J. Fudge, N. Holschuh, E. C. Kahle, H. Conway, J. E. Christian, A. N. Horlings, G. K. O’Connor, and E. J. Steig (2022). Geophysics and Thermodynamics at South Pole Lake Indicate Stability and a Regionally Thawed Bed. Geophysical Research Letters 49(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL096218 |
| Alley, R. B., N. Holschuh, D. R. MacAyeal, B. R. Parizek, L. Zoet, K. Riverman, A. Muto, K. Christianson, E. Clyne, S. Anandakrishnan, N. Stevens, and GHOST Collaboration (2021). Bedforms of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica: Character and Origin. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 126(12), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006339 |
| Horlings, A. N., K. Christianson, N. Holschuh, C. M. Stevens, and E. D. Waddington (2020). Effect of horizontal divergence on estimates of firn-air content. Journal of Glaciology. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.105 |
| Smith, B., H. A. Fricker, A. S. Gardner, B. Medley, J. Nilsson, F. S. Paolo, N. Holschuh, S. Adusumilli, K. Brunt, B. Csatho, K. Harbeck, T. Markus, T. Neumann, M. R. Siegfried, and H. J. Zwally (Apr. 2020). Pervasive ice sheet mass loss reflects competing ocean and atmosphere processes. Science 368(6496), 1239–1242. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz5845 |
| Hills, B. H., K. Christianson, and N. Holschuh (2020). A framework for attenuation method selection evaluated with ice-penetrating radar data at South Pole lake. Annals of Glaciology 61(81), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.32 |
| Fudge, T. J., D. A. Lilien, M. R. Koutnik, H. B. Conway, C. M. Stevens, E. D. Waddington, E. J. Steig, A. J. Schauer, and N. Holschuh (2020). Advection and non-climate impacts on the South Pole Ice Core. Climate of the Past 16(3), 819–832. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-819-2020 |
| Hamlington, B. D. et al. (2020). Understanding of Contemporary Regional Sea-level Change and the Implications for the Future. Reviews of Geophysics 58(3), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019RG000672 |
| Holschuh, N., K. Christianson, J. Paden, R. Alley, and S. Anandakrishnan (2020). Linking postglacial landscapes to glacier dynamics using swath radar at Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. Geology 48(3), 268–272. https://doi.org/10.1130/G46772.1 |
| Alley, K. E., T. A. Scambos, R. B. Alley, and N. Holschuh (2019). Troughs developed in ice-stream shear margins precondition ice shelves for ocean-driven breakup. Science Advances 5, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax2215 |
| Smith, B., H. A. Fricker, N. Holschuh, A. S. Gardner, S. Adusumilli, K. M. Brunt, B. Csatho, K. Harbeck, A. Huth, T. Neumann, J. Nilsson, and M. R. Siegfried (2019). Land ice height-retrieval algorithm for NASA’s ICESat-2 photon-counting laser altimeter. Remote Sensing of Environment 233, 111352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111352 |
| Holschuh, N., D. Lilien, and K. Christianson (2019). Thermal Weakening, Convergent Flow, and Vertical Heat Transport in the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream Shear Margins. Geophysical Research Letters 46, 8184–8193. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083436 |
| Riverman, K., R. B. Alley, S. Anandakrishnan, K. Christianson, N. Holschuh, B. Medley, A. Muto, and L. Peters (2019). Enhanced Firn Densification in High-Accumulation Shear Margins of the NE Greenland Ice Stream. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 124(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004604 |
| Muto, A., S. Anandakrishnan, R. Alley, H. Horgan, B. Parizek, S. Koellner, K. Christianson, and N. Holschuh (2019). Relating bed character and subglacial morphology using seismic data from Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.12.008 |
| Alley, R., D. Pollard, B. Parizek, S. Anandakrishnan, M. Pourpoint, N. Stevens, J. MacGregor, K. Christianson, A. Muto, and N. Holschuh (2019). Possible Role for Tectonics in the Evolving Stability of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 124(1), 97–115. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004714 |
| Koellner, S., B. Parizek, R. Alley, A. Muto, N. Holschuh, and S. Nowicki (2019). The impact of spatially-variable basal properties on outlet glacier flow. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 515, 200–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.03.026 |
| Holschuh, N., K. Christianson, H. Conway, R. W. Jacobel, and B. C. Welch (2018). Persistent Tracers of Historic Ice Flow in Glacial Stratigraphy near Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica. The Cryosphere 5, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2821-2018 |
| Kehrl, L., H. Conway, N. Holschuh, S. Campbell, A. A. V. Kurbatov, and N. E. N. Spaulding (2018). Evaluating the duration and continuity of potential climate records from the Allan Hills Blue Ice Area, East Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters 45, 4096–4104. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077511 |
| Holschuh, N., B. R. Parizek, R. B. Alley, and S. Anandakrishnan (2017). Decoding ice sheet behavior using englacial layer slopes. Geophysical Research Letters 44(11), 5561–5570. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073417 |
| Luthra, T., L. L. E. Peters, S. Anandakrishnan, R. B. Alley, N. Holschuh, and A. A. M. Smith (2017). Characteristics of the sticky spot of Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 122(3), 641–653. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JF004181 |
| Holschuh, N., K. Christianson, S. Anandakrishnan, R. B. Alley, and R. W. Jacobel (2016b). Constraining attenuation uncertainty in common midpoint radar surveys of ice sheets. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 121(10), 1876–1890. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JF003942 |
| Luthra, T., S. Anandakrishnan, J. P. Winberry, R. B. Alley, and N. Holschuh (2016). Basal characteristics of the main sticky spot on the ice plain of Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 440, 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.01.035 |
| Holschuh, N., D. Pollard, R. R. B. Alley, and S. Anandakrishnan (2014). Evaluating Marie Byrd Land stability using an improved basal topography. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 408, 362–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.10.034 |
| Holschuh, N., K. Christianson, and S. Anandakrishnan (2014). Power loss in dipping internal reflectors, imaged using ice-penetrating radar. Annals of Glaciology 55(67), 49–56. https://doi.org/10.3189/2014AoG67A005 |