Personal profile
Biography
Research Interests
Remote sensing is an incredible tool that can be used to study the natural world, from landscape changes on enormous scales to estimating populations of different animals, including polar bears, penguin colonies, and seals. My main research interest is in using satellite data to study natural phenomena on different spatial and temporal scales, from individual glacier fjords in Alaska to all of the world's glaciers over a 50+ year time span. My main research focus has been on glacier change, and how glaciers impact not only the physical world, but terrestrial and marine ecosystems. At present, I am working on projects to study glacier changes in Alaska since the Little Ice Age, re-processing historic aerial and satellite images to study landscape and glacier changes, and mapping glaciers and landscape features using tools such as Google Earth Engine.
Teaching
In the past, I have taught modules on glaciology, remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), physical geography, and programming. At Ulster, I teach remote sensing, physical geography, and programming modules for the BSc Hons Geography, Environmental Science, and Marine Science degrees, as well as for the PgDip/MSc courses in GIS, and Remote Sensing and GIS. I also supervise final year MSc and BSc research projects in a variety of subjects.
Modules taught
- EGM101* - Skills Toolbox
- EGM105* - The Lithosphere
- EGM310* - Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems
- EGM534* - Research and Professional Skills
- EGM702 - Photogrammetry and Advanced Image Analysis
- EGM703 - Advanced Active and Passive Remote Sensing
- EGM722 - Programming for GIS and Remote Sensing
* - one or more components of module
GitHub and software links
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, On the frontal ablation of Alaska tidewater glaciers, University of Alaska Fairbanks
1 Aug 2008 → 31 Jul 2013
Award Date: 1 Aug 2013
Bachelor, Kalamazoo College
1 Sept 2004 → 15 Jun 2008
Award Date: 15 Jun 2008
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century
Hugonnet, R., McNabb, R., Berthier, E., Menounos, B., Nuth, C., Girod, L., Farinotti, D., Huss, M., Dussaillant, I., Brun, F. & Kääb, A., 29 Apr 2021, In: Nature. 592, 7856, p. 726–731 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1376 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)1202 Downloads (Pure) -
Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016
Zemp, M., Huss, M., Thibert, E., Eckert, N., McNabb, R., Huber, J., Barandun, M., Machguth, H., Nussbaumer, S. U., Gärtner-Roer, I., Thomson, L., Paul, F., Maussion, F., Kutuzov, S. & Cogley, J. G., 18 Apr 2019, In: Nature. 568, 7752, p. 382-386 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile906 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)2408 Downloads (Pure) -
Global glacier change in the 21st century: Every increase in temperature matters
Rounce, D. R., Hock, R., Maussion, F., Hugonnet, R., Kochtitzky, W., Huss, M., Berthier, E., Brinkerhoff, D. J., Compagno, L., Copland, L., Farinotti, D., Menounos, B. & McNabb, R., 5 Jan 2023, (Published online) In: Science. 379, 6627, p. 78-83 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile461 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)836 Downloads (Pure) -
Sensitivity of glacier volume change estimation to DEM void interpolation
McNabb, R., Nuth, C., Kääb, A. & Girod, L., 15 Mar 2019, In: The Cryosphere. 13, 3, p. 895-910 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile116 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)192 Downloads (Pure) -
Distributed global debris thickness estimates reveal debris significantly impacts glacier mass balance
Rounce, D. R., Hock, R., McNabb, R., Millan, R., Sommer, C., Braun, M., Malz, P., Maussion, F., Mouginot, J., Seehaus, T. & Shean, D., 28 Apr 2021, In: Geophysical Research Letters. 48, 8, p. 1-23 23 p., e2020GL091311.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile124 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)118 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Columbia Glacier bedrock topography and ice thickness
McNabb, R. (Creator), Zenodo, 11 May 2021
Dataset
File -
Alaska Tidewater Glacier Terminus Positions, Version 1
Mc Nabb, R. (Creator) & Hock, R. (Creator), National Snow and Ice Data Center, 2015
DOI: 10.5067/3OOVUDFK3R0W
Dataset
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Unlocking the Past: A review of digital processing of historical aerial and satellite stereo analog imagery for geoscience applications
Piermattei, L. (Creator), McNabb, R. (Creator), Elias, M. (Creator), Ressl, C. (Creator), Dehecq, A. (Creator), Girod, L. (Creator), Dewez, T. (Creator) & Eltner, A. (Creator), Zenodo, 2 Feb 2026
Dataset
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Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century - Dataset
Hugonnet, R. (Creator), McNabb, R. (Creator), Berthier, E. (Creator), Menounos, B. (Creator), Nuth, C. (Creator), Girod, L. (Creator), Farinotti, D. (Creator), Huss, M. (Creator), Dussaillant, I. (Creator), Brun, F. (Creator) & Kääb, A. (Creator), Theia, 28 Apr 2021
DOI: 10.6096/13
Dataset
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Global mapping of lake-terminating glaciers
Steiner, J. (Creator), Armstrong, W. (Creator), Kochtitzky, W. (Creator), McNabb, R. (Creator), Aguayo, R. (Creator), Bolch, T. (Creator), Maussion, F. (Creator), Agarwal, V. (Creator), Barr, I. (Creator), Baurley, N. (Creator), Cloutier, M. (Creator), DeWater, K. (Creator), Donachie, F. (Creator), Drocourt, Y. (Creator), Garg, S. (Creator), Joshi, G. (Creator), Guzman, B. (Creator), Kutuzov, S. (Creator), Loriaux, T. (Creator), Mathias, C. (Creator), Menounos, B. (Creator), Miles, E. (Creator), Osika, A. (Creator), Potter, K. (Creator), Racoviteanu, A. (Creator), Rick, B. (Creator), Sterner, M. (Creator), Tallentire, G. D. (Creator), Tielidze, L. (Creator), White, R. (Creator), Wu, K. (Creator) & Zheng, W. (Creator), Zenodo, 11 Feb 2026
Dataset
Activities
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Monitoring glacier changes in Disko Island, Greenland Using Object-based image Analysis in Google Earth Engine
Ali, A. (Speaker), Dunlop, P. (Speaker), Coleman, S. (Speaker), Kerr, D. (Speaker), McNabb, R. (Speaker) & Noormets, R. (Speaker)
26 Mar 2022 → 1 Apr 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Poster presentation
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Multi-decadal elevation changes of Arctic Glaciers
Mc Nabb, R. (Speaker)
11 Oct 2019Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Multi-decadal elevation changes of Arctic glaciers
Mc Nabb, R. (Speaker)
12 Apr 2019Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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ASTER-derived glacier volume changes in Alaska or (and) Norway
Mc Nabb, R. (Speaker)
22 Jan 2018 → 25 Jan 2018Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
Profiles
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Jack Mason, (PhD Researcher)
Person: Doctor of Philosophy
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Deplete and Retreat: The Future of Andean Water Towers
McNabb, R. (PI)
Natural Environment Research Council
1/11/22 → 31/10/26
Project: Research
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MalarInfo: A machine learning information toolset for predicting malaria risk, rates and trends in intervention planning - A pilot project in Zambia
Wallace, J. (CoI), Bi, Y. (CoI), Moore, A. (PI), McNabb, R. (CoI), Bhatti, S. (CoI), Black, M. (CoI) & Rankin, D. (CoI)
1/10/20 → 31/12/21
Project: Research