Research into the past and future behaviour of the Antarctic Ice Sheet has earned Professor Mike Bentley an OBE in The King’s Birthday Honours list.
Mike, a leading polar geoscientist, based in our Department of Geography, receives the award from His Majesty King Charles III for services to Antarctic science.
His research has been used to inform policy on future sea levels.
With nearly 30 years’ experience of working in Antarctica, including 18 visits to the continent, Mike estimates he has spent over a year living in a tent on the ice sheet.
He uses innovative geological techniques to determine how the Antarctic ice sheet has changed in thickness and extent in the past.
His work is used to ensure accurate satellite measurements of ice loss and to constrain models of how the ice sheet might contribute to future sea-level change.
Mike has been heavily involved in international collaboration in polar research, particularly with the international Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.
He was Chair of the UK National Committee on Antarctic Research and has advised the UK government on ice sheets and sea level.
He is also part of a larger group in our Geography department who are internationally renowned for their work on ice sheets, sea level, and climate.
In 2011 Mike was awarded the Polar Medal by Queen Elizabeth II for his “exceptional contribution to Antarctic science, particularly in the field of climate change”.
A mountain in Antarctica – Bentley Peak – is named in honour of Mike’s contributions to Antarctic glacial geology.
I was surprised and delighted to find out I had been nominated for this award. Antarctica has always been a very special place and what happens there can affect us all. To work there with such wonderful colleagues, many of whom are now close friends, and from whom I have learnt so much, is an extraordinary privilege. It’s been immensely rewarding to help improve knowledge of the continent and its ice sheet, and to feed into policy about minimising future sea level rise and protecting the continent.
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