Prof. Richard Chiverrell

Overview / specialty

Professor in Physical Geography. I lead research several fronts: dynamics, rate and control of ice-sheet decline, the controls on sediment flux to slopes, rivers and lakes, and links between earth surface processes and human activity. Income generation since 2005 totals ~£900k to Liverpool from total grants of £4300k. I currently supervise five PhD students, with five successfully completed and have worked with seven post-doctoral research assistants. I have published >50 journal articles, two books, three monographs, a geological map, and 25 book chapters. As Terrestrial Lead of £3.6 million NERC Consortium ‘BRITICE-CHRONO Constraining rates and style of marine influenced ice sheet decay’, I am on the Consortium Steering Group and published the underpinning methodology (Chiverrell et al., 2013). My role stems from modelling of geomorphological time series and research on the glacial geology and geomorphology. Our results on the speed of British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) retreat 24,000 years ago will form a basis for robust testing of glaciological models needed to simulate the possible decline of the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets. Other initiatives include:
• Simulating catchment responses in sediment flux to agricultural changes over the past 200 years and for future climate/landuse change (Leverhulme Trust Funded).
• Testing links between environment and human decision making at the first sedentary site in the Near East, The Unfamiliar Landscapes Project (Leverhulme Trust Funded).
• Variations in mineral and sediment calibre supply to lakes as millennial records of flood history
• Geochemical records from lakes to understand nutrient dynamics, ecosystem functioning and land cover change (NERC funded)