Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder

Alison Banwell

Research Interests

Dr Alison Banwell is a Glaciologist and Research Scientist in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), part of the University of Colorado Boulder. She has a PhD in Glaciology from the University of Cambridge (UK). Her research focuses on understanding changes in Antarctic and Greenland ice-sheet and ice-shelf melt, hydrology, and dynamics using satellite remote-sensing, fieldwork and process-scale modeling. She has led many field expeditions in Antarctica and has also conducted fieldwork on the Greenland Ice Sheet, Svalbard and the Himalaya.

View Publications

  • Banwell AF; Burton JC; Cenedese C; Golden K; Åström J. (Jul 2023). Physics of the cryosphere. Nature Reviews Physics. 10.1038/s42254-023-00610-2
  • Banwell AF; Wever N; Dunmire D; Picard G. (Jun 2023). Quantifying Antarctic‐Wide Ice‐Shelf Surface Melt Volume Using Microwave and Firn Model Data: 1980 to 2021. Geophysical Research Letters , 50(12). 10.1029/2023gl102744
  • Ochwat N; Scambos T; Banwell A. (Jun 2023). Triggers of the 2022 Larsen B multi-year landfast sea ice break-out and initial glacier response. The Cryosphere Discussions. 10.5194/tc-2023-88
  • Gantayat P; Banwell AF; Leeson AA; Lea JM; Petersen D; Gourmelen N; Fettweis X. (Mar 2023). A new model for supraglacial hydrology evolution and drainage for the Greenland ice sheet (SHED v1.0). Geoscientific Model Development Discussions. 10.5194/gmd-2022-308
  • Picard G; Leduc-Leballeur M; Banwell AF; Brucker L; Macelloni G. (Dec 2022). The sensitivity of satellite microwave observations to liquid water in the Antarctic snowpack. The Cryosphere , 16(12), 5061-5083. 10.5194/tc-16-5061-2022
  • Clem KR; Raphael MN; Adusumilli S; Baiman R; Banwell AF; Barreira S; Beadling RL; Colwell S; Coy L; Datta RT. (Aug 2022). Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , 103(8), S307-S340. 10.1175/bams-d-22-0078.1
  • MacFerrin M; Scambos T; Mote T; Banwell A. (Jul 2022). Ice Sheet Melt and Duration. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , 103(8), S321-S323.
  • Dell RL; Banwell AF; Willis IC; Arnold NS; Halberstadt ARW; Chudley TR; Pritchard HD. (Apr 2022). CORRIGENDUM: Supervised classification of slush and ponded water on Antarctic ice shelves using Landsat 8 imagery (vol 68, pg 401, 2021). Journal of Glaciology , 68(268), 415-416. 10.1017/jog.2022.15
  • Coffey NB; MacAyeal DR; Copland L; Mueller DR; Sergienko OV; Banwell AF; Lai C-Y. (Feb 2022). Enigmatic surface rolls of the Ellesmere Ice Shelf. Journal of Glaciology , 1-12. 10.1017/jog.2022.3
  • Dell RL; Banwell AF; Willis IC; Arnold NS; Halberstadt ARW; Chudley TR; Pritchard HD. (Nov 2021). Supervised classification of slush and ponded water on Antarctic ice shelves using Landsat 8 imagery. Journal of Glaciology , 1-14. 10.1017/jog.2021.114
  • Dunmire D; Banwell AF; Wever N; Lenaerts JTM; Datta RT. (Jun 2021). Contrasting regional variability of buried meltwater extent over 2 years across the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere , 15(6), 2983-3005. 10.5194/tc-15-2983-2021
  • MacAyeal DR; Sergienko OV; Banwell AF; Macdonald GJ; Willis IC; Stevens LA. (Apr 2021). Treatment of ice-shelf evolution combining flow and flexure. Journal of Glaciology , 1-18. 10.1017/jog.2021.39
  • Banwell AF; Datta RT; Dell RL; Moussavi M; Brucker L; Picard G; Shuman CA; Stevens LA. (Feb 2021). The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula. The Cryosphere , 15(2), 909-925. 10.5194/tc-15-909-2021
  • Dunmire, D., Banwell, A. F., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Datta, R. T. (Jan 2021). Contrasting regional variability of buried meltwater extent over two years across the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere. 10.5194/tc-2021-3
  • Dunmire D; Lenaerts JTM; Banwell AF; Wever N; Shragge J; Lhermitte S; Drews R; Pattyn F; Hansen JSS; Willis IC. (Aug 2020). Observations of Buried Lake Drainage on the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Geophysical Research Letters , 47(15). 10.1029/2020GL087970
  • Dell R; Arnold N; Willis I; Banwell A; Williamson A; Pritchard H; Orr A. (Jul 2020). Lateral meltwater transfer across an Antarctic ice shelf. The Cryosphere , 14(7), 2313-2330. 10.5194/tc-14-2313-2020
  • Law R; Arnold N; Benedek C; Tedesco M; Banwell A; Willis I. (Jun 2020). Over-winter persistence of supraglacial lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet: results and insights from a new model. Journal of Glaciology , 66(257), 362-372. 10.1017/jog.2020.7
  • MacAyeal DR; Willis IC; Banwell AF; Macdonald GJ; Goodsell B. (Apr 2020). Diurnal lake-level cycles on ice shelves driven by meltwater input and ocean tidal tilt. Journal of Glaciology , 66(256), 231-247. 10.1017/jog.2019.98
  • Willis I; Banwell A; Macdonald G; Willis M; MacAyeal D. (Mar 2020). Surface lake depths on an Antarctic ice shelf: comparing in-situ measurements with ground and satellite multispectral methods. 10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10677
  • Robel, AA; Banwell, AF. (Nov 2019). A Speed Limit on Ice Shelf Collapse Through Hydrofracture. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS , 46(21). 10.1029/2019GL084397
  • Macayeal, DR; Banwell, AF; Okal, EA; Lin, JQ; Willis, IC; Goodsell, B; MacDonald, GJ. (Sep 2019). Diurnal seismicity cycle linked to subsurface melting on an ice shelf. ANNALS OF GLACIOLOGY , 60(79). 10.1017/aog.2018.29
  • Siegert, M; Atkinson, A; Banwell, A; Brandon, M; Convey, P; Davies, B; Downie, R; Edwards, T; Hubbard, B; Marshall, G; Rogelj, J; Rumble, J; Stroeve, J; Vaughan, D. (Jun 2019). The Antarctic Peninsula Under a 1.5 degrees C Global Warming Scenario. FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE , 7. 10.3389/fenvs.2019.00102
  • Macdonald, GJ; Banwell, AF; Willis, IC; Mayer, DP; Goodsell, B; MacAyeal, DR. (Apr 2019). Formation of pedestalled, relict lakes on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica. JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY , 65(250). 10.1017/jog.2019.17
  • Banwell, AF; Willis, IC; Macdonald, GJ; Goodsell, B; MacAyeal, DR. (Feb 2019). Direct measurements of ice-shelf flexure caused by surface meltwater ponding and drainage. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS , 10. 10.1038/s41467-019-08522-5
  • Bell, RE, AF Banwell, LD Trusel and J Kingslake. (Dec 2018). Antarctic surface hydrology and impacts on ice-sheet mass balance. NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE , 8(12). 10.1038/s41558-018-0326-3
  • Williamson, AG, AF Banwell, IC Willis and NS Arnold. (Sep 2018). Dual-satellite (Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8) remote sensing of supraglacial lakes in Greenland. CRYOSPHERE , 12(9). 10.5194/tc-12-3045-2018
  • Williamson, AG, IC Willis, NS Arnold and AF Banwell. (Apr 2018). Controls on rapid supraglacial lake drainage in West Greenland: an Exploratory Data Analysis approach. JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY , 64(244). 10.1017/jog.2018.8
  • Macdonald, G., Banwell, A.F. and MacAyeal, D. (Jan 2018). Seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on a floating ice tongue, Petermann Glacier, Greenland. , 59(76pt1). 10.1017/aog.2018.9
  • Banwell, AF, IC Willis, GJ Macdonald, B Goodsell, DP Mayer, A Powell and DR Macayeal. (Jul 2017). Calving and rifting on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica. ANNALS OF GLACIOLOGY , 58(75). 10.1017/aog.2017.12
  • Williamson, AG, NS Arnold, AF Banwell and IC Willis. (Jul 2017). A Fully Automated Supraglacial lake area and volume Tracking("FAST") algorithm: Development and application using MODIS imagery of West Greenland. REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT , 196. 10.1016/j.rse.2017.04.032
  • Banwell A. (Apr 2017). GLACIOLOGY Ice-shelf stability questioned. Nature , 544(7650), 306-307. 10.1038/544306a
  • Banwell, A, I Hewitt, I Willis and N Arnold. (Dec 2016). Moulin density controls drainage development beneath the Greenland ice sheet. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE , 121(12). 10.1002/2015JF003801
  • Banwell, AF and DR Macayeal. (Dec 2015). Ice-shelf fracture due to viscoelastic flexure stress induced by fill/drain cycles of supraglacial lakes. ANTARCTIC SCIENCE , 27(6). 10.1017/S0954102015000292
  • MacAyeal, DR, OV Sergienko and AF Banwell. (Jan 2015). A model of viscoelastic ice-shelf flexure. JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY , 61(228). 10.3189/2015JoG14J169
  • Mayaud, JR, AF Banwell, NS Arnold and IC Willis. (Dec 2014). Modeling the response of subglacial drainage at Paakitsoq, west Greenland, to 21st century climate change. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE , 119(12). 10.1002/2014JF003271
  • Anderson, B, I Willis, B Goodsell, A Banwell, I Owens, A Mackintosh and W Lawson. (Nov 2014). Annual to daily ice velocity and water pressure variations on Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere (Franz Josef Glacier), New Zealand. ARCTIC ANTARCTIC AND ALPINE RESEARCH , 46(4). 10.1657/1938-4246-46.4.919
  • Arnold, NS, AF Banwell and IC Willis. (Jan 2014). High-resolution modelling of the seasonal evolution of surface water storage on the Greenland Ice Sheet. CRYOSPHERE , 8(4). 10.5194/tc-8-1149-2014
  • Banwell, AF, M Caballero, NS Arnold, NF Glasser, L Mac Cathles and DR MacAyeal. (Jan 2014). Supraglacial lakes on the Larsen B ice shelf, Antarctica, and at Paakitsoq, West Greenland: a comparative study. ANNALS OF GLACIOLOGY , 55(66). 10.3189/2014AoG66A049
  • Tedesco, M, IC Willis, MJ Hoffman, AF Banwell, P Alexander and NS Arnold. (Dec 2013). Ice dynamic response to two modes of surface lake drainage on the Greenland ice sheet. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS , 8(3). 10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034007
  • Banwell, AF, DR MacAyeal and OV Sergienko. (Nov 2013). Breakup of the Larsen B Ice Shelf triggered by chain reaction drainage of supraglacial lakes. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS , 40(22). 10.1002/2013GL057694
  • Banwell, AF, IC Willis and NS Arnold. (Sep 2013). Modeling subglacial water routing at Paakitsoq, W Greenland. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE , 118(3). 10.1002/jgrf.20093
  • Banwell, AF, NS Arnold, IC Willis, M Tedesco and AP Ahlstrom. (Oct 2012). Modeling supraglacial water routing and lake filling on the Greenland Ice Sheet. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE , 117. 10.1029/2012JF002393
  • Tedesco, M, M Luthje, K Steffen, N Steiner, X Fettweis, I Willis, N Bayou and A Banwell. (Jan 2012). Measurement and modeling of ablation of the bottom of supraglacial lakes in western Greenland. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS , 39. 10.1029/2011GL049882
  • Covington, MD, AF Banwell, J Gulley, MO Saar, I Willis and CM Wicks. (Jan 2012). Quantifying the effects of glacier conduit geometry and recharge on proglacial hydrograph form. JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY , 414. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.10.027
  • Banwell, AF, IC Willis, NS Arnold, A Messerli, CJ Rye, M Tedesco and AP Ahlstrom. (Jan 2012). Calibration and evaluation of a high-resolution surface mass-balance model for Paakitsoq, West Greenland. JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY , 58(212). 10.3189/2012JoG12J034
  • Gulley, JD, P Walthard, J Martin, AF Banwell, DI Benn and G Catania. (Jan 2012). Conduit roughness and dye-trace breakthrough curves: why slow velocity and high dispersivity may not reflect flow in distributed systems. JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY , 58(211). 10.3189/2012JoG11J115