Dr Iestyn Barr
Reader
I am a glaciologist with particular interest in mountain environments and interactions between volcanoes and glaciers
My profile
Biography
My research investigates climate and Earth Surface processes in high latitude and/or high altitude regions including Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, The Himalaya, Svalbard and Siberia. Most recently, my focus has turned to monitoring and predicting volcanic eruptions and their consequences. In particular, using glaciers as indicators of volcanic activity.
Interests and expertise
Volcano-glacier interactions:
Much of my research focuses on volcano-glacier interactions (‘glaciovolcanism’). This includes consideration of volcanic impacts on glaciers, particularly when these impacts can be observed in satellite data. Another key element of this work is to assess whether glaciers are useful for monitoring and predicting volcanic eruptions. I am currently Co-chair of the IAVCEI and IACS joint commission on Volcano-Ice Interactions.
Glaciers and climate change:
My interests in glaciers and their response to climate change covers a range of locations and time-periods, including glaciers in Antarctica, which are the oldest glaciers on Earth; glaciers from the Last Glacial Maximum in Siberia; and modern glaciers in the high mountains of the Himalaya and Kamchatka. As part of this work, I am a contributor to, and consortium member of, The Randolph Glacier Inventory version 7.0.
Projects
Ongoing Research Projects:
Icy thermometers: the use of glaciers to measure and monitor volcano temperature (HOT ICE, 2021-2024)
NERC Global Partnerships Seedcorn Fund - £99,973.
This project investigates links between glaciers and volcanic heat flux.
Using glaciers to identify, monitor, and predict volcanic activity (2019-2024)
Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant - £221,194.
This project investigates if glaciers can be used to better predict volcanic eruptions.
Lake Drainage Events Recorded in Sediments (2024-2025)
NERC UK-Iceland Bursary - £15,650.
Seasons of Change (2024-2025)
NERC UK-Greenland Bursary - £15,500.
Landscapes of Change (2023-2024)
NERC UK-Greenland Bursary - £18,700.
Research outputs
Publications:
54. Barr, ID., Spagnolo, M., Tomkins, MD., 2024. Cirques in the Transantarctic Mountains reveal controls on glacier formation and landscape evolution. Geomorphology.
53. Li, Y., Evans, IS., Spagnolo, M., Pellitero, R., Barr, ID., Ely, JC., 2024. ACME2: An Extended Toolbox for Automated Cirque Metrics Extraction. Geomorphology.
52. Howcutt, S., Spagnolo, M., Rea, BR., Jaszewski, J., Barr, ID., Coppola, D., De Siena, L., Girona, T., Gomez-Patron, A., Mullan, D., PritchardME., 2023. Icy thermometers: quantifying the impact of volcanic heat on glacier elevation. Geology.
51. Maussion, F., Hock, R., Paul, F., Raup, B., Rastner, P., Zemp, M, Andreassen, L., Barr, ID., Bolch, T., Kochtitzky, W., McNabb, R. and Tielidze, L., 2023. The Randolph Glacier Inventory version 7.0 user guide.
50. Deswal, S., Sharma, MC., Saini, R, Chand, P., Prakash, S., Kumar, P., Barr, ID., Latief, SU., Dalal, P., Bahuguna, IM., 2023. Reconstruction of post-Little Ice Age glacier recession in the Lahaul Himalaya, north-west India. Geografiska Annaler: Series A Physical Geography.
49. Barr, ID., Adamson, K., Lane, T., Nebel, K.,van der Bilt, WGM., Using drones to map glacial landscapes. In: Meneely, J. (ed.)., 3D Imaging of the Environment: Mapping and Monitoring. Taylor & Francis, London.
48. Barr, ID., Spagnolo, M., Rea, BR., Bingham, RG., Oien, RP., Adamson, K., Ely, JC., Mullan, DJ., Pellitero, R., Tomkins, MD., 2022. 60 Million years of glaciation in the Transantarctic Mountains. Nature Communications, 13 (5526).
47. Pearce,DM., Lea, JM., Mair,DWF., Rea, B., Schofield,E., Kamenos, N., Schoenrock, KM., Stachnik, L., Lewis, B., Barr, ID., Mottram, R., 2022. Greenland tidewater glaicer advanced rapidly during era of Norse Settlement. Geology, 50 (6), 704-709.
46. Oien, R., Rea, BR., Spagnolo, M., Barr, ID., Bingham, RG., 2022. Testing the Area-Altitude Balance Ratio (AABR) and Accumulation Area Ratio (AAR) methods of calculating glacier equilibrium-line altitudes. Journal of Glaciology, 68 (268), 357-368.
45. Spagnolo, M., Rea, BR., Barr, ID., 2022. The (mis)conception of average Quaternary conditions. Quaternary Research, 105, 235-240.
44. Schofield,E., Pearce,DM., Mair,DWF., Rea, B., Lea, JM., Kamenos, N., Schoenrock, KM., Barr, ID., Edwards, KJ., 2022. Pushing the limits: palynological Investigations at the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Norse Western Settlement. Environmental Archaeology, 27, 1-15.
43. Martin, M., Barr, ID., Edwards, B., Spagnolo, M., Vajedian, S., Symeonakis, E., 2021. Assessing the use of optical satellite images to detect volcanic impacts on glacier surface morphology. Remote Sensing, 13 (7), 3453.
42. Tomkins, MD., Dortch, JM., Hughes, PD., Huck, JJ., Pallàs, R., Rodés, Á., Allard, JL., Stimson, AG., Bourlès, D., Rinterknecht, V., Jomelli, V., Rodríguez-Rodríguez, L., Copons, R., Barr, ID., Darvill, CD., Bishop, T., 2021. Moraine crest or slope: an analysis on the effects of boulder position on cosmogenic exposure age. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 570, 117092.
41. van der Bilt, WGM., Barr, ID., Berben, SMP., Hennekam, R., Lane, T., Adamson, K., Bakke, J., 2021. Late Holocene canyon-carving floods in northern Iceland were smaller than previously reported. Communications earth & environment, 2 (86), 1–12.
40. Mullan, D., Barr, ID., Flood, RP., Galloway, J.M., Newton, A.M.W., Swindles, GT., 2021. Examining the viability of the world’s busiest winter road to climate change using a process-based lake model. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
39. Stoker, B., Livingstone, SJ., Barr, ID., Ruffell, A., Storrar, RD., Roberson, S., 2021. Variations in esker morphology and internal architecture record time-transgressive deposition during ice margin retreat in Northern Ireland. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association.
38. Oien, RP., Spagnolo, M., Rea, BR., Barr, ID., Bingham, RG., 2020. Climatic controls on the equilibrium line altitudes of Scandinavian cirque glaciers. Geomorphology, 352, 1–11.
37. Storrar, R., Ewertowski, M., Tomczyk, AM., Barr, ID., Livingstone, SJ., Ruffell, A., Stoker,BJ., Evans,DJA., 2020. Equifinality and preservation potential of complex eskers. Boreas, 49,211–231
36. Barr,ID., Ely,JC., Spagnolo, M., Evans, IS., Tomkins, MD., 2019. The dynamics of mountain erosion: cirque growth slows as landscapes age. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44 (13), 2628–2637.
35. Hock, R. […] Barr, ID [+ 48 others]., 2019. High Mountain Areas. In:IPCC Special Report on the Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, 94–172.
34. Lovell, H., Livingstone, SJ.,Boston, CM., Booth, A., Storrar, S., Barr, ID., 2019. Complex kame belt morphology, stratigraphy and architecture. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44 (13), 2685–2637.
33. Mullan, D., Matthews, T., Vandaele, K., Barr,ID., Swindles, GT., Meneely, J., Boardman, J., Murphy, C., 2019. Climate impacts on soil erosion and muddy flooding at 1.5°C vs 2°C warming. Land Degradation & Development, 30, 94–108.
32. Saini, R., Sharma, MC., Deswal, S., Barr,ID., Kumar, P., Kumar, P., Kumar, P., Chopra, S., 2019. Glacio-archaeological evidence of permanent settlements within a glacier end moraine complex during 980–1840 AD: The Miyar Basin, Lahaul Himalaya, India. Anthropocene, 26, 100197.
31. Swindles, GT., Morris, PJ., Mullan, DJ., Payne, RJ., Roland, TP., Amesbury, MJ., Lamentowicz, M., Turner, TE., Gallego-Sala, A., Sim, T., Barr, ID., Blaauw, M., Blundell, A., Chambers, FM., Charman, DJ., Feurdean, A., Galloway, JM., Gałka, M., Green, S., Kajukało, K., Karofeld, E., Korhola, A., Lamentowicz, L., Langdon, P., Marcisz, K., Mauquoy, D., Mazei, YA., McKeown, M., Mitchell, EAD., Novenko, E., Plunkett, G., Roe, HM., Schoning, K., Sillasoo, Ü., Tsyganov, AN., van der Linden, M., Väliranta, M., Warner, B. 2019. Widespread drying of European peatlands in recent centuries. Nature Geoscience, 12, 922–928.
30. Barr, ID., Dokukin, M., Kougkoulos, I., Livingstone, SJ., Lovell, H., Małecki, J., Muraviev, A.Y., 2018. Using ArcticDEM to analyse the dimensions and dynamics of debris-covered glaciers in Kamchatka, Russia. Geosciences, 8 (6), 216.
29. Barr, ID., Lynch, C., Mullan, D., De Sienna, L., Spagnolo, M., 2018. Volcanic impacts on modern glaciers: a global synthesis. Earth-Science Reviews, 182, 186–203.
28. Chandler, MPB., Lovell, H., Boston, CM., Lukas, S., Barr, ID., Benediktsson, ÍÖ., Benn, DI., Clark, CD., Darvill, CM., Evans, DJA., Ewertowski, MW., Loibl, D., Margold, M., Otto, J-C., Roberts, DH., Stokes, CR., Storrar, R., Stroeven, AP. 2018. Glacial geomorphological mapping: a review of approaches and framework for best practice. Earth-Science Reviews, 185, 806–846.
27. Clark, CD., Ely, JC., Greenwood, SL., Hughes, ALC., Meehan, R., Barr, ID., Bateman, MD., Bradwell, T., Doole, J., Evans, DJA., Jordan, CJ., Monteys, X., Pellicer, X., Sheehy, M., 2018. BRITICE Glacial Map, version 2: A map and GIS database of glacial landforms of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. Boreas, 47, 11–27.
26. Flood, R., Barr, ID., Weltje, GJ., Roberson, S., Russell, MI., Meneely, J., Orford, JD., 2018. Provenance and depositional variability of the Thin Mud Facies in the lower Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, West Bengal Sundarbans, India. Marine Geology, 395, 198–218.
25. Lovell, H., Benn, DI., Lukas, S., Ottesen, D., Luckman, A., Hardiman, M., Barr, ID., Boston, C., Sevestre, H., 2018. Multiple Late Holocene surges of a High-Arctic tidewater glacier system in Svalbard. Quaternary Science Reviews, 201, 162-185.
24. Tomkins, MD., Dortch, JM., Hughes, PD., Huck, JJ., Tonkin, TN., Barr, ID., 2018. Timing of glacial retreat in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland, conditioned by glacier size and topography. Journal of Quaternary Science, 33 (6), 611–623.
23. Tomkins, MD., Huck, JJ., Dortch, JM., Hughes, PD., Kirkbride, M., Barr, ID., 2018. Schmidt Hammer exposure dating (SHED): Calibration procedures, new exposure age data and an online calculator. Quaternary Geochronology, 44, 55–62.
22. Barr,ID., Ely,JC., Spagnolo, M., Clark,CD., Evans, IS., Pellicer, XP., Pellitero,R., Rea, BR., 2017. Climate patterns during periods of mountain glaciation in Britain and Ireland: inferences from the cirque record. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology, 485, 466–475.
21. Barr, ID., Roberson, S., Flood, R., Dortch, J., 2017. Younger Dryas glaciers and climate in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland. Journal of Quaternary Science, 32 (1), 104–115.
20. Ely, JC., Graham, C., Barr, ID., Spagnolo, M., Rea, BR., Evans, J., 2017. Using UAV acquired photography and structure from motion techniques for studying glacier landforms: application to the glacial flutes at Isfallsglaciären. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 42 (6), 877–888.
19. Meyer, VD., Barr, ID., 2017. Linking glacier extent and summer temperature in NE Russia – implications for precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology, 470, 72–80.
18. Pearce, DM., Ely, JC., Barr, ID., Boston, CM., 2017. Glacier Reconstruction. In: Cook, SJ., Clarke, LE., Nield, J.M. (eds.) Geomorphological Techniques. London: British Society for Geomorphology, 1–16.
17. Spagnolo, M., Pellitero, R., Barr, ID., Ely, J.C., Pellicer, X., Rea, B., 2017. ACME, a GIS tool for Automated Cirque Metric Extraction. Geomorphology, 278, 280–286.
16. Flood, RP., Bloemsma, MR., Weltje, GJ., Barr, ID., O’Rourke, SM., Turner, JN., Orford, JD., 2016. Compositional data analysis of Holocene sediments from the West Bengal Sundarbans, India: Geochemical proxies for grain-size variability in a delta environment. Applied Geochemistry, 75, 222–235.
15. Lynch, C., Barr, ID., Mullan, D., Ruffell, A., 2016. Rapid glacial retreat on the Kamchatka Peninsula during the early 21st Century. The Cryosphere, 10, 1809–1821.
14. Roberson, S., Barr, ID., Cooper, M (eds.)., 2016. The Quaternary Glaciation of the Mourne Mountains. Quaternary Research Association, London. pp. 183.
13. Barr, ID., Spagnolo, M., 2015. Glacial cirques as palaeoenvironmental indicators: Their potential and limitations. Earth-Science Reviews, 151, 48–78.
12. Barr, ID., Spagnolo, M., 2015. Understanding controls on cirque floor altitudes: insights from Kamchatka. Geomorphology, 248, 1–13.
11. Hillier, JK., Smith, MJ., Armugam, R., Barr, ID., Boston, CM., Clark, CD., Ely J., Greenwood, S., Gosselin, L., Hättestrand, C., Hogan, K., Hughes, ALC., Livingstone, SJ., Lovell, H., McHenry, M., Muñoz, Y., Pellicer, XM., Pellitero, R., Robb, C., Roberson, S., Ruther, D., Spagnolo, M., Standell, M., Stokes, CR., Storrar, R., Tate, NJ., Wooldridge, K., 2015. Manual mapping of drumlins in synthetic landscapes to assess operator effectiveness. Journal of Maps, 11 (5), 719–729.
10. Barr, ID., Lovell, H., 2014. A review of topographic controls on moraine distribution. Geomorphology, 226, 44–64.
9. Barr, ID., Solomina, O., 2014. Pleistocene and Holocene glacier fluctuations upon the Kamchatka Peninsula. Global and Planetary Change, 113, 110–120.
8. Barr, ID.,Spagnolo, M., 2014. Testing the efficacy of the glacial buzzsaw: insights from the Sredinny Mountains, Kamchatka. Geomorphology, 206, 230–238.
7. Barr, ID.,Spagnolo, M., 2013. Palaeoglacial and palaeoclimatic conditions in the NW Pacific, as revealed by a morphometric analysis of cirques upon the Kamchatka Peninsula. Geomorphology, 192, 15–29.
6. Napieralski, JA., Barr, ID., Kamp, U., Kervyn, M., 2013. Remote sensing and GIScience in geomorphological mapping. In: Shroder, J., Bishop, MP. (eds.), Treatise on Geomorphology. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, vol. 3, Remote Sensing and GIScience in Geomorphology, 188–227.
5. Barr, ID., Clark, CD., 2012. Late Quaternary glaciations in Far NE Russia; combining moraines, topography and chronology to assess regional and global glaciation synchrony. Quaternary Science Reviews, 53, 72–87.
4. Barr, ID., Clark, CD., 2012. An updated moraine map of Far NE Russia. Journal of Maps, 8 (3), 1–6.
3. Barr, ID., Clark, CD., 2011. Glaciers and climate in Pacific Far NE Russia during the Last Glacial Maximum. Journal of Quaternary Science, 26 (2), 227–237.
2. Ng, F., Barr, ID., Clark, CD., 2010. Using the surface profiles of modern ice masses to inform palaeo-glacier reconstructions. Quaternary Science Reviews, 29 (23-24), 3240–3255.
1. Barr, ID., Clark, CD., 2009. Distribution and pattern of moraines in Far NE Russia reveal former glacial extent. Journal of Maps, 5 (1), 186–193.
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Books (authored/edited/special issues)
Roberson, S., Barr, I.D., Cooper, M. (2016) The Quaternary Glaciation of the Mourne Mountains. Quaternary Research Association.
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Chapters in books
Barr, I.D., Adamson, K., Lane, T., Nebel, K., van der Bilt, W.G.M. (2024) 'Using drones to map and visualise glacial landscapes.' In Meneely, J. (ed.) 3D Imaging of the Environment: mapping and monitoring. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 45-55.
Hock, R., Rasul, G., Adler, C., Cáceres, B., Gruber, S., Hirabayashi, Y., Jackson, M., Kääb, A., Kang, S., Kutuzov, S., Milner, A., Molau, U., Morin, S., Orlove, B., Steltzer, H., Allen, S., Arenson, L., Baneerjee, S., Barr, I., Bórquez, R., Brown, L., Cao, B., Carey, M., Cogley, G., Fischlin, A., de Sherbinin, A., Eckert, N., Geertsema, M., Hagenstad, M., Honsberg, M., Hood, E., Huss, M., Jimenez Zamora, E., Kotlarski, S., Lefeuvre, P.M., Ignacio López Moreno, J., Lundquist, J., McDowell, G., Mills, S., Mou, C., Nepal, S., Noetzli, J., Palazzi, E., Pepin, N., Rixen, C., Shahgedanova, M., McKenzie Skiles, S., Vincent, C., Viviroli, D., Weyhenmeyer, G., Yangjee Sherpa, P., Weyer, N., Wouters, B., Yasunari, T., You, Q., Zhang, Y. (2019) 'High Mountain Areas.' In Kaser, G., Mukherji, A. (ed.) IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.
Pearce, D.M., Ely, J.C., Barr, I.D., Boston, C.M. (2017) 'Glacier Reconstruction.' Geomorphological Techniques. British Society for Geomorphology, pp. 1-16.
Napieralski, J., Barr, I., Kamp, U., Kervyn, M. (2013) 'Remote Sensing and GIScience in Geomorphological Mapping.' Treatise on Geomorphology. pp. 187-227.
Napieralski, J., Barr, I., Kamp, U., Kervyn, M. (2013) 'Remote Sensing and GIScience in Geomorphological Mapping.' Treatise on Geomorphology: Volume 1-14. pp. 187-227.
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Journal articles
Barr, I., Spagnolo, M., Tomkins, M. (2024) 'Cirques in the Transantarctic Mountains reveal controls on glacier formation and landscape evolution.' Geomorphology, 445
Li, Y., Evans, I., Spagnolo, M., Pellitero, R., Barr, I., Ely, J. (2024) 'ACME2: an extended toolbox for automated cirque metrics extraction.' Geomorphology, 445pp. 108982-108982.
Howcutt, S., Spagnolo, M., Rea, B., Jaszewski, J., Barr, I., Coppola, D., De Siena, L., Girona, T., Gomez-Patron, A., Mullan, D., Pritchard, M. (2023) 'Icy thermometers: quantifying the impact of volcanic heat on glacier elevation.' Geology, 51(12) pp. 1143-1147.
Deswal, S., Chand Sharma, M., Saini, R., Chand, P., Prakash, S., Kumar, P., Barr, I., Umer Latief, S., Dalal, P., Bahuguna, I.M. (2022) 'Reconstruction of post-little ice age glacier recession in the Lahaul Himalaya, north-west India.' Geografiska Annaler Series A: Physical Geography, 105(1) pp. 1-26.
Barr, I.D., Spagnolo, M., Rea, B.R., Bingham, R.G., Oien, R.P., Adamson, K., Ely, J.C., Mullan, D.J., Pellitero, R., Tomkins, M.D. (2022) '60 million years of glaciation in the Transantarctic Mountains.' Nature Communications, 13(1) pp. 5526-5526.
Pearce, D.M., Lea, J.M., Mair, D.W.F., Rea, B.R., Schofield, J.E., Kamenos, N.A., Schoenrock, K.M., Stachnik, L., Lewis, B., Barr, I., Mottram, R. (2022) 'Greenland tidewater glacier advanced rapidly during era of Norse settlement.' Geology, 50(6) pp. 704-709.
Oien, R., Barr, I., Spagnolo, M., Bingham, R., Rea, B., Jansen, J. (2022) 'Controls on the altitude of Scandinavian cirques: what do they tell us about palaeoclimate?.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 600pp. 111062-111062.
Oien, R.P., Rea, B.R., Spagnolo, M., Barr, I.D., Bingham, R.G. (2021) 'Testing the area–altitude balance ratio (AABR) and accumulation–area ratio (AAR) methods of calculating glacier equilibrium-line altitudes.' Journal of Glaciology, 68(268) pp. 357-368.
Martin, M.D., Barr, I., Edwards, B., Spagnolo, M., Vajedian, S., Symeonakis, E. (2021) 'Assessing the Use of Optical Satellite Images to Detect Volcanic Impacts on Glacier Surface Morphology.' Remote Sensing, 13(17)
Spagnolo, M., Rea, B.R., Barr, I. (2021) 'The (mis)conception of average Quaternary conditions.' Quaternary Research, 105pp. 235-240.
Tomkins, M.D., Dortch, J.M., Hughes, P.D., Huck, J.J., Pallàs, R., Rodés, Á., Allard, J.L., Stimson, A.G., Bourlès, D., Rinterknecht, V., Jomelli, V., Rodríguez-Rodríguez, L., Copons, R., Barr, I.D., Darvill, C.M., Bishop, T. (2021) 'Moraine crest or slope: An analysis of the effects of boulder position on cosmogenic exposure age.' Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 570
van der Bilt, W., Barr, I., Berben, S., Hennekam, R., Lane, T., Adamson, K., Bakke, J. (2021) 'Late Holocene canyon-carving floods in northern Iceland were smaller than previously reported.' Communications Earth & Environment, 2(1) pp. 86-86.
Stoker, B., Livingstone, S., Barr, I., Ruffell, A., Storrar, R., Roberson, S. (2021) 'Variations in esker morphology and internal architecture record time-transgressive deposition during ice margin retreat in Northern Ireland.' Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 132(4) pp. 409-425.
Mullan, D.J., Barr, I.D., Flood, R.P., Galloway, J.M., Newton, A.M.W., Swindles, G.T. (2021) 'Examining the viability of the world’s busiest winter road to climate change using a process-based lake model.' Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 102(7) pp. E1464-E1480.
Storrar, R.D., Ewertowski, M., Tomczyk, A.M., Barr, I.D., Livingstone, S.J., Ruffell, A., Stoker, B.J., Evans, D.J.A. (2020) 'Equifinality and preservation potential of complex eskers.' Boreas, 49(1) pp. 211-231.
Oien, R., Spagnolo, M., Rea, B., Barr, I., Bingham, R. (2020) 'Climatic controls on the equilibrium-line altitudes of Scandinavian cirque glaciers.' Geomorphology, 352pp. 106986-106986.
Schofield, J.E., Pearce, D.M., Mair, D.W.F., Rea, B.R., Lea, J.M., Kamenos, N.A., Schoenrock, K.M., Barr, I.D., Edwards, K.J. (2020) 'Pushing the Limits: Palynological Investigations at the Margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Norse Western Settlement.' Environmental Archaeology, 27(2) pp. 228-242.
Swindles, G., Morris, P., Mullan, D., Payne, R., Roland, T., Amesbury, M., Lamentowicz, M., Turner, E., Gallego-Sala, A., Sim, T., Barr, I., Blaauw, M., Blundell, A., Chambers, F., Charman, D., Feurdean, A., Galloway, J., Galka, M., Green, S., Kajukalo, K., Karofeld, E., Korhola, A., Lamentowicz, L., Langdon, P., Marcisz, K., Mauquoy, D., Mazei, Y., McKeown, M., Mitchell, E., Novenko, N., Plunkett, G., Roe, H., Schoning, K., Sillasoo, Ü., Tsyganov, A., van der Linden, M., Vallranta, M., Warner, B. (2019) 'Widespread drying of European peatlands in recent centuries.' Nature Geoscience, 12(11) pp. 922-928.
Lovell, H., Livingstone, S.J., Boston, C.M., Booth, A.D., Storrar, R.D., Barr, I.D. (2019) 'Complex kame belt morphology, stratigraphy and architecture.' Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44(13) pp. 2685-2702.
Barr, I.D., Ely, J.C., Spagnolo, M., Evans, I.S., Tomkins, M.D. (2019) 'The dynamics of mountain erosion: cirque growth slows as landscapes age.' Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44(13) pp. 2628-2637.
Saini, R., Sharma, M.C., Deswal, S., Barr, I.D., Kumar, P., Kumar, P., Kumar, P., Chopra, S. (2019) 'Glacio-archaeological evidence of permanent settlements within a glacier end moraine complex during 980-1840 AD: The Miyar Basin, Lahaul Himalaya, India.' Anthropocene, 26pp. 100197-100197.
Lovell, H., Benn, D., Lukas, S., Ottesen, D., Luckman, A., Hardiman, M., Barr, I., Boston, C., Sevestre, H. (2018) 'Multiple Late Holocene surges of a High-Arctic tidewater glacier system in Svalbard.' Quaternary Science Reviews, 201pp. 162-185.
Mullan, D., Matthews, T., Vandaele, K., Barr, I., Swindles, G., Meneely, J., Boardman, J., Murphy, C. (2018) 'Climate impacts on soil erosion and muddy flooding at 1.5°C vs 2°C warming.' Land Degradation and Development, 30pp. 94-108.
Chandler, B., Lovell, H., Boston, C., Lukas, S., Barr, I., Benediktsson, Í.Ö., Benn, D., Clark, C., Darvill, C., Evans, D., Ewertowski, M., Loibl, D., Margold, M., Otto, J.C., Roberts, D., Stokes, C., Storrar, R., Stroeven, A. (2018) 'Glacial geomorphological mapping: A review of approaches and frameworks for best practice.' Earth-Science Reviews, 185pp. 806-846.
Tomkins, M., Dortch, J., Hughes, P., Huck, J., Tonkin, T., Barr, I.D. (2018) 'Timing of glacial retreat in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland, conditioned by glacier size and topography.' Journal of Quaternary Science, 33(6) pp. 611-623.
Barr, I.D., Dokukin, M., Kougkoulos, I., Livingstone, S., Lovell, H., Małecki, J., Muraviev, A. (2018) 'Using ArcticDEM to Analyse the Dimensions and Dynamics of Debris-Covered Glaciers in Kamchatka, Russia.' Geosciences, 8(6)
Barr, I.D., Lynch, C., Mullan, D., De Siena, L., Spagnolo, M. (2018) 'Volcanic impacts on modern glaciers: a global synthesis.' Earth-Science Reviews, 182pp. 186-203.
Tomkins, M., Huck, J., Dortch, J., Hughes, P., Kirkbride, M., Barr, I.D. (2018) 'Schmidt Hammer exposure dating (SHED): Calibration procedures, new exposure age data and an online calculator.' Quaternary Geochronology, 44pp. 55-62.
Clark, C.D., Ely, J.C., Greenwood, S.L., Hughes, A.L.C., Meehan, R., Barr, I.D., Bateman, M.D., Bradwell, T., Doole, J., Evans, D.J.A., Jordan, C.J., Monteys, X., Pellicer, X.M., Sheehy, M. (2018) 'BRITICE Glacial Map, version 2: a map and GIS database of glacial landforms of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet.' Boreas, 47(1) pp. 11-e8.
Flood, R.P., Barr, I.D., Weltje, G.J., Roberson, S., Russell, M.I., Meneely, J., Orford, J.D. (2018) 'Provenance and depositional variability of the Thin Mud Facies in the lower Ganges-Brahmaputra delta,West Bengal Sundarbans, India.' Marine Geology, 395pp. 198-218.
Barr, I.D., Ely, J.C., Spagnolo, M., Clark, C.D., Evans, I.S., Pellicer, X.M., Pellitero, R., Rea, B.R. (2017) 'Climate patterns during former periods of mountain glaciation in Britain and Ireland: Inferences from the cirque record.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 485pp. 466-475.
Ely, J.C., Graham, C., Barr, I.D., Rea, B.R., Spagnolo, M., Evans, J. (2017) 'Using UAV acquired photography and structure from motion techniques for studying glacier landforms: application to the glacial flutes at Isfallsglaciären.' Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 42(6) pp. 877-888.
Meyer, V.D., Barr, I.D. (2017) 'Linking glacier extent and summer temperature in NE Russia - Implications for precipitation during the global Last Glacial Maximum.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 470pp. 72-80.
Spagnolo, M., Pellitero, R., Barr, I.D., Ely, J.C., Pellicer, X.M., Rea, B.R. (2017) 'ACME, a GIS tool for Automated Cirque Metric Extraction.' Geomorphology, 278pp. 280-286.
Barr, I.D., Roberson, S., Flood, R., Dortch, J. (2017) 'Younger Dryas glaciers and climate in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland.' Journal of Quaternary Science, 32(1) pp. 104-115.
Flood, R.P., Bloemsma, M.R., Weltje, G.J., Barr, I.D., O'Rourke, S.M., Turner, J.N., Orford, J.D. (2016) 'Compositional data analysis of Holocene sediments from the West Bengal Sundarbans, India: Geochemical proxies for grain-size variability in a delta environment.' Applied Geochemistry, 75pp. 222-235.
Lynch, C.M., Barr, I.D., Mullan, D., Ruffell, A. (2016) 'Rapid glacial retreat on the Kamchatka Peninsula during the early 21st century.' Cryosphere, 10(4) pp. 1809-1821.
Barr, I.D., Spagnolo, M. (2015) 'Glacial cirques as palaeoenvironmental indicators: Their potential and limitations.' Earth-Science Reviews, 151pp. 48-78.
Barr, I.D., Spagnolo, M. (2015) 'Understanding controls on cirque floor altitudes: Insights from Kamchatka.' Geomorphology, 248pp. 1-13.
Hillier, J.K., Smith, M.J., Armugam, R., Barr, I., Boston, C.M., Clark, C.D., Ely, J., Fankl, A., Greenwood, S.L., Gosselin, L., Hättestrand, C., Hogan, K., Hughes, A.L.C., Livingstone, S.J., Lovell, H., McHenry, M., Munoz, Y., Pellicer, X.M., Pellitero, R., Robb, C., Roberson, S., Ruther, D., Spagnolo, M., Standell, M., Stokes, C.R., Storrar, R., Tate, N.J., Wooldridge, K. (2015) 'Manual mapping of drumlins in synthetic landscapes to assess operator effectiveness.' Journal of Maps, 11(5) pp. 719-729.
Barr, I.D., Lovell, H. (2014) 'A review of topographic controls on moraine distribution.' Geomorphology, 226pp. 44-64.
Barr, I.D., Solomina, O. (2014) 'Reprint of "Pleistocene and Holocene glacier fluctuations upon the Kamchatka Peninsula".' Global and Planetary Change, 134pp. 155-165.
Barr, I.D., Spagnolo, M. (2014) 'Testing the efficacy of the glacial buzzsaw: Insights from the Sredinny Mountains, Kamchatka.' Geomorphology, 206pp. 230-238.
Barr, I.D., Solomina, O. (2014) 'Pleistocene and Holocene glacier fluctuations upon the Kamchatka Peninsula.' Global and Planetary Change, 113pp. 110-120.
Barr, I.D., Spagnolo, M. (2013) 'Palaeoglacial and palaeoclimatic conditions in the NW Pacific, as revealed by a morphometric analysis of cirques upon the Kamchatka Peninsula.' Geomorphology, 192pp. 15-29.
Barr, I.D., Clark, C.D. (2012) 'An updated moraine map of Far NE Russia.' Journal of Maps, 8(4) pp. 431-436.
Barr, I.D., Clark, C.D. (2012) 'Late Quaternary glaciations in Far NE Russia; combining moraines, topography and chronology to assess regional and global glaciation synchrony.' Quaternary Science Reviews, 53pp. 72-87.
Barr, I.D., Clark, C.D. (2011) 'Glaciers and climate in Pacific Far NE Russia during the Last Glacial Maximum.' Journal of Quaternary Science, 26(2) pp. 227-237.
Ng, F.S.L., Barr, I.D., Clark, C.D. (2010) 'Using the surface profiles of modern ice masses to inform palaeo-glacier reconstructions.' Quaternary Science Reviews, 29(23-24) pp. 3240-3255.
Barr, I.D., Clark, C.D. (2009) 'Distribution and pattern of moraines in far ne Russia reveal former glacial extent.' Journal of Maps, 5(1) pp. 186-193.
Career history
2022-PRESENT
Reader in Physical Geography, Manchester Metropolitan University
2017-2022
Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Manchester Metropolitan University
2012-2017
Lecturer in Environmental Change, Queen’s University Belfast
2011-2012
Lecturer in Physical Geography, Queen Mary, University of London
2010-2011
Lecturer in Environmental Science and GIS, Liverpool John Moores University
2005-2009
PhD. Palaeoglaciology and Remote Sensing, University of Sheffield
Press and media
Research findings in the media:
Glaciers can give us clues about when a volcano might erupt
Glaciers on volcanoes could serve as early-warning systems
Glaciers have existed on Earth for at least 60 million years – far longer than previously thought
Rapid glacial advance reconstructed during the time of Norse occupation in Greenland
Cautionary UN report on climate change informed by Manchester Metropolitan researcher