Ricarda Winkelmann

CR Cryospheric Sciences

The 2017 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Ricarda Winkelmann for her innovative contributions to glaciology and the study of the interactions between climate and glaciation.

The research of Ricarda Winkelmann has focused on the role of the cryosphere in the climate system and the future climate impacts of large ice masses on a global scale. Winkelmann has been instrumental in the development of the Potsdam Parallel Ice Sheet model, done theoretical work on the relationships between climate and glaciation, and studied the impact of large ice masses on global sea level change. Her papers are a testament to her exceptional clarity of thought and physical insight. She has studied and quantified the impact of global warming on the Antarctic Ice Sheet,, for example, showing that future combustion of available fossil fuel resources will cause the sheet to fully melt. Winkelmann has also shown how future increase in snowfall over Antarctica will lead to increased ice discharge into the oceans, countering an otherwise negative contribution to global sea level change.