Cuchlaine Audrey Muriel King (26 June 1922 – 17 December 2019) was a British

geomorphologist Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...

known for her work in

glaciology Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climato ...

and her extensive writings on the

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

coasts The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

and beaches. She, with John P Cole, was one of the first to produce a book on

quantitative methods Quantitative research is a research strategy that focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of data. It is formed from a deductive approach where emphasis is placed on the testing of theory, shaped by empiricist and positivist philosop ...

in geography.

Early life and education

Born into an educated family, her father was the geologist W.B.R. King. She studied at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and earned her bachelor's degree in geography in 1942. She then joined the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

and became a

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

and

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

for the duration of World War II. After her service, she returned to Cambridge and researched sand movement on beaches, earning her doctorate in 1949.

Career and research

King spent her career studying the influence of glaciers on landscape evolution, an offshoot of her doctoral work, which continued throughout her career. She went on expeditions to

Skaftafell Skaftafell () is a preservation area in Öræfi, southeast Iceland. It was once a major farm, later being named a national park. Originally known as Skaftafell National Park, it was subsequently joined together with other nearby regions to form t ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

in 1953 and 1954 to study the

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

there. It was unusual at that time for young women to be allowed to participate in fieldwork in such remote, rudimentary areas of

. The expeditions resulted in a series of papers in 1955 and 1956. Because of her gender, her participation in fieldwork trips was discouraged. However, she participated in research on

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...

in the 1960s and the

Austerdalsbreen Austerdalsbreen is a glacier in the municipality of Luster in Vestland, Norway. It is a side branch of the Jostedalsbreen glacier, and is included in the Jostedalsbreen National Park. The glacier is fed by the three steep glaciers Odinbreen, Tor ...

glacier in Norway, and led fieldwork expeditions of her own throughout the Arctic. She published several books throughout her career, including 1973s ''Beaches and Coasts'', the first book published to offer an overview of coastal geomorphology. In 1959, King began teaching at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

, where she remained for the rest of her career. She became a professor in 1969, after several delays in her promotion due to discrimination. King was one of the earliest women to become a professor of geography in the United Kingdom, and she retired in 1982. Cuchlaine King was honoured with the David Linton Award of the

British Society for Geomorphology The ''British Society for Geomorphology'' (BSG), incorporating the British Geomorphological Research Group (BGRG), is the professional organisation for British geomorphologist Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; ...

in 1991.

Legacy

The University of Nottingham has named geography laboratories in King's honour.

Publications

* ''Beaches and Coasts'' (1960) * ''Quantitative Geography'', J.P. Cole and C.A.M. King, London: John Wiley (1968) * ''Techniques in geomorphology'' C.A.M. King, London: Arnold (1966) * ''Physical Geography'' Cuchlaine A.M.King, London: Blackwell (1980)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Cuchlaine 1922 births 2019 deaths Women geographers British women scientists British geomorphologists British glaciologists Women glaciologists Academics of the University of Nottingham Alumni of the University of Cambridge