David Glyn Vaughan OBE (23 October 1962 – 9 February 2023) was a

climate scientist Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , ''-logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of study ...

at the British Antarctic Survey. His research focus is the role of ice sheets in the Earth system and the societal threat of climate change and

rising sea levels Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starga ...

. He is a co-ordinating Lead Author of the

IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ...

Fourth Assessment Report. His research work includes the mapping of the bed under

Pine Island Glacier Pine Island Glacier (PIG) is a large ice stream, and the fastest melting glacier in Antarctica, responsible for about 25% of Antarctica's ice loss. The glacier ice streams flow west-northwest along the south side of the Hudson Mountains into Pine ...

and the discovery of a subglacial volcano. Between March 2009 and November 2013 Vaughan led the EU Ice2sea project, which focussed on

sea-level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryo ...

arising from

ice-sheet In glaciology, an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland; during the Last Glacial Period at La ...

and

glacier 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 ...

melt. Vaughan graduated from Churchill College, Cambridge with a degree in Natural Sciences in 1984. He then earned a MSc in

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' so ...

from Durham University ( Hatfield College) in 1985, after which he joined the British Antarctic Survey, taking part in multiple field campaigns over the following years. He gained his PhD from the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

in 1995. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to glaciology. He died of stomach cancer on 9 February 2023, at the age of 60.

References

External links

British Antarctic Survey Staff Directory and Profiles
1962 births 2023 deaths Deaths from stomach cancer British climatologists Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lead authors Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge {{climate-bio-stub