David Vaughan (glaciologist)

David Vaughan
OBE
Born(1962-10-23)23 October 1962
Akrotiri, Cyprus
Died9 February 2023(2023-02-09) (aged 60)
EducationChurchill College, Cambridge (BA)
Durham University (MSc)
Open University (PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsGlaciology
WorkplacesBritish Antarctic Survey
WebsiteBAS profile

David Glyn Vaughan (23 October 1962 – 9 February 2023) was a British glaciologist and climate scientist who worked at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

His research focused on the role of ice sheets in the Earth system and their contribution to sea level rise.[1]

Early life and education

Vaughan was born on 23 October 1962 in Akrotiri, Cyprus. He attended Yateley Comprehensive School and Ivybridge School and Community College.[1] He graduated from Churchill College, Cambridge with a degree in natural sciences in 1984.[2]

He then studied geophysics at Durham University, where he was a member of Hatfield College, receiving an MSc in 1985.[2] He subsequently received his PhD from the Open University in 1995.[2]

Career and research

Vaughan joined the British Antarctic Survey in 1985 and took part in numerous Antarctic field campaigns.[2] His research concentrated on the behaviour of the Antarctic ice sheet and the contribution of melting ice sheets and glaciers to global sea-level rise. He was a coordinating lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report.[1]

His research included mapping the subglacial topography beneath Pine Island Glacier, providing new information about the bed on which the West Antarctic Ice Sheet rests.[3] He was also involved in research that identified evidence of a volcanic eruption beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet approximately 2,000 years previously.[4][5]

From March 2009 to November 2013, Vaughan led Ice2sea, a European Union research programme investigating the contribution of continental ice to future sea-level rise.[6] He served as Director of Science at the British Antarctic Survey from 2014 to 2021.[7]

Honours

Vaughan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to glaciology.[8]

Death

Vaughan died from stomach cancer on 9 February 2023, aged 60.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "British Antarctic Survey Staff Profile". Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Vaughan, Dr David Glyn, (23 Oct. 1962–9 Feb. 2023), Director of Science, British Antarctic Survey, 2014–21". Who's Who (December 2023 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 30 August 2026. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ↑ Vaughan, D. G.; Corr, H. F. J.; Ferraccioli, F.; Frearson, N.; O'Hare, A.; Mach, D.; Holt, J. W.; Blankenship, D. D.; Morse, D. L.; Young, D. A. (2006). "New boundary conditions for the West Antarctic ice sheet: Subglacial topography beneath Pine Island Glacier" (PDF). Geophysical Research Letters. 33 (9): L09501. Bibcode:2006GeoRL..33.9501V. doi:10.1029/2005GL025588. S2CID 128406976.
  4. ↑ Black, Richard (20 January 2008). "Ancient Antarctic eruption noted". BBC News. London: BBC. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Corr, H. F. J.; Vaughan, D. G. (2008). "A recent volcanic eruption beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet". Nature Geoscience. 1 (2): 122–125. Bibcode:2008NatGe...1..122C. doi:10.1038/ngeo106.
  6. ↑ "Estimating the future contribution of continental ice to sea-level rise". CORDIS. European Commission. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Professor David G Vaughan OBE". British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N14.
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