Allen Pope (GIAR 2009 and 2011) spent six field seasons in the Arctic and Antarctic discovering how complex the answer to this question is. In 2011, his Sigma Xi grant help fund travel costs and the superjeep hire necessary for reaching the research site on the Langjökull Icecap, Iceland.
Allen's ongoing research is centered on using photoclinometry to interpolate an incomplete LiDAR survey of the Langjökull Icecap, using the resulting data set to investigate how the icecap has evolved over the last decade. Findings included a revised mass balance of the icecap, visualization of a recent surge of outlet Hagafellsjökull Eystri, and potential clues as to the future behavior of the icecap. More information on Allen and his research.
At the time of his GIAR in 2011, Pope was a doctoral candidate in the Geosciences at Cambridge University, United Kingdom.