Catherine Ritz Explained

Catherine Ritz
Nationality:French
Fields:Ice Sheets
Climatology
Workplaces:Centre national de la recherche scientifique
Université Grenoble Alpes

Catherine Ritz is a French Antarctic researcher, best known for her work on ice sheets and their impact on sea level rise.[1]

Early life and education

Catherine Ritz received her master's degree Maîtrise de Physique in physics in France in 1975.[2] She conducted her PhD research leading toward the degree Thèse de 3ème cycle in 1980 from the University of Grenoble,[3] and she received her Thèse de Doctorat d’Etat in 1992.[4]

Career and impact

Ritz is a climatologist and geographer known especially for her contributions to climate change research. She is a Senior Researcher for France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique de l’Environnement, and also is affiliated with the Université Grenoble Alpes.[5] Her research involves modeling polar ice cap evolution; using 3D models to examine changes in the ice sheets and ice shelves of Antarctica and Greenland; ice drilling; and investigation of sub-glacial isostasy. She has published over 70 articles.[6]

Among Ritz's more high-profile contributions is an article published in the journal Nature in December 2015. The article, based on research led by Ritz and Tamsin Edwards from The Open University, created models based on satellite data to examine the potential impact of Antarctic sea ice collapse on global sea levels. Using more comprehensive methods than those used in previous studies,[7] the team found that the collapse of Antarctic ice sheets would have serious consequences for sea level rise (up to a half-meter by 2100 in a high-emissions scenario),[8] but that the effects likely would not be as dramatic as other high-profile studies had predicted.[9] [10] The team found that the most likely outcome is a sea level rise 10 cm by 2100, assuming that greenhouse gases rise at a medium to high rate, and that it will be extremely unlikely for a rise of greater than 30 cm to occur.

Ritz also plays a prominent role in international efforts to monitor Antarctic ice and understand climate change. She is Chair of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level Expert Group;[11] member of the SCAR Antarctic Climate Change in the 21st Century Scientific Research Programme;[12] and member of the International Advisory Board of Ice Sheet Modellers to the BRITICE-CHRONO team, which is studying marine-influenced ice sheet decay of the British-Irish ice sheet[13]

Rirz was awarded the Seligman Crystal by the International Glaciological Society in 2020 for her work on ice sheet modelling and paleoclimate research.[14]

Selected writings

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Catherine Ritz. ResearchGate. 2016-06-22.
  2. Web site: Equipe Meca Personnel [fr]]. www-lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr. 2016-06-22.
  3. Web site: LGGE Literature Database -- Ritz Thesis. www-lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr. 2016-06-24.
  4. Web site: Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement - RITZ Catherine. lgge.osug.fr. 2016-06-22. 2016-08-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20160818170722/http://lgge.osug.fr/article134.html?lang=fr. dead.
  5. News: Big Antarctic ice melt scenarios 'not plausible' - BBC News. BBC News . 18 November 2015 . en-GB. 2016-06-22.
  6. Web site: Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement - Publications C. Ritz. lgge.osug.fr. 2016-06-22. 2017-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20170104165429/http://lgge.osug.fr/article423.html. dead.
  7. Web site: Sea level rise from Antarctic collapse may be slower than suggested. www.sciencedaily.com. 2016-06-22.
  8. Web site: Antarctica seen raising global seas by 2100 - Yale Climate Connections. 2016-04-07. Yale Climate Connections. en-US. 2016-06-22.
  9. Web site: Scientists say Antarctic melt may be less severe Times Gazette. www.thetimesgazette.com. 2016-06-22.
  10. Web site: Bristol University News November: Sea-level rise from Antarctic collapse. Bristol. University of. www.bristol.ac.uk. en-GB. 2016-06-22.
  11. Web site: Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Sea Level Expert Group. SCAR. www.scar.org. 2016-06-22.
  12. Web site: Antarctic Climate Change in the 21st Century. SCAR. www.scar.org. 2016-06-22.
  13. Web site: People BRITICE-CHRONO. www.britice-chrono.group.shef.ac.uk. 2016-06-22.
  14. Web site: Seligman awardee 2020 . International Glaciological Society . 7 December 2020.

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