Nicola Mingotti
Over the last few decades, several marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica have retreated. Submarine melting of the calving glacier fronts is thought to be one of the dominant drivers of this retreat. In fact, for ice floating on seawater, the volume loss below the surface can be several times larger than the loss due
Green hydrogen is generated by splitting water molecules through electrolysis and producing it using electricity from renewable sources is crucial for transitioning to a net-zero economy. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers are leading technologies for this process. Central to these systems is the oxygen-forming reaction, which demands strongly acidic conditions. This step, where water molecules
The upwelling of warm Circumpolar Deep Water is a key process in the global climate system, transporting heat, nutrients, and carbon poleward towards Antarctic ice shelves. Dr Ali Mashayek and colleagues from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego have recently co-authored a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment, in which physical
The ocean plays a central role in the global carbon cycle. Ocean water can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it at depth for hundreds or thousands of years. In fact, it is estimated that the deep ocean contains a massive reservoir of carbon, which dwarfs all other reservoirs combined (including vegetation, soil
The interdisciplinary study of volcanic processes requires a multitude of approaches, ranging from analogue and numerical modelling to observations and fieldwork and extending to mathematics. In September 2025, a conference was held at the East African Institute for Fundamental Research in Kigali, affiliated with the University of Rwanda, a country which, along with the Democratic
Deep ocean water contains a very large reservoir of carbon, and so understanding how this water moves and mixes over time is essential for all climate models. Over the last few decades, observations have shown that passive tracers initially located in the deep ocean have gradually resurfaced, suggesting that there are pathways through which deep
How do we deliver a low-carbon future while meeting the world’s growing energy demands? On Wednesday 29 April, a webinar brought together professors and researchers from the Institute to explore practical, scalable solutions for the energy transition. Chaired by Professor Stuart Clarke, the session highlighted how fundamental research is enabling cleaner fuels, more efficient machines,
Numerical modelling is a key tool for understanding deep ocean dynamics, where observations remain sparse, particularly at submesoscales (1–30 km). Jonathan Gula, from the Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, uses high-resolution basin-scale and regional simulations to investigate how interactions between currents, topography, and mixing shape abyssal circulation and tracer transport. During
Water masses are large bodies of water with distinct properties. Identifying them helps us understand how the ocean moves, mixes, and transports heat, carbon, oxygen, and other properties. This usually requires detailed chemical measurements, which are typically only available in few sparse locations along ship tracks. In a new study co-authored by Dr Ali Mashayek,
To ensure that the carbon dioxide captured during industrial processes is safely stored underground, it is essential to have a detailed understanding of the different mechanisms by which CO2 is trapped in geological aquifers. PhD student Ross Shepherd has been studying the long-term, post-injection fate of carbon dioxide in deep aquifers. During today’s seminar,