Claudio Bravo

Profile

2008
BSc Geography, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

2008-2010 and 2014-2016
Assistant Research, Glaciology Lab. Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECs), Valdivia, Chile.

2011-2013
MSc Geophysics (Atmospheric Sciences), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Grants

• Leeds for Life Conference Award 2018
• PhD International grant, National Office of Science and Technology of Chile (CONICYT), 2016.
• Short research stay at University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). ACCION project.
• Short research stay at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Universidad de Chile grant for postgraduate students.
• MSc National grant, National Office of Science and Technology of Chile (CONICYT), 2012.

Research interests

Background

Glaciers in the Chilean Andes have shown significant frontal retreats, area shrinkage and ice thinning since the Little Ice Age (LIA). This deglaciation has shown an accelerating trend in recent decades mainly in response to high altitude atmospheric warming and inter annual and decadal precipitations variability that is driven largely by the different phases of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. An important region with a great accumulation of glaciers is Patagonia, where the glaciers are currently shrinking rapidly. With the actual glacier shrinkage observed in the last decades as a fact, we need to modelled the future response of glaciers, considered last IPCC (2013) report indicates increased warming and less precipitation for Chile for the present century.

This project will make use simulations over Patagonia region, specifically the northern part of the South Patagonian Icefield, to drive a bespoke and dynamic glacier model that accurately simulates the variability in mass balance and surface energy balance. By using multiple climate simulations, and by varying the terrain and surface characteristic data on which the glacier model is built, it will thus be possible to test the glacier model sensitivity to these inputs and, ultimately, better quantify uncertainty in predictions of future glacier recession in the region.

Objectives

• Integrate recent advances in both atmospheric and glacier modelling to produce more detailed and accurate predictions of glacier response to current and future climate change.
• Use novel high-resolution atmospheric simulations to validate and downscale coarser climate simulations of temperature and precipitation.
• Feed these refined climate inputs into a 3-D glacier energy and mass balance model simulating glacier volume and runoff changes, constrained and validated by critical field observations.
• Test the glacier model sensitivity to the various model inputs in order to quantify uncertainty in glacier changes under future climate scenarios.

Qualifications

• MSc Geophysics (Atmospheric Sciences), Universidad de Chile (2013)
• BSc Geography, Universidad de Chile (2008)

Research groups and institutes

• River Basin Processes and Management