Home | For Faculty | Help | About | Webmaster

Eric Rignot

Professor, Earth System Science
School of Physical Sciences

Senior Research Scientist, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Radar Science and Engineering


Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1991, Electrical Engineering


M.S., University of Southern California, 1988, Electrical Engineering


M.S., University of Southern California, 1987, Aerospace Engineering


Engr., Ecole Centrale Arts et Manufactures Paris, 1985


M.S., University Paris VI, 1986, Astronomy and Astrophysics

Phone: 949 824 3739
Fax: 818 393 5184
Email: erignot@uci.edu

University of California, Irvine
Croul Hall
Irvine, CA 92697

picture of Eric  Rignot

Research
Interests
Glaciology, climate change, radar remote sensing, ice sheet modeling, interferometry, radio echo sounding, ice-ocean interactions
   
URLs Rignot Research Group
   
Earth System Science
   
Academic
Distinctions
NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, 2007.
JPL Edward Stone Award for Outstanding Research Publication in 2004.
JPL Level A Award for Technical Achievement, 2004.
NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, 2003.
Nomination of "Rignot Glacier, Antarctica" by U. S. Board Geogr. Names, 2003.
JPL Edward Stone Award for Outstanding Research Publication in 2002.
JPL Director Lew Allen Award for Excellence in 1998.
IEEE Geos. Rem. Sens. Soc. Award for Best Journal Paper published in 1994.
IEEE Geos. Rem. Sens. Soc. Award for Best Oral Paper at IGARSS'90 Symposium.
11 NASA Certificates of Recognition between 1988 and 1993.
   
Research
Abstract
Our research group is interested in understanding the interactions of ice and climate, in particular to determine how the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland will respond to climate change in the coming century and how they will affect global sea level.

Our research work combines satellite remote sensing techniques (imaging radar, laser altimetry, radio echo sounding), airborne geophysical surveys, field surveys (GPR, GPS) and numerical modeling (ice sheet motion and ocean circulation near glaciers) and spans from the cold, vast, dry interior regions of Antarctica to the warm, wet, narrow, dynamic glaciers of Patagonia, Chile.

Glaciology mixes different scientific and engineeering disciplines and is at the corner stone of Earth System Science. Ice interacts with the atmosphere, but also with the surrounding ocean and has its own internal dynamics. We are therefore regrouping many different types of science disciplines, not just glaciology.

With the advent of satellites, we are looking at ice sheets at an unprecedented level of spatial details over vast areas. At the same time, rapid changes are taking place in polar and sub-polar regions of broad scientific and societal relevance. This is therefore a very exciting time of exploration, discovery and major scientific advances, emerging new science of high societal relevance, filled with many opportunities to connect with amazing natural landscapes.

Our research group in glaciology has currently 7 members, 4 at UC Irvine (2 postdocs, 1 PhD, 1 Prof), 4 at JPL (2 PhD, 2 full time researchers), working on ice sheet numerical models, ice-ocean interactions and remote sensing of ice motion in Greenland and Antarctica and establishing a frequent communications between the two settings. UC Irvine ESS hosts two other Professors deeply involved with glaciological research, Velicogna and Dupont, with several other PhDs students and postdocs, and the rest of the faculty covers all major aspects of Earth System Science, so students are exposed to a very broad and comprehensive spectrum of research that is fairly unique among US universities. We are looking at a steady growth of research in cryospheric sciences at UCI in years to come.
   
Publications Rignot, E., J. Mouginot, and B. Scheuchl (2011), Ice Flow of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Science, doi 10.1126/science.1208336.
   
  Rignot, E., J. Mouginot, and B. Scheuchl (2011), Antarctic grounding line mapping from differential satellite radar interferometry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L10504, doi:10.1029/2011GL047109.
   
  Rignot, E., Velicogna, I., van den Broeke, M.R., Monaghan, A., & Lenaerts, J. (2011) acceleration of the contribution of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to sea level rise. Geophysical Research Letters, 38, L05503-L05508. doi 10.1029/2011GL046583
   
Professional
Societies
American Geophysical Union
International Glaciological Society
   
Link to this profile http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5467
   
Last updated 08/18/2011