Staff profile

2012 - 2017: PhD “The Glacial Geomorphology of the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial in Britain”, Durham University. Supervised by Professor Colm Ó Cofaigh, Professor Dave Evans and Professor Chris Stokes. Examined by Professor Mike Bentley (Durham University) and Dr Tom Bradwell (University of Stirling). Funded by Department of Geography PhD studentship from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

2011-2012: Laboratory Internship, Department of Geography, University of St Andrews.

2007 - 2011: BSc Geography (1st Class Hons), University of St Andrews (George Cumming Memorial Book Prize, 2011)

Research Interests

Since developing an interest in the Younger Dryas/Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS) during my undergraduate degree, my research has primarily concerned the nature of glaciation in Britain during this abrupt return to cold conditions between 12.9 and 11.7 ka.

My undergraduate dissertation “The reconstruction of Loch Lomond Stade glaciers in the Moffat Hills, Scotland” combined analysis of aerial photographs with fieldwork visits to map the glacial geomorphology of this area which, until recently, had received comparatively little attention. The geomorphological evidence was used to reconstruct a plausible ice mass configuration, which was then used to calculate palaeoclimate estimates of temperature and precipitation.

My PhD aimed to address the fragmented and spatially inconsistent nature of LLS research in Britain and create a coherent picture of the extent, style and dynamics of glaciation during the stadial. This was done by compiling geomorphological evidence from the previously published literature into a GIS database. The resulting database contains over 95,000 features, which are organised into thematic layers within the GIS and the shapefiles are available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17445647.2016.1145149. Compilation of the database gave me the opportunity to critically assess the evidence in the most comprehensive review of the LLS in Britain to date, allowing identification of themes common to multiple sub-regions and highlighting where further work is required to address persisting uncertainties. From the database, I constructed five glacial landsystem models that reflect the styles of LLS glaciation in Britain and mapped the spatial distribution of these to highlight the importance of pre-existing topography and palaeoclimate as controls on glaciation during the stadial.

Chapter in book

• Evans, D.J.A., Brown, V.H., Roberts, D.H., Innes, J.B., Bickerdike, H.L., Vieli, A. & Wilson, P. (2015). Wasdale Head. In The Quaternary of the Lake District Field Guide. Macdougall, D.A. & Evans, D.J.A. Quaternary Research Association. 213-240.
• McDougall, D.A., Bickerdike, H.L. & Evans, D.J.A. (2015). Glaciation in Deepdale. In The Quaternary of the Lake District: Field Guide. McDougall, D.A. & Evans, D.J.A. Quaternary Research Association. 241-254.
• McDougall, D.A., Bickerdike, H.L. & Evans, D.J.A. (2015). Glaciation style and moraine development in the Pasture Beck and Hayeswater valleys. In The Quaternary of the Lake District: Field Guide. McDougall, D.A. & Evans, D.J.A. Quaternary Research Association. 111-128.
• Bickerdike, H.L., Evans, D.J.A., McDougall, D.A. & Vieli, A. (2015). Overview of the Younger Dryas glaciation in the Lake District. In The Quaternary of the Lake District: Field Guide. McDougall, D.A. & Evans, D.J.A. Quaternary Research Association. 29-63.

Journal Article

• Bickerdike, H.L., Evans, D.J.A., Stokes, C.R. & Ó Cofaigh, C. (2018). The Glacial Geomorphology of the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial in Britain: a review. Journal of Quaternary Science 33(1): 1-54.
• Bickerdike, H.L., Ó Cofaigh, C., Evans, D.J.A & Stokes, C.R. (2018). Glacial landsystems, retreat dynamics and controls on Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas) glaciation in Britain. Boreas 47(1): 202-224.
• Bickerdike,H., Evans, D.J.A., Ó Cofaigh, C. & Stokes, C.R. (2016). The glacial geomorphology of the Loch Lomond Stadial in Britain: a map and geographic information system resource of published evidence. Journal of Maps 12(5): 1178-1186.

Presentation

• Bickerdike, H.L., Ó Cofaigh, C., Evans, D.J.A. & Stokes, C.R. (2015), ‘The geomorphology and extent of Loch Lomond Stadial glaciers in Britain: a map and GIS resource' (poster presentation), International Glaciology Society British Branch Meeting. Durham, England.
• Bickerdike, H.L., Evans, D.J.A., Ó Cofaigh, C. & Stokes, C.R. (2015), ‘Glacial geomorphology of the Loch Lomond Stadial in Britain: a map and GIS resource’, XIX INQUA Congress. Nagoya, Japan.
• Bickerdike, H.L., Evans, D.J.A., Stokes, C.R. & Ó Cofaigh, C. (2014), 'Reconstructing the maximum extent of Loch Lomond Stadial glaciation in Britain' (poster presentation), Quaternary Research Association 50th ADM. London, England.
• Bickerdike, H.L., Evans, D.J.A., Ó Cofaigh, C. & Stokes, C.R. (2014), ‘Reconstructing the maximum extent of Loch Lomond Stadial glaciation in Britain' (poster presentation), Sages 5th SURGE Meeting. Glasgow, Scotland.