The aim of this project is to generate new understanding of glacier and ice-sheet dynamics. Specifically, it will improve theoretical models of the physical processes occurring at the base of the ice, and develop the means to integrate these into large-scale simulations used to forecast ice melting and sea level rise. This will provide a vital step forward in the capabilities of these models to describe and predict the rapid changes that are observed. It will be achieved by developing and solving detailed small-scale models, identifying the fundamental couplings to large-scale ice dynamics,and upscaling the results of the models to derive appropriate parameterizations for use on the larger scale. The results will enable more reliable forecasts of future sea level and a deeper understanding of how ice sheets work.The project will bolster wider efforts at Oxford to understand the climate system and the impacts of climate change. It will form a core focus and launch pad for further expansion of the mathematical geoscience group, developing inter-disciplinary exchange between mathematicians, physicists and climate scientists, within the UK and internationally.