In general, I am interested in the flow dynamics and climatic response of valley glaciers. This has led to that my research involves studies of glacier mass balance relationships and the coupling between dynamical and hydrological processes in glaciers.

My current work focus much on the dynamics of the cold surface layer of poythermal glaciers and its response to climate change. Many glaciers in the arctic and sub-arctic are polythermal as a result of the climate and forms similar to permafrost in ground. As a consequence, the thermal regime is likely sensitive to present and future changes in the climate. A changing thermal regime of glaciers may have implications for glacier hydrology and lead to unique ice flow characteristics. It also may change the glacier’s ability to erode the substratum and the release of nutrients in water run-off which may have an impact on ecosystems in streams and lakes far downstream from the glaciated catchments. I study the processes governing the spatial and temporal variation in the thermal structure of polythermal glaciers, to give better understanding of the relationship between the polythermal structure and climate. This is done by measurements of ice dynamics, mass balance, ice temperatures and energy exchange with the atmosphere and mapping of the thermal regime using ground penetrating radar imaging in combination with numerical modeling.

I'm also involved in studies of the dynamical state of Vesfonna and Nordenskiöldbreen, Svalbard and the behavior of the ice streams of West Antarctica.

• Jansson, P., Pettersson R., (accepted Oct 2006). Spatial and temporal characteristics of a long mass balance record, Storglaciären, Sweden. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research.
• Jansson, P., Linderholm, H. W., Pettersson R., Karlin T., and Mörth, C-M., (accepted Oct 2006). Assessing the possibility to couple the chemical signal in winter snow on Storglaciären to atmospheric climatology. Annals of Glaciology, 46.
• Pettersson, R., Jansson, P., Huwald, H., Blatter, H. 2007. Dynamics of the cold surface layer on Storglaciären. Journal of Glaciology, 53(180), 99-109.
• Holmlund, P., Jansson, P. , Pettersson, R., 2005. A re-analysis of the 58 year mass balance record of Storglaciären, Sweden. Annals of Glaciology, 42, x–x.
• Karlöf, L., Isaksson, E., Winther, J-G., Gundestrup, N., Meijer, H.A .J., Mulvaney, R., Pourchet, M., Hofstede, C., Lappegard, G., Pettersson, R., Broeke, M. van den, Wal, R.S.W van den, 2005. Accumulation variability in a small area in east Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, as determined from shallow firn cores and snow pits: some implications for ice core records. Journal of Glaciology, 51(174), 343–352.
• Pettersson, R., 2005. Frequency dependence in detection of the cold-temperate transition surface in a polythermal glacier. Radio Science, 40, RS3007, doi:10.1029/2004RS003090.
• Pettersson, R., Jansson, P., Blatter, H., 2004. Spatial variability in water content at the cold-temperate transition surface of the polythermal Storglaciären, Sweden. Journal of Geophysical Research, 109(F2), doi:10.1029/2003JF000110.
• Pettersson, R., Jansson, P., Holmlund P., 2003. Thinning of the cold surface layer on Storglaciären, Sweden observed with repeated ground penetrating radar. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108(F1), 6004, doi:10.1029/2003JF000024.
• Hedfors, J., Pohjola, V., Peyaud, V., Jansson, P., Pettersson, R., 2003: Investigating extrusion flow on Storglaciären, Swedem using force budget analysis. Annals of Glaciology, 37, 263-268.
• Grinsted A., Sinisalo, A., Moore, J., Kärkäs, E., Pettersson, R., 2003: Snow accumulation studies in Antarctica with ground penetrating radar using 50, 100 and 800 MHz frequencies. Annals of Glaciology, 37, 194-198.
• Glasser, N. F., Hambrey, M. J., Etienne, J, L., Jansson, P., Pettersson, R., 2003: The origin and significance of debris-chaged ridges at the surface of Storglaciären, northern Sweden. Geografiska Annaler, 85A(2), 127-147.
• Jansson, P., Näslund, J.-O., Pettersson, R., Richardsson-Näslund, C., Holmlund, P., 2001: Debris entrainment and polythermal structure on the terminus of Storglaciären. IAHS publication, 264, 143-151.
• Karlöf, L., Winther, J-G., Isaksson, E., Kohler, J., Pinglot, J. F., Wilhelms, F., Hansson, M., Holmlund P., Nyman, M., Pettersson, R., Stenberg, M., Thomassen, M. P. A., Van der Veen, C., Van de Wal, R. S. W., 2000: A 1500 year record of accumulation at Amundsenisen western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, derived from electrical and radioactive measurements on a 120m ice core. Journal pf Geophysical Research, 105(D10), 12,471-12,483.
• Holmlund, P., Gjerde, K., Gundestrup, N., Hansson, M., Isaksson, E., Karlöf, L., Nyman, M., Pettersson, R., Pinglot, F. J., Reijmer, C., Stenberg, M., Thomassen, M., van der Wal, R. S. W., Wilhelms, F., Winther, J-G., 2000: Spatial gradients in snow layering and then metre temperatures at potential EPICA-DML drill sites. Annals of Glaciology, 30, 13-19.

Before I came to Uppsala Univeristy in October 2006, I was Assistant Professor in Physics at St. Olaf College, USA, where I was involved in a research project about ice-stream dynamics on West Antarctica. I made my doctorate at Stockholm University, Sweden and graduated in June 2004 with the thesis "Dynamics of the cold surface layer of polythermal storglaciären, Sweden". The thesis received the Alforska award for outstanding doctoral thesis in Earth sciences, 2005.