#47
Researcher Spotlight: Dr. Richard Hann Seeing the Arctic from Above

An accidental journey north

Richard's path to becoming a polar researcher was anything but predictable.

Raised in southern Germany, far from glaciers and sea ice, he initially pursued engineering because it seemed practical and dependable. At the time, there was little indication that his future would unfold among some of the most remote icefields on Earth.

Then came a chance encounter with the Arctic.

While studying engineering, Richard spent time in Finland and developed a growing fascination with northern landscapes. One evening, almost on a whim, he applied for a university program in Svalbard after noticing that applications had been extended.

"It was late at night, I was drinking a beer, and I thought, why not?"

The decision changed his life.

The moment he arrived in Svalbard, he felt something shift. The extraordinary light. The vast glaciers. The wilderness. The feeling of standing at the very edge of the inhabited world. "Svalbard touched something in me." That connection has now lasted more than fourteen years.

A scientist who flies where others cannot walk

Many of the glaciers Richard studies are among the most dangerous places in the Arctic.

Crevasses can plunge tens of metres into the ice. Surface conditions change constantly. Entire sections of glacier fronts can collapse without warning. Traditional fieldwork often requires researchers to navigate this terrain on foot—a slow, difficult, and sometimes hazardous undertaking. 

Richard's solution comes from the sky.

What emerges is far more than a photograph.

The resulting maps reveal subtle changes in elevation, movement, melt patterns, fractures, drainage systems, and ice dynamics that would otherwise remain invisible.

"My specialty has become using drones—unmanned aircraft—to fly in cold climate environments."

The technology has opened up new possibilities for Arctic science. Instead of viewing glaciers as static landscapes, researchers can now observe them as dynamic systems constantly responding to forces deep within the ice and beneath the glacier itself.

Solving one of the Arctic's greatest glaciological mysteries

Among Richard's most fascinating research interests are Svalbard's surging glaciers.

Most glaciers move slowly and predictably. Surging glaciers behave differently. For decades they may appear stable. Then suddenly, they accelerate.

Ice that once crept forward a few metres per year can begin advancing hundreds of metres—or even kilometres—over remarkably short periods of time.

Entire glacier fronts can transform within a single season.

Scientists have been studying these events for decades, yet many fundamental questions remain unanswered.

• What triggers a surge?

• Why do some glaciers surge repeatedly while others never do?

• How does a warming climate influence the process?

The answers remain surprisingly elusive.

Today, approximately 36 percent of Svalbard's glaciers are known to display surge behaviour, making the archipelago one of the world's most important natural laboratories for studying the phenomenon.

Richard has become one of the scientists helping to unravel this mystery.

Working alongside international colleagues, he combines satellite observations, drone mapping, field measurements, geophysical surveys, palaeo-glaciology, seismology, and ground-penetrating radar to better understand the complex relationship between ice, water, bedrock, and climate.

His recent work helped contribute to the major Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System report: Surging Glaciers in Svalbard: Current Knowledge and Perspectives for Monitoring, which synthesizes the latest scientific understanding of these remarkable glaciers.

The findings highlight both how much has been learned—and how much remains unknown. For Richard, that uncertainty is part of the attraction.

Science beyond the lecture hall

What makes travelling with Richard particularly special is that guests aboard our Secret Atlas Expedition Micro Cruises do not simply hear about the science. They become part of the experience.

During our Svalbard Circumnavigation voyage, Richard plans to conduct drone surveys at several remote glaciers that have rarely—if ever—been scientifically mapped using this technology.

"On the circumnavigation trip, we will get this unique opportunity to go to a couple of glaciers that, as far as I know, we would be the first people to scientifically survey with a drone."

Guests will be able to watch drone operations unfold from the ship, learn how the technology works, see the subsequent footage which is quite dramatic, and follow the process from data collection through to final analysis.

Back aboard, Richard will share the results through interactive presentations, detailed 3D reconstructions, and even virtual reality experiences that allow guests to fly across glaciers from a completely new perspective.

Suddenly a glacier becomes more than scenery. It becomes a landscape that can be explored, measured, understood, and appreciated in entirely new ways.

Home in the High Arctic

For all his scientific achievements and the fact he is sometimes dropped off with his gear to conduct his studies by a helicopter on the edge of a glacial crevasse, Richard remains remarkably grounded. He spends much of the year writing proposals, analysing data, teaching students, and processing imagery. Like most scientists, only a small percentage of his time is spent in the field. Which is precisely why he treasures every return to Svalbard.

"Svalbard has been like home to me for more than fourteen years."

For Richard, like other scientists, this mysterious archipelago in the High North is a place of memories, friendships, discoveries, and stories. And those stories are something he loves sharing with guests.

His voyages with Secret Atlas have already earned him a loyal following among travellers who appreciate both his expertise and his enthusiasm. Guests quickly discover that behind the sophisticated technology and scientific publications is someone genuinely excited to talk about glaciers, Arctic landscapes, and the extraordinary questions that still remain unanswered.