Ruth Mottram

has said, "The sea ice surrounding Greenland is also changing. It is thinner, it breaks up earlier, and opens up more frequently,". The ice sheet is the world's second largest ice body and has a considerable impact on global climate. Mottram studied the Kangiata Nunaata Sermia, a large tidewater glacier in Greenland as part of a wider team of scientists. Such glaciers are not constrained to lab and extend to the ocean or sea, and calve to form icebergs. They made careful observations of the tidewater glacier, identifying sedimentary sequences and identifying that during the 12th century the glacier advanced 15 km. She looks to understand the long-term glacial dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet.

Mottram studied geography at the University of Edinburgh. She earned a master's degree in 2000 before starting a master's of research in the natural environment. Her master's research considered tor formation and the exposure history of the Cairngorm Plateau. She made use of Cosmogenic Beryllium-10 and Aluminium-26. Cosmogenic nuclides can be used to date terrestrial landforms. It allowed Mottram to test hypotheses by quantifying rates of bedrock erosion, the formation of regoliths and the ages of bedrock surfaces. She joined Shell, where she was a graduate trainee in exploration, before leaving to start a doctorate in glaciology. Her research considered crevasse formation and the calving of glaciers.

Ruth Mottram (born February 9, 1978) is a British climate scientist who is a researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute. Her research considers the development of climate models and the long-term dynamics of glaciers.