Selected research

Selected Publications

Selected papers testing fracture, friction, deformation, and failure in Earth materials through mechanics and field observations.

The publication record develops a mechanics-first account of fracture, friction, deformation, and failure across engineered and natural Earth systems.

Mechanics across systems

Selected fracture and failure papers

These papers trace a common mechanical arc from hydraulic-fracture resonance to wave-driven rifting, rupture speed, and calving-driven ice–ocean coupling.

Calving-driven fjord dynamics resolved by seafloor fibre sensing

Dominik Gräff et al., including Bradley P. Lipovsky

Nature · 2025

Seafloor fiber sensing resolves how iceberg calving drives Greenland fjord dynamics.

Open paper

Ocean coupling limits rupture velocity of fastest observed ice shelf rift propagation event

Stephanie D. Olinger, Bradley P. Lipovsky, and Marine A. Denolle

AGU Advances · 2024

A coupled fracture-mechanics and fluid-dynamics explanation for an extraordinary Antarctic rift event.

Open paper

Ice shelf rift propagation: stability, three-dimensional effects, and the role of marginal weakening

Bradley P. Lipovsky

The Cryosphere · 2020

A mechanics-based framework for understanding the stability of Antarctic ice-shelf rifts.

Open paper

Ice shelf rift propagation and the mechanics of wave-induced fracture

Bradley P. Lipovsky

Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans · 2018

Quantifies when distant storms, tsunamis, and earthquakes can drive ice-shelf fracture.

Open paper

Vibrational modes of hydraulic fractures

Bradley P. Lipovsky and Eric M. Dunham

Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth · 2015

Uses resonance to infer the geometry and fluid properties of hydraulic fractures.

Open paper

Selected chronology

Recent and foundational work

2026

Tidewater and lake-terminating glaciers are systematically thicker

Simon-Hans Edasi and Bradley P. Lipovsky

Journal of Glaciology

Mentee-led work quantifying how ice–ocean interactions shape global glacier geometry.

Open paper

Fibre-optic exploration of the cryosphere

Andreas Fichtner, Fabian Walter, Alex Brisbourne, Adam D. Booth, J. Michael Kendall, Thomas Hudson, Patrick Paitz, and Bradley P. Lipovsky

Geophysical Journal International

A synthesis and open training resource for fiber-optic observations throughout the cryosphere.

Open paper

Creating a comprehensive cryoseismic catalog at Rhonegletscher: a scalable approach using distributed acoustic sensing and machine learning

Rachel M. Willis et al., including Bradley P. Lipovsky

Machine Learning: Earth

Scalable machine learning for dense, fiber-optic glacier observations.

Open paper

2025

Calving-driven fjord dynamics resolved by seafloor fibre sensing

Dominik Gräff et al., including Bradley P. Lipovsky

Nature

Seafloor fiber sensing resolves how iceberg calving drives Greenland fjord dynamics.

Open paper

Ice shelf evolution combining flow, flexure, and fracture

Chris Bézu, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Daniel R. Shapero, and Alison F. Banwell

Journal of Glaciology

A new open modeling framework coupling processes central to ice-shelf stability.

Open paper

Ice shelf calving due to shear stresses

Ash Morris, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Catherine C. Walker, and Oliver J. Marsh

The Cryosphere

ICESat-2 observations and modeling of the Brunt Ice Shelf calving cycle.

Open paper

Multiplexed distributed acoustic sensing offshore Central Oregon

Qibin Shi, Ethan F. Williams, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Marine A. Denolle, William S. D. Wilcock, Deborah S. Kelley, and Kristina Schoedl

Seismological Research Letters

A lead-PI effort advancing large-scale seismic and ocean sensing on submarine cables.

Open paper

2024

A rockslide-generated tsunami in a Greenland fjord rang Earth for 9 days

Kristian Svennevig et al., including Bradley P. Lipovsky

Science

Mechanics-based interpretation of a Greenland rockslide-generated tsunami and its extraordinary global seismic signal.

Open paper

DAS to discharge: using distributed acoustic sensing to infer glacier runoff

John-Morgan Manos, Dominik Gräff, Eileen R. Martin, et al., including Bradley P. Lipovsky

Journal of Glaciology

Mentee-led work turning glacier vibrations into measurements of meltwater discharge.

Open paper

Ocean coupling limits rupture velocity of fastest observed ice shelf rift propagation event

Stephanie D. Olinger, Bradley P. Lipovsky, and Marine A. Denolle

AGU Advances

A coupled fracture-mechanics and fluid-dynamics explanation for an extraordinary Antarctic rift event.

Open paper

2020

Ice shelf rift propagation: stability, three-dimensional effects, and the role of marginal weakening

Bradley P. Lipovsky

The Cryosphere

A mechanics-based framework for understanding the stability of Antarctic ice-shelf rifts.

Open paper

2018

Ice shelf rift propagation and the mechanics of wave-induced fracture

Bradley P. Lipovsky

Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans

Quantifies when distant storms, tsunamis, and earthquakes can drive ice-shelf fracture.

Open paper

2016

Tremor during ice-stream stick slip

Bradley P. Lipovsky and Eric M. Dunham

The Cryosphere

Links glacier tremor to repeating earthquakes at the ice–bed interface.

Open paper

2015

Vibrational modes of hydraulic fractures

Bradley P. Lipovsky and Eric M. Dunham

Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

Uses resonance to infer the geometry and fluid properties of hydraulic fractures.

Open paper

Complete record

Approximately forty papers published or under review—about thirty from the UW period.

The selected work includes contributions to Nature and Science. The CV provides the complete record through September 2026, including submitted manuscripts, presentations, contribution statements, grants, mentoring, teaching, and service; Google Scholar and ORCID provide continuously updated publication indexes.