Personal profile
Presentation
I study the response of Earth's ice sheets to our changing climate. This involves combining satellite observations of 'when' and 'where' we are losing ice with simulations of how the ice sheets may evolve under future climate. I have a strong interest in subglacial processes — meaning what's happening at the ice-bed interface — beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. In addition to assessing ice-sheet health, my current projects involve investigating geothermal hot springs beneath glaciers and understanding why mega-crevasses are appearing very far inland in Greenland in recent decades.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Investigating the influence of surface meltwater on the ice dynamics of the Greenland Ice Sheet, University of Colorado Boulder
Award Date: 16 Dec 2011
Master, Reconstructing the recent accumulation history and mass balance trends for high elevation regions of the Devon Island Ice Cap in the Canadian Arctic, University of Alberta
Award Date: 23 Nov 2007
External positions
Adjunct Professor, York University
Keywords
- QE Geology
- QC Physics
- GB Physical geography
Programme Area
- Programme Area 5: Nature and Climate
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Center for Ice-Sheet and Sea-Level Prediction (CISP)
Colgan, W. (PI), Løkkegaard, A. (CoI), Fahrner, D. R. (CoI) & Kjeldsen, K. K. (CoI)
1/09/23 → 31/08/29
Project: Research
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Crevasses as Indicators of Ice Sheet Sensitivity
Colgan, W. (PI), Løkkegaard, A. (CoI) & Fahrner, D. R. (CoI)
1/07/23 → 30/06/28
Project: Research
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HotBlink: Confirm subglacial geothermal springs in Northeast Greenland
Colgan, W. (PI)
1/07/23 → 30/06/25
Project: Research
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Unravelling the response time-scale of Greenland's most critical outlet glacier
Colgan, W. (PI) & Løkkegaard, A. (CoI)
1/06/19 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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HotRod: Prototype for Rapid Sampling of Ice-Sheet Basal Temperatures
Colgan, W. (PI) & Shields, C. (CoI)
31/08/18 → 31/08/21
Project: Research
Research output
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Community estimate of global glacier mass changes from 2000 to 2023
The GlaMBIE Team, 13 Mar 2025, In: Nature. 639, 8054, p. 382-388 7 p., 5835.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access166 Citations (Scopus) -
Mass Loss of Greenland and Antarctic Peripheral Glaciers From ICESat and ICESat-2
Hassan, J., van den Broeke, M. R., Veldhuijsen, S. B. M., Colgan, W., Berg, D. L., Lippert, E. Y. H. & Khan, S. A., Oct 2025, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 130, 10, e2024JF007989.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Monitoring the Greenland Ice Sheet through the PROMICE and GC-Net programmes
How, P., Lund, M. C., Ahlstrøm, A. P., Andersen, S. B., Box, J. E., Citterio, M., Colgan, W. T., Fausto, R. S., Jakobsgaard, H. T., Karlsson, N. B., Kjeldsen, K. K., Larsen, S. H., Luetzenburg, G., Mankoff, K., Messerli, A., Rutishauser, A., Shields, C., Solgaard, A. M., Stevens, I. T. & Vandecrux, B. R. M. & 1 others, , 2025.Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract at conference
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Smoothed monthly Greenland ice sheet elevation changes during 2003–2023
Khan, S. A., Seroussi, H., Morlighem, M., Colgan, W., Helm, V., Cheng, G., Berg, D., Barletta, V. R., Larsen, N. K., Kochtitzky, W., van den Broeke, M., Kjær, K. H., Aschwanden, A., Noël, B., Box, J. E., MacGregor, J. A., Fausto, R. S., Mankoff, K. D., Howat, I. M. & Oniszk, K. & 5 others, , 30 Jun 2025, In: Earth System Science Data. 17, 6, p. 3047-3071 25 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access8 Citations (Scopus) -
Traverse Route from Pituffik to Warming Land, North Greenland
Colgan, W., Fahrner, D., Luetzenburg, G., Løkkegaard, A., Nielsen, E. S. B., How, P., Rutishauser, A., Solgaard, A., Fausto, R. S., Kjeldsen, K. K., Shields, C., Spanggård, H., Smith, P., MacGregor, J. A., P. Ahlstrøm, A. & Karlsson, N. B., 2025, In: GEUS Bulletin. 59Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Activities
- 6 Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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PROMICE - Programme for Monitoring the Greenland Ice Sheet
Ahlstrøm, A. P. (Speaker), Andersen, S. B. (Speaker), As, D. V. (Speaker), Citterio, M. (Speaker), Fausto, R. S. (Speaker), Andersen, M. L. (Speaker), Box, J. E. (Speaker), Colgan, W. T. (Speaker), Veicherts, M. (Speaker), Solgaard, A. M. (Speaker), Machguth, H. (Speaker), Forsberg, R. (Speaker), Skourup, H. (Speaker), Sørensen, S. L. S. (Speaker), Hvidegaard, S. M. (Speaker), Kristensen, S. S. (Speaker), Dall, J. (Speaker), Kusk, A. (Speaker) & Petersen, D. (Speaker)
12 Dec 2015 → 13 Dec 2015Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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Mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet - the Danish angle
Ahlstrøm, A. P. (Speaker), Andersen, S. B. (Speaker), Box, J. E. (Speaker), As, D. V. (Speaker), Citterio, M. (Speaker), Fausto, R. S. (Speaker), Andersen, M. L. (Speaker), Colgan, W. T. (Speaker) & Langen, P. L. (Speaker)
26 Jan 2015 → …Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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Program for monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Andersen, S. B. (Speaker), Ahlstrøm, A. P. (Speaker), Andersen, M. L. (Speaker), Box, J. E. (Speaker), Citterio, M. (Speaker), Colgan, W. T. (Speaker), Fausto, R. S. (Speaker), As, D. V. (Speaker), Forsberg, R. (Speaker), Skourup, H. (Speaker), Sørensen, L. S. (Speaker), Kristensen, S. S. (Speaker), Dall, J. (Speaker), Kusk, A. (Speaker) & Petersen, D. (Speaker)
29 Oct 2014 → 31 Oct 2014Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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Polar Portal
Langen, P. L. (Speaker), Andersen, S. B. (Speaker), Andersen, K. K. (Speaker), Andersen, M. L. (Speaker), Ahlstrøm, A. P. (Speaker), As, D. V. (Speaker), Barletta, V. R. (Speaker), Box, J. E. (Speaker), Citterion, M. (Speaker), Colgan, W. T. (Speaker), Dybkjær, G. (Speaker), Forsberg, R. (Speaker), Høyer, J. L. (Speaker), Jensen, M. B. (Speaker), Klien, N. (Speaker), Mottram, R. (Speaker), Nielsen, K. P. (Speaker), Olesen, M. (Speaker), Quaglia, F. C. (Speaker), Rasmussen, T. A. (Speaker), Roedehacke, C. (Speaker), Stendel, M. (Speaker), Sørensen, L. S. (Speaker) & Tonboe, R. T. (Speaker)
2 Jun 2014 → …Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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PROMICE - Programme for Monitoring the Greenland Ice Sheet
Ahlstrøm, A. P. (Speaker), Andersen, S. B. (Speaker), As, D. V. (Speaker), Citterio, M. (Speaker), Andersen, M. L. (Speaker), Fausto, R. S. (Speaker), Colgan, W. T. (Speaker), Petersen, D. (Speaker), Kristensen, S. S. (Speaker), Skourup, H. (Speaker), Forsberg, R. (Speaker), Dall, J. (Speaker) & Kusk, A. (Speaker)
28 Jan 2014 → 29 Jan 2014Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
Press/Media
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Så vidt vi ved
Shepherd, A., Ivins, E., Rignot, E., Colgan, W. T., Kjeldsen, K. K. & Ahlstrøm, A. P.
12/12/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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Indlandsisen smelter: 3.800 milliarder ton is er væk, men »det er ikke så galt, som vi troede«
10/12/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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Havet vil stige mere ved Esbjerg end i København
Colgan, W. T. & Kjeldsen, K. K.
22/07/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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Mapping Subglacial Meltwater Channels
Mankoff, K. D., Colgan, W. T., Solgaard, A. M., Karlsson, N. B., Ahlstrøm, A. P., As, D. V., Box, J. E., Khan, S. A., Kjeldsen, K. K., Mouginot, J., Fausto, R. S., Chen, Y., Liu, X. & Gulley, J. D.
28/05/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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Grønlands indlandsis smelter langt hurtigere, end eksperterne troede - og det accelererer
Shepherd, A., Ivins, E., Rignot, E., Colgan, W. T., Kjeldsen, K. K. & Ahlstrøm, A. P.
1/01/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media