Projects per year
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
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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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 heat flow recommendations: suitable basal boundary conditions for Greenland and Antarctica in ISMIP7
Lösing, M., Colgan, W., Stål, T., Ebbing, J., Busck, A. G., Zhang, T., Seroussi, H., McCormack, F. S., Fahrner, D., Stearns, L., Svendsen, S. H. & Reading, A., 2026, In: GEUS Bulletin. 62, 8411.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Petermann Glacier on the brink: Progress, challenges and insights
Fahrner, D., Colgan, W. T., MacGregor, J. A., Washam, P., Løkkegaard, A. & Khan, S. A., 12 Aug 2026, In: Science advances. 12, 33, p. eaee4522 eaee4522.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
PROMICE | GC-NET automatic weather station data
Fausto, R. S., How, P., Vandecrux, B., Lund, M. C., Box, J. E., Mankoff, K. D., Andersen, S. B., van As, D., Bahbah, R., Citterio, M., Colgan, W., Jakobsgaard, H. T., Karlsson, N. B., Kjeldsen, K. K., Larsen, S. H., Olsen, C., Oraschewski, F. M., Rutishauser, A., Shields, C. L. & Solgaard, A. M. & 13 others, , 22 Apr 2026, In: Earth System Science Data. 18, 4, p. 2829-2873 45 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Review of Greenland’s thermal springs
Nielsen, E. B., Colgan, W., Poulsen, M. D., Svennevig, K., Rosa, D., Zinglersen, K. B., Hammeken, K., Hjartarson, Á., Bjornsson, G., Sjöberg, Y., Feilberg, J., Kristensen, R. M., Christoffersen, K. S., Platson, M. L., Rysgaard, S. & Kühl, M., 2026, In: GEUS Bulletin. 62, 8410.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
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 Access237 Citations (Scopus)
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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Observational data from the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE)
Ahlstrøm, A. P. (Speaker), Andersen, S. B. (Speaker), As, D. V. (Speaker), Citterio, M. (Speaker), Fausto, R. S. (Speaker), Andersen, M. L. (Speaker), Colgan, W. T. (Speaker), Box, J. E. (Speaker), Veicherts, M. (Speaker), Forsberg, R. (Speaker), Skourup, H. (Speaker), Barletta, V. (Speaker) & Petersen, D. (Speaker)
28 Jan 2014 → …Activity: 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