B. Vandecrux

Researcher in snow, ice and climate

Sitemap

A list of all the posts and pages found on the site. For you robots out there is an XML version available for digesting as well.

Pages

About me

Posts

code

datasets

GC-Net Level 1 historical automated weather station data

Published in GEUS Dataverse, 2022

Steffen K, Vandecrux B, Houtz D, Abdalati W, Bayou N, Box J, Colgan W, Espona L, Griessinger N, Haas-Artho D, Heilig A, Hubert A, Iosifescu I, Johnson-Amin N, Karlsson N, Kurup R, McGrath D, Cullen N, Naderpour R, Molotch N, Pedersen A, Perren B, Philipps T, Plattner G, Proksch M, Revheim M, Særrelse M, Schneebli M, Sampson K, Starkweather S, Steffen S, Stroeve J, Watler B, Winton Ø, Zwally J, Ahlstrøm A, "GC-Net Level 1 historical automated weather station data." GEUS Dataverse, https://doi.org/10.22008/FK2/VVXGUT, 2022.

The SUMup collaborative database: Surface mass balance, subsurface temperature and density measurements from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets (2024 release)

Published in NSF Arctic Data Center, 2024

Vandecrux B, Amory C, Ahlstrøm A, Akers P, Albert M, Alley R, Alves M, Arnaud L, Baker I, Bales R, Benson C, Box J, Brucker L, Buizert C, Chandler D, Charalampidis C, Cherblanc C, Clerx N, Colgan W, Covi F, Dattler M, Denis G, Derksen C, Dibb J, Ding M, Dixon D, Eisen O, Fahrner D, Fausto R, Favier V, Fernandoy F, Freitag J, Gerland S, Harper J, Hawley R, Heuer J, Hock R, Hou S, How P, Humphrey N, Hubbard B, Iizuka Y, Isaksson E, Kameda T, Karlsson N, Kawakami K, Kjær H, Kreutz K, Kuipers P, Lazzara M, Lemeur E, Lenaerts J, Lewis G, Lindau F, Lindsey-Clark J, MacFerrin M, Machguth H, Magand O, Mankoff K, Marquetto L, Martinerie P, McConnell J, Medley B, Miège C, Miles K, Miller O, Miller H, Montgomery L, Morris E, Mosley-Thompson E, Mulvaney R, Niwano M, Oerter H, Osterberg E, Otosaka I, Picard G, Polashenski C, Reijmer C, Rennermalm A, Rutishauser A, Scanlan K, Simoes J, Simonsen S, Smeets P, Smith A, Solgaard A, Spencer M, Steen-Larsen H, Stevens C, Sugiyama S, Svensson J, Tedesco M, Thomas E, Thompson-Munson M, Tsutaki S, Van D, Van M, Van M, Wang Y, Wilhelms F, Winstrup M, Xiao J, Xiao C, "The SUMup collaborative database: Surface mass balance, subsurface temperature and density measurements from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets (2024 release)." NSF Arctic Data Center, https://doi.org/10.18739/A2M61BR5M, 2024.

fieldworks

Master’s Thesis project, 2015: Distributed measurements of snow thickness in Greenland and Svalbard

The first fieldwork that I organized, along with the two friends I was writing my thesis with. We travelled twice to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and twice to Sisimiut, Greenland. During the summer trip, we established 3D maps of the bare ground at our study sites. During the winter trips we surveyed the spatial distribution of snow at our sites either making 3D mapping of the snow surface from pictures taken by a drone, that we could then compare to the 3D model of the bare ground, or with a ground penetrating radar and other traditional methods (snowpit and probing). During each measurement campaign, GPS surveys were conducted to tie our successive 3D models to common reference points.

FirnCoVer 2016: Snowmobile expedition to study the firn layer of the Greenland ice sheet

2016 was my first ever expedition on the Greenland ice sheet—an unforgettable and intense introduction to polar fieldwork. As part of the FirnCover project, I joined a team of 11 scientists from four countries, led by Mike MacFerrin. We were dropped off at DYE-2 with everything needed for a fully self-supported campaign: skidoos, drums of fuel, tents, food for weeks, and all our scientific gear. From there, we spent about ten days traversing across southern Greenland by snowmobile, covering hundreds of kilometers over wind-swept sastrugi and stopping at key sites like KAN-U and EKT to drill firn cores, dig snow pits, service GPS compaction stations, and maintain AWS instruments.

FirnCoVer 2017: Snowmobile traverse on the ice sheet to investigate the Greenland ice sheet firn layer

This fieldwork was my second field season on the Greenland ice sheet with the FirnCover project, and it built directly on the momentum of the year before. We started in April, gathering in Kangerlussuaq to prep gear and load skidoos, fuel drums, science equipment, and weeks’ worth of supplies. After a few days of sorting and staging, we flew by LC-126 to Camp Raven (DYE-2), where the real work began.

GC-Net 2023: weather station maintenance, South Greenland

Weather station maintenance in South Greenland. We visited KAN_U, DYE-2, South Dome, Saddle, NASA-SE and Crawford Point. As the worried look on Andreas’ face indicates, KAN_U was standing in rather poor shape and almost buried in snow when we arrived. Maintenance was most needed! image not found

GC-Net South 2024: Stuck at South Dome

We visited DYE-2, KAN_U, Saddle, Crawford Point, NASA-SE and even South Dome where we got stranded for 8 hours due to sticky snow, thin air and low winds, making it impossible for the twin otter to take off.

GC-Net South 2025: Unstable weather and cold day at NASA-U

The GC-Net South 2025 field campaign was defined by rough weather from the start. Storms rolling in from Iceland pushed us away from Kangerlussuaq and the southern stations, so we headed north in search of clearer skies—though the tradeoff was colder conditions. Our first stop was Crawford Point (CP1), with an overnight in Ilulissat. The next day, we reached NAU, which hadn’t seen a full maintenance since 2022 and clearly needed attention. Temperatures dropped to -25°C with 12 m/s winds, giving a brutal wind chill of -40°C. A close call with frostbite reminded us: in these conditions, there’s no room for exposed skin.

Tasiilaq 2025: When katabatic winds topple a station

Our team of three flew to Tasiilaq to service the two GC-Net stations TAS_L and TAS_A. The first few days were grounded by bad weather, which gave us time to troubleshoot a new data logger intended for TAS_L that, frustratingly, remained silent during our tests. With great support from our station engineers back in Denmark, we identified a faulty connection in the data logger and managed to repair it before the first good-weather days of the trip.

publications

Regional climate model performance in Greenland firn derived from in situ observations

Published in Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin, 2016

Evaluates how well the HIRHAM5 regional climate model reproduces firn conditions observed in situ on the Greenland ice sheet.

Charalampidis C, As D, Langen P, Fausto R, Vandecrux B, Box J, "Regional climate model performance in Greenland firn derived from in situ observations." Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin, 35, 75-78, https://eng.geus.dk/media/10863/nr35_p75-78.pdf, 2016.

Liquid Water Flow and Retention on the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Regional Climate Model HIRHAM5: Local and Large-Scale Impacts

Published in Frontiers in Earth Science, 2017

Adds a liquid water flow and retention scheme to the HIRHAM5 regional climate model and examines its local and large-scale impact on Greenland ice sheet runoff.

Langen P., Fausto R., Vandecrux B., Mottram R., Box J.: "Liquid Water Flow and Retention on the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Regional Climate Model HIRHAM5: Local and Large-Scale Impacts." Frontiers in Earth Science, http://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2016.00110, 2017.

A Snow Density Dataset for Improving Surface Boundary Conditions in Greenland Ice Sheet Firn Modeling

Published in Frontiers in Earth Science, 2018

Compiles a snow density dataset used to improve the surface boundary conditions of Greenland ice sheet firn models.

Fausto R, Box J, Vandecrux B, As D, Steffen K, MacFerrin M, Machguth H, Colgan W, Koenig L, McGrath D, Charalampidis C, Braithwaite R, "A Snow Density Dataset for Improving Surface Boundary Conditions in Greenland Ice Sheet Firn Modeling." Frontiers in Earth Science, http://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00051, 2018.

The Greenland ice sheet – snowline elevations at the end of the melt seasons from 2000 to 2017

Published in Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin, 2018

Reports satellite-derived snowline elevations on the Greenland ice sheet at the end of each melt season from 2000 to 2017.

Fausto R, et al., "The Greenland ice sheet – snowline elevations at the end of the melt seasons from 2000 to 2017." Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin, 41, 71-74, https://eng.geus.dk/media/19958/nr41_p71-74.pdf, 2018.

Drivers of Firn Density on the Greenland Ice Sheet Revealed by Weather Station Observations and Modeling

Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 2018

Identifies the main climatic drivers of near-surface firn density using weather station observations and modeling.

Vandecrux B, Fausto R, Langen P, As D, MacFerrin M, Colgan W, Ingeman‐Nielsen T, Steffen K, Jensen N, Møller M, Box J, "Drivers of Firn Density on the Greenland Ice Sheet Revealed by Weather Station Observations and Modeling." Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, http://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004597, 2018.

Firn data compilation reveals widespread decrease of firn air content in western Greenland

Published in The Cryosphere, 2019

Compiles historical firn density measurements to show a widespread decrease in firn air content across western Greenland.

Vandecrux B, MacFerrin M, Machguth H, Colgan W, As D, Heilig A, Stevens C, Charalampidis C, Fausto R, Morris E, Mosley-Thompson E, Koenig L, Montgomery L, Miège C, Simonsen S, Ingeman-Nielsen T, Box J, "Firn data compilation reveals widespread decrease of firn air content in western Greenland." The Cryosphere, http://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-845-2019, 2019.

Rapid expansion of Greenland’s low-permeability ice slabs

Published in Nature, 2019

Documents the rapid growth of low-permeability ice slabs within the Greenland ice sheet’s percolation zone and their effect on meltwater storage.

MacFerrin M, Machguth H, As D, Charalampidis C, Stevens C, Heilig A, Vandecrux B, Langen P, Mottram R, Fettweis X, Broeke M, Pfeffer W, Moussavi M, Abdalati W, "Rapid expansion of Greenland’s low-permeability ice slabs." Nature, http://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1550-3, 2019.

Retrieval of Snow Properties from the Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Instrument

Published in Remote Sensing, 2019

Develops a method to retrieve snow grain size and albedo from the Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Instrument.

Kokhanovsky A, Lamare M, Danne O, Brockmann C, Dumont M, Picard G, Arnaud L, Favier V, Jourdain B, Le E, Di B, Aoki T, Niwano M, Rozanov V, Korkin S, Kipfstuhl S, Freitag J, Hoerhold M, Zuhr A, Vladimirova D, Faber A, Steen-Larsen H, Wahl S, Andersen J, Vandecrux B, As D, Mankoff K, Kern M, Zege E, Box J, "Retrieval of Snow Properties from the Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Instrument." Remote Sensing, http://doi.org/10.3390/rs11192280, 2019.

Firn cold content evolution at nine sites on the Greenland ice sheet between 1998 and 2017

Published in Journal of Glaciology, 2020

Tracks how firn cold content, a buffer against surface melt, evolved at nine Greenland ice sheet sites between 1998 and 2017.

Vandecrux B, Fausto R, As D, Colgan W, Langen P, Haubner K, Ingeman-Nielsen T, Heilig A, Stevens C, MacFerrin M, Niwano M, Steffen K, Box J, "Firn cold content evolution at nine sites on the Greenland ice sheet between 1998 and 2017." Journal of Glaciology, http://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.30, 2020.

The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet

Published in The Cryosphere, 2020

Compares nine firn models’ ability to simulate meltwater retention (RetMIP) at four Greenland ice sheet weather station sites.

Vandecrux B, Mottram R, Langen P, Fausto R, Olesen M, Stevens C, Verjans V, Leeson A, Ligtenberg S, Kuipers P, Marchenko S, Pelt W, Meyer C, Simonsen S, Heilig A, Samimi S, Marshall S, Machguth H, MacFerrin M, Niwano M, Miller O, Voss C, Box J, "The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet." The Cryosphere, http://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020, 2020.

Rainfall on the Greenland Ice Sheet: Present‐Day Climatology From a High‐Resolution Non‐Hydrostatic Polar Regional Climate Model

Published in Geophysical Research Letters, 2021

Presents present-day rainfall climatology over the Greenland ice sheet from a high-resolution regional climate model.

Niwano M, Box J, Wehrlé A, Vandecrux B, Colgan W, Cappelen J, "Rainfall on the Greenland Ice Sheet: Present‐Day Climatology From a High‐Resolution Non‐Hydrostatic Polar Regional Climate Model." Geophysical Research Letters, http://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL092942, 2021.

Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) automatic weather station data

Published in Earth System Science Data, 2021

Describes the PROMICE automatic weather station network and its processed dataset for monitoring the Greenland ice sheet.

Fausto R, As D, Mankoff K, Vandecrux B, Citterio M, Ahlstrøm A, Andersen S, Colgan W, Karlsson N, Kjeldsen K, Korsgaard N, Larsen S, Nielsen S, Pedersen A, Shields C, Solgaard A, Box J, "Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) automatic weather station data." Earth System Science Data, http://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3819-2021, 2021.

Downscaled surface mass balance in Antarctica: impacts of subsurface processes and large-scale atmospheric circulation

Published in The Cryosphere, 2021

Examines how subsurface firn processes and large-scale atmospheric circulation affect downscaled Antarctic surface mass balance estimates.

Hansen N, Langen P, Boberg F, Forsberg R, Simonsen S, Thejll P, Vandecrux B, Mottram R, "Downscaled surface mass balance in Antarctica: impacts of subsurface processes and large-scale atmospheric circulation." The Cryosphere, http://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4315-2021, 2021.

Time‐Domain Reflectometry Measurements and Modeling of Firn Meltwater Infiltration at DYE‐2, Greenland

Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 2021

Uses time-domain reflectometry sensors and modeling to study meltwater infiltration into firn at DYE-2, Greenland.

Samimi S, Marshall S, Vandecrux B, MacFerrin M, "Time‐Domain Reflectometry Measurements and Modeling of Firn Meltwater Infiltration at DYE‐2, Greenland." Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, http://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006295, 2021.

The Determination of the Snow Optical Grain Diameter and Snowmelt Area on the Greenland Ice Sheet Using Spaceborne Optical Observations

Published in Remote Sensing, 2022

Retrieves snow optical grain diameter and maps snowmelt extent on the Greenland ice sheet from spaceborne optical observations.

Vandecrux B, Box J, Wehrlé A, Kokhanovsky A, Picard G, Niwano M, Hörhold M, Faber A, Steen-Larsen H, "The Determination of the Snow Optical Grain Diameter and Snowmelt Area on the Greenland Ice Sheet Using Spaceborne Optical Observations." Remote Sensing, http://doi.org/10.3390/rs14040932, 2022.

The Greenland Firn Compaction Verification and Reconnaissance (FirnCover) dataset, 2013–2019

Published in Earth System Science Data, 2022

Presents the FirnCover dataset of firn compaction and temperature measurements collected on the Greenland ice sheet between 2013 and 2019.

MacFerrin M, Stevens C, Vandecrux B, Waddington E, Abdalati W, "The Greenland Firn Compaction Verification and Reconnaissance (FirnCover) dataset, 2013–2019." Earth System Science Data, http://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-955-2022, 2022.

Vegetation type is an important predictor of the arctic summer land surface energy budget

Published in Nature Communications, 2022

Shows across a large network of Arctic sites that vegetation type strongly shapes the summer land surface energy budget.

Oehri J, Schaepman-Strub G, Kim J, Grysko R, Kropp H, Grünberg I, Zemlianskii V, Sonnentag O, Euskirchen E, Reji M, Muscari G, Blanken P, Dean J, Sarra A, Harding R, Sobota I, Kutzbach L, Plekhanova E, Riihelä A, Boike J, Miller N, Beringer J, López-Blanco E, Stoy P, Sullivan R, Kejna M, Parmentier F, Gamon J, Mastepanov M, Wille C, Jackowicz-Korczynski M, Karger D, Quinton W, Putkonen J, As D, Christensen T, Hakuba M, Stone R, Metzger S, Vandecrux B, Frost G, Wild M, Hansen B, Meloni D, Domine F, Beest M, Sachs T, Kalhori A, Rocha A, Williamson S, Morris S, Atchley A, Essery R, Runkle B, Holl D, Riihimaki L, Iwata H, Schuur E, Cox C, Grachev A, McFadden J, Fausto R, Göckede M, Ueyama M, Pirk N, Boer G, Bret-Harte M, Leppäranta M, Steffen K, Friborg T, Ohmura A, Edgar C, Olofsson J, Chambers S, "Vegetation type is an important predictor of the arctic summer land surface energy budget." Nature Communications, http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34049-3, 2022.

An Improved Retrieval of Snow and Ice Properties Using Spaceborne OLCI/S-3 Spectral Reflectance Measurements: Updated Atmospheric Correction and Snow Impurity Load Estimation

Published in Remote Sensing, 2022

Improves the atmospheric correction and snow impurity load estimation used to retrieve snow and ice properties from Sentinel-3’s OLCI.

Kokhanovsky A, Vandecrux B, Wehrlé A, Danne O, Brockmann C, Box J, "An Improved Retrieval of Snow and Ice Properties Using Spaceborne OLCI/S-3 Spectral Reflectance Measurements: Updated Atmospheric Correction and Snow Impurity Load Estimation." Remote Sensing, http://doi.org/10.3390/rs15010077, 2022.

Learning from Alfred Wegener’s pioneering field observations in West Greenland after a century of climate change

Published in Scientific Reports, 2023

Revisits Alfred Wegener’s century-old field observations in West Greenland to quantify a hundred years of climate change.

Abermann J, Vandecrux B, Scher S, Löffler K, Schalamon F, Trügler A, Fausto R, Schöner W, "Learning from Alfred Wegener’s pioneering field observations in West Greenland after a century of climate change." Scientific Reports, http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33225-9, 2023.

The historical Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) curated and augmented level-1 dataset

Published in Earth System Science Data, 2023

Curates and augments three decades of historical GC-Net weather station records into a standardized, quality-controlled Level 1 dataset.

Vandecrux B, Box J, Ahlstrøm A, Andersen S, Bayou N, Colgan W, Cullen N, Fausto R, Haas-Artho D, Heilig A, Houtz D, How P, Iosifescu I, Karlsson N, Kurup R, Mankoff K, McGrath D, Molotch N, Perren B, Revheim M, Rutishauser A, Sampson K, Schneebeli M, Starkweather S, Steffen S, Weber J, Wright P, Zwally H, Steffen K, "The historical Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) curated and augmented level-1 dataset." Earth System Science Data, http://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5467-2023, 2023.

Recent warming trends of the Greenland ice sheet documented by historical firn and ice temperature observations and machine learning

Published in The Cryosphere, 2024

Documents century-scale firn and ice warming trends on the Greenland ice sheet using historical temperature records and machine learning.

Vandecrux B, Fausto R, Box J, Covi F, Hock R, Rennermalm Å, Heilig A, Abermann J, As D, Bjerre E, Fettweis X, Smeets P, Kuipers P, Broeke M, Brils M, Langen P, Mottram R, Ahlstrøm A, "Recent warming trends of the Greenland ice sheet documented by historical firn and ice temperature observations and machine learning." The Cryosphere, http://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-609-2024, 2024.

Mapping the vertical heterogeneity of Greenland’s firn from 2011–2019 using airborne radar and laser altimetry

Published in The Cryosphere, 2024

Maps the internal layering of Greenland’s firn from 2011 to 2019 using airborne radar and laser altimetry.

Rutishauser A, Scanlan K, Vandecrux B, Karlsson N, Jullien N, Ahlstrøm A, Fausto R, How P, "Mapping the vertical heterogeneity of Greenland’s firn from 2011–2019 using airborne radar and laser altimetry." The Cryosphere, http://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2455-2024, 2024.

Retrieval and validation of total seasonal liquid water amounts in the percolation zone of the Greenland ice sheet using L-band radiometry

Published in The Cryosphere, 2025

Retrieves and validates seasonal liquid water amounts in the Greenland ice sheet’s percolation zone using L-band radiometry.

Hossan A, Colliander A, Vandecrux B, Schlegel N-J, Harper J, Marshall S, Miller JZ, “Retrieval and validation of total seasonal liquid water amounts in the percolation zone of the Greenland ice sheet using L-band radiometry.” The Cryosphere, 19, 4237–4258, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4237-2025 , 2025.

Estimating the upper depth of subsurface water on the Greenland Ice Sheet using multi-frequency passive microwave remote sensing, radiative transfer modeling, and machine learning

Published in Remote Sensing of Environment, 2026

Estimates the depth of subsurface liquid water in the Greenland ice sheet using multi-frequency passive microwave remote sensing, radiative transfer modeling, and machine learning.

Vandecrux B, Picard G, Zeiger P, Leduc-Leballeur M, Colliander A, Hossan A, Ahlstrøm A, “Estimating the upper depth of subsurface water on the Greenland Ice Sheet using multi-frequency passive microwave remote sensing, radiative transfer modeling, and machine learning.” Remote Sensing of Environment, 334, 115197, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.115197 , 2026.

PROMICEGC-NET automatic weather station data

Published in Earth System Science Data, 2026

Describes the merged PROMICE and GC-Net automatic weather station network and its combined dataset for the Greenland ice sheet.

Fausto RS, How P, Vandecrux B, Lund MC, Box JE, Mankoff KD, Andersen SB, van As D, Bahbah R, Citterio M, Colgan W, Jakobsgaard HT, Karlsson NB, Kjeldsen KK, Larsen SH, Olsen C, Oraschewski FM, Rutishauser A, Shields CL, Solgaard AM, Stevens IT, Svendsen SH, Langley K, Messerli A, Bjørk AA, Andersen JK, Abermann J, Steiner J, Prinz R, Hynek B, Lea JM, Brough S, Ahlstrøm AP, “PROMICEGC-NET automatic weather station data.” Earth System Science Data, 18, 2829–2873, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2829-2026 , 2026.

A State-Space Model for Monitoring Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Elevation Change from CryoSat-2

Published in The Cryosphere, 2026

Applies a state-space model to CryoSat-2 altimetry to monitor surface elevation change across the Greenland ice sheet.

Andersen N, Simonsen S, Nielsen K, Winstrup M, Vandecrux B, Gao H, Csatho B, Schenk A, Sandberg Sørensen L, “A State-Space Model for Monitoring Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Elevation Change from CryoSat-2.” The Cryosphere, 20, 4327–4344, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4327-2026 , 2026.

teaching