Christine Dow

Dr. Christine Dow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, and the Canada Research Chair in Glacier Hydrology and Ice Dynamics. Her research combines numerical modeling and geophysical field experiments to explore the role of subglacial water in influencing ice dynamics. Currently, her work focuses on the Antarctic and the Canadian Yukon, where her research group runs fully coupled models of subglacial hydrology and ice flow. In Antarctica, these models are applied both at the basin and continental scale to investigate past, present, and future ice conditions. In the St. Elias Mountains of the Yukon, field campaigns involve borehole drilling to assess basal water conditions, helicopter-based radar surveys to measure ice thickness, and dGPS measurements to track ice velocity, providing critical data for model input and validation.

• Glacial hydrology

• Ice dynamics

• Glacial geophysics

• Surging glaciers

• Ice sheets

• 2014, Doctorate, Physical Geography, Swansea University, Wales, UK

• 2009, MSc, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

• 2006, MA (Honors), Geography, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• 2023 Outstanding Performance Award, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo

• 2020 Outstanding Performance Award, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo

• 2018 Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

• 2025-, Editor, Geophysical Research Letters

• 2025-2026, Guest Editor, Proceedings of the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions A

• 2020-2022, Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface

• GEOG 102 - Global Environmental Systems: Processes and Change
  • Taught in 2026
• GEOG 207 - Climate Change Fundamentals
  • Taught in 2021
• GEOG 420 - Ice Sheets and Glaciers
  • Taught in 2021, 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Ehrenfeucht, S. and Dow, C.F. Impacts of bed topography resolution on sea-level rise projections from coupled subglacial hydrology and ice dynamics for Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. Accepted in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, September 2025.

• McCormack, F., Stål, T., Shao, N., Hinojosa, F., Lӧsing, M., Roberts, J., Ehrenfeucht, S., Dow, C. Synthetic bed topographies for Antarctica and their utility in ice sheet modelling. Accepted in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, September 2025.

• Partington, G., Copland, L., Lauzon, B., Medrzycka, D. *Main, B., Kochtitky, W. and Dow, C. 2025. Surge history and dynamics of Fisher Glacier, Yukon, 1948-2022. Journal of Glaciology, 71, e100 https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.10095

• Charrier, L., Dehecq, A., Guo, L., Brun, F., Millan, R., Lioret, N., Copland, L., Maier, N., Dow, C. Halas, P. TICOI: an operational Python package to generate regular glacier velocity time series. Accepted in The Cryosphere, July 2025.

• Bingham, R.G., Bodart, J.A., Cavitte, M.G.P…Dow, C.F…. Zuhr, A.(2025) AntArchitecture: Building an age–depth model from Antarctica's radiostratigraphy to explore ice-sheet evolution. The Cryosphere, 19(10),4611-4655.

• *Hayden, A.M., Pelle, T., Dow, C.F. (2025) The past, present, and future evolution of Aurora Subglacial Basin’s subglacial drainage system. Nature Communications, 16(1), 2747.

• *Killingbeck, S.F., Unsworth, M.J., Young, D.A., Rutishauser, A., Yan, S., Beem, L.H., Richter, T.G., Blankenship, D.D., Dubnick, A., Criscitiello, A.S., Vestrum, Z., Greenbaum, J., Dow, C.F. (2025) Integrating gravity, magnetic, and magnetotelluric data over Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic, to investigate the subglacial geology. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 130(2), e2024JB028929.

• *Ehrenfeucht, S., Dow, C.F., *McArthur, K., Morlighem, M., McCormack, F. (2025) Antarctic-wide subglacial hydrology modeling. Geophysical Research Letters, 52(1), e2024GL111386.

• *Hepburn, A. J., Dow, C.F., Ojala, A., Makinen, J., Ahokangas, E., Hovikoski, J., Palmu, J-P., Kajuutti K. (2024) The organisation of subglacial drainage during the demise of the Finnish Lake District Ice-Lobe. The Cryosphere, 18, 4873–4916.

• Gray, L., Lauzon, B., Copland, L., Van Wychen, W., Dow, C., Kochtitzky, W., Alley, K.E. (2024) Tracking the filling, outburst flood and resulting subglacial water channel from a large Canadian Arctic subglacial lake. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(19), e2024GL110456.

• *Killingbeck, S., Rutishauser, A., Unsworth, M.J., Dubnick, A., Criscitiello, A.S., Killingbeck, J., Dow, C.F., *Hill, T., Booth, A.D., *Main, B., Brossier, E. (2024) Misidentified subglacial lake beneath the Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic: A new interpretation from seismic and electromagnetic data. The Cryosphere, 18(8), 3699-3722.

• Pelle, T., Greenbaum, J., *Ehrenfeucht, S.*, Dow, C.F., McCormack, F. (2024) Subglacial discharge accelerates ocean driven retreat of Aurora Subglacial Basin outlet glaciers, East Antarctica, over the 21st century. Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, 129(7), e2023JF007513.

• Main, B., Copland, L., Flowers, G., Dow, C.F., Van Wychen, W., Samsonov, S., Kochtitzky, W. (2024) Topographic and hydrological controls on partial and full surges of Little Kluane Glacier, Yukon. Journal of Glaciology, 70, e42.

• Gray, L., Burgess, D., Copland, L., Dow, C.F., Fettweis, X., Fisher, D., Kochtitzky, W., Van Wychen, W., Zheng, J. (2024) Repeated subglacial jökulhlaups in NE Greenland revealed by CryoSat, Journal of Glaciology, 70, e83

• Wearing, M.G., Dow, C.F., Goldberg, D.N., Gourmelen, N., Hogg, A.E., Jakob, L. (2024) Characterizing subglacial hydrology within the Amery Ice Shelf catchment using numerical modelling and satellite altimetry. Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface, 129(4), e2023JF007421.

• Rignot, E., Ciracì, E., Scheuchl, B., Tolpekin, V., Wollersheim, M., Dow, C. (2024) Widespread seawater intrusions beneath the grounded ice of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(22), p.e2404766121.

• Dow, C.F., Mueller, D., *Wray, P., Friedrichs, D., Forrest, A.L, McInerney, J. B., Greenbaum, J., Blankenship, D., Lee, C.K., Lee, W.S. (2024) The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 18 (3), 1105-1123.

• *McArthur, K., McCormack, F.S. and Dow, C.F. (2023) Basal conditions of Denman Glacier from glacier hydrology and ice dynamics modelling. The Cryosphere, 17, 4705-4727.

• Pelle, T., Greenbaum, J., Dow, C., Jenkins, A., Morlighem M. (2023) Subglacial discharge accelerates future retreat of Antarctic outlet glaciers. Science Advances, 9(43), eadi9014.

• McCormack, F., Roberts, J. L., Kulessa, B., Aitken, A., Dow, C.F., Bird, L., Galton-Fenzi, B. K., Hochmuth, K., Jones, R.S., Mackintosh, A. N., *McArthur, K. (2023) Assessing the potential for ice flow piracy between Totten and Vanderford glaciers, East Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 17(11), 4549-4569.

• Van Wychen, W., Bayer, C., Copland, L., Brummell, E. and Dow, C.F. (2023) Radarsat Constellation Mission Derived Winter Glacier Velocities for the St. Elias Icefield, Yukon/Alaska: 2022 and 2023, Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 49 (1), 2264395.

• Zheng, W., Bhushan, S., Van Wyk De Vries, M., Kochtitzky, W., Shean, D., Copland, L., Dow, C., Jones-Ivey, R. and Pérez, F. (2023) GLAcier Feature Tracking testkit (GLAFT): A statistically-and physically-based framework for evaluating glacier velocity products derived from satellite image feature tracking. The Cryosphere, 17 (9), 4063-4078.

• *Hayden, A-M, Dow, C.F. (2023) Examining the effect of ice dynamic changes on subglacial hydrology through modelling of a synthetic Antarctic glacier. Journal of Glaciology, 1-14 https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.65

• *Hill, T. and Dow, C. (2023) The Impact of Interannual Melt Supply Variability on Greenland Ice Sheet Moulin Inputs. The Cryosphere, 17 (7), 2607–2624.

• Gwyther, D.E., Dow, C.F., Jendersie, S., Gourmelen, N., Galton-Fenzi, B.K. (2023) Subglacial freshwater drainage increases simulated basal melt of the Totten ice shelf. Geophysical Research Letters, 50 (12), e2023GL103765.

• Makinen, J, Dow, C.F., Ahokangas, E., Ojala, A., Kajuutti, K., Kautto, J., Palmu, J-P. (2023) Water blister geomorphology and subglacial drainage sediments: an example from the bed of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet in SW Finland. Journal of Glaciology, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.37

• *Painter, M,, Copland, L., Dow, C.F., Kochtitzky, W., Medrzycka, D. (2023) Patterns and mechanisms of repeat drainages of glacier-dammed Dań Zhùr (Donjek) Lake, Yukon. Arctic Science, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0001

• Dow, C.F. (2023) The role of subglacial hydrology in Antarctic ice sheet dynamics and stability: a modelling perspective. Annals of Glaciology, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.9

• Summers, P., Elsworth, C., Dow, C.F., Suckale, J. (2023) Migration of the Shear Margins at Thwaites Glacier: Dependence on Basal Conditions and Testability Against Field Data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 128(3), e2022JF006958

• *Bash, E.A., Wecker, L., Rahman, M.M., Dow, C.F., McDermid, G., Samavati, F.F., Whitehead, K., Moorman, B.J., Medrzycka, D., Copland, L. A. (2023) Multi-Resolution Approach to Point Cloud Registration without Control Points. Remote Sensing, 15 (1161).

• Ehrenfeucht, S., Morlighem, M., Rignot, E., Dow, C., Mouginot J. (2023) Seasonal acceleration of Petermann Glacier, from changes in subglacial hydrology. Geophysical Research Letters, e2022GL098009

• Main, B., Copland, L, Smeda, B., Kochtitzky, W., Samsonov, S., Dudley, J., Skidmore, M., Dow, C., VanWychen, W., Medryzcka, D., Higgs, E. and Mingo, L. (2022) Terminus change of Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon, under a warming climate: retreat, thinning, slowdown, and modified proglacial lake geometry. Journal of Glaciology, 69 (276), 936-952.

• Dow, C.F., Ross, N., Jeofry, H., *Siu, K. and Siegert, M. (2022) Antarctic basal environment shaped by high-pressure flow through a subglacial river system. Nature Geoscience. 15(11), 892-898.

• *Bash, E.A., Shellian, C, Dow, C.F., McDermid, G., Kochtitzky, W., Medrzycka, D and Copland, L. (2022) A Semi-automated, GIS-based Framework for the Mapping of Supraglacial Hydrology. Journal of Glaciology. 69 (276), 708-722.

• McCormack, F.S., Roberts, J.L., Dow, C.F., Stål, T., Halpin, J.A., Reading, A.M. and Siegert, M.J., (2022) Fine‐scale geothermal heat flow in Antarctica can increase simulated subglacial melt estimates. Geophysical Research Letters, p.e2022GL098539.

• Friedrichs, D., McInerney, J., Oldroyd, H., Lee, W. S., Yun, S., Yoon, S-T., Stevens, C., Zappa, C., Dow, C., Mueller, D., Steiner, O. S. and Forrest. A. (2022) Observations of submesoscale eddy-driven heat transport at an ice shelf calving front. Nature Communications Earth & Environment, 3, 1-9

• England, J.H., Coulthard, R.D., Furze, M.F.A., Dow, C.F. (2022) Catastrophic ice shelf collapse along the NW Laurentide Ice Sheet highlights the vulnerability of marine-based ice margins. Quaternary Science Reviews, 286, 10752.

• McCormack, F.S., Warner, R.C., Seroussi, H., Dow, C.F., Roberts, J.L. and Treverrow, A., Modeling the deformation regime of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, using a simple flow relation for ice anisotropy (ESTAR) (2022) Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 127 (3) p.e2021JF006332.

• Livingstone, S.J., Li, Y., Rutishauser, A., Sanderson, R.J., Winter, K., Mikucki, J.A., Björnsson, H., Bowling, J.S., Chu, W., Dow, C.F., Fricker, H.A., McMillan, M., Ng, F., Ross, N., Siegert, M., Siegfried, M. and Sole, A.J. (2022). Subglacial lakes and their changing role in a warming climate. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 3, 106-124.

• *Hill, T. and Dow, C.F., (2021). Modeling the dynamics of supraglacial rivers and distributed meltwater flow with the Subaerial Drainage System (SaDS) model. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 126(12), p.e2021JF006309.

• *Killingbeck, S.F., Dow, C.F. and Unsworth, M.J. (2021). A quantitative method for deriving salinity of subglacial water using ground-based transient electromagnetics. Journal of Glaciology, 68(268), 319-336.

• *Hill, T., Dow, C.F., *Bash, E., and Copland, L. (2021) Application of an improved surface energy balance model to two large valley glaciers in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon. Journal of Glaciology, 67(262), 297-312.

• *Indrigo, C., Dow, C.F., Greenbaum, J.S., and Morlighem, M. (2021) Drygalski Ice Tongue stability influenced by rift formation and ice morphology. Journal of Glaciology, 67(262), 243-252.

• Kochtitzky, W., Copland, L., Painter, M., and Dow, C.F. (2020) Draining and filling of ice dammed lakes at the terminus of surge-type Dań Zhùr (Donjek) Glacier, Yukon, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 57(11), 1337-1348. doi:10.1139/cjes-2019-0233.

• Wei, W., Blankenship, D., Greenbaum, J., Gourmelen, N., Dow, C.F., Richter, T., Greene, C., Young, D., Lee, S., Kim, T., and Lee, W.S. (2020). Getz Ice Shelf melt enhanced by freshwater discharge from beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere, 14(4), 1399-1408. doi:10.5194/tc-14-1399-2020.

• Dow, C.F., McCormack, F., Young, D., Greenbaum, J., Roberts, J., and Blankenship, D. (2020). Totten Glacier subglacial hydrology determined from geophysics and modeling. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 531, 115961. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115961.

• Riverman, K.L., Anadakrishnan, S., Alley, R.B., Holschuh, N., Dow, C.F., Muto, A., Parizek, B.R., Christiansen, K., and Peters, L.E. (2019). Wet subglacial bedforms of the NE Greenland Ice Stream shear margins. Annals of Glaciology, 60(80), 91-99. doi:10.1017/aog.2019.43.

• Poinar, K, Dow, C.F., and Andrews, L.C. (2019). Long-term support of an active subglacial hydrologic system in Southeast Greenland by firn aquifers. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(9), 4772-4781. doi:10.1029/2019GL082786.

• Sanders, J.W., Cuffey, K.M., MacGregor, K.R., Kavanaugh, J.L., and Dow, C.F. (2018). Variations in the surface velocity of an alpine cirque glacier. Journal of Glaciology, 64(248), 969-976. doi:10.1017/jog.2018.85.

• De Fleurian, B., Werder, M.A., Beyer, S., Brinkerhoff, D.J., Delaney, I., Dow, C.F., Downs, J., Gagliardini, O., Hoffman, M.J., Hooke, R.LeB., Seguinot, J., and Sommers, A.N. (2018). SHMIP: The Subglacial Hydrology Model Intercomparison Project. Journal of Glaciology, 64(248), 897-916. doi:10.1017/jog.2018.78.

• Dow C.F., Lee W.S., Greenbaum J.S., Blankenship D.D., Greene C.A., Poinar K., Forrest A.L., Young D.A., and Zappa C.J. (2018). Basal channels drive active surface hydrology and transverse ice-shelf fracture. Science Advances, 4(6), eaao7212. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aao7212.

• Dow, C.F., Werder, M.A., Nowicki, S., Walker, R.T., Babonis, G., Csatho, B., and Morlighem, M. (2018). Dynamics of active subglacial lakes in Recovery Ice Stream. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123(4), 837-850. doi:10.1002/2017JF004409.

• Dow, C. F., Karlsson, N. B., and Werder, M. A. (2018). Limited impact of subglacial supercooling freeze‐on for Greenland Ice Sheet stratigraphy. Geophysical Research Letters, 45(3), 1481-1489. doi:10.1002/2017GL076251.

• Walker, R. T., Werder, M. A., Dow, C. F., and Nowicki, S. M. (2017). Determining ice-sheet uplift surrounding lakes with a viscous plate model. Frontiers in Earth Sciences, 5, 103. doi:10.3389/feart.2017.00103.

• Kulessa, B., Hubbard, A.L., Booth, A.D., Bougamont, M., Dow, C.F., Doyle, S.H., Christoffersen, P., Gusmeroli, A., and Jones, G.A. (2017). Seismic evidence for complex sedimentary control of Greenland Ice Sheet flow. Science Advances, 3(8), e1603071. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1603071.

• Dow, C.F., Werder, M.A., Nowicki, S., and Walker, R.T. (2016). Modeling Antarctic subglacial lake filling and drainage cycles. The Cryosphere, 10(4), 1381–1393, doi:10.5194/tc-10-1381-2016.

• Dow, C.F., Kulessa, B., Rutt, I.C., Tsai, V.C., Pimentel, S., Doyle, S.H., van As, D., Lindbäck, K., Pettersson, R., Jones, G.A., and Hubbard, A.L. (2015). Modeling of subglacial hydrologicaldevelopment following rapid supraglacial lake drainage. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 120(6), 1127–1147. doi:10.1002/2014JF003333.

• Dow, C.F., Kulessa, B., Rutt, I.C., and Hubbard, A.L. (2014). Upper bounds on subglacial channel development for interior regions of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Journal of Glaciology, 60(224), 1044-1052. doi:10.3189/2014JoG14J093.

• Dow, C.F., Kavanaugh, J.L., Sanders, J.W., and Cuffey, K.M. (2014). A test of common assumptions used to infer subglacial water flow through overdeepenings. Journal of Glaciology, 60(222), 725-734. doi:10.3189/2014JoG14J027.

• Fitzpatrick, A.A.W., Hubbard, A.L., Box, J.E., Quincey D.J., van As, D., Mikkelsen, A.P.B., Doyle, S.H., Dow, C.F., Hasholt, B., and Jones, G.A. (2014). A decade of supraglacial lake volume estimates across a land-terminating margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere, 8(1), 107-121. doi:10.5194/tc-8-107-2014.

• Dow, C.F., Hubbard, A.L., Booth, A.D., Doyle, S.H., Gusmeroli, A. and Kulessa, B. (2013). Seismic evidence of a sediment layer underlying Russell Glacier, West Greenland. Annals of Glaciology, 54(64), 135-141. doi:10.3189/2013AoG64A032.

• Jones, G.A., Kulessa, B., Doyle, S.H., Dow, C.F., and Hubbard, A. (2013). An automated approach to the location of icequakes using seismic waveform amplitudes. Annals of Glaciology, 54(64), 1-9. doi:10.3189/2013AoG64A074.

• Doyle, S.H., Hubbard, A.L., Dow, C.F., Jones, G.A., Fitzpatrick, A., Gusmeroli, A., Kulessa, B., Lindbäck, K., Pettersson, R., and Box, J.E. (2013). Ice tectonics during the rapid tapping of a supraglacial lake on the Greenland Ice Sheet, The Cryosphere, 7(1), 129-140. doi:10.5194/tc-7-129-2013.

• Dow, C.F., Kavanaugh, J.L., Sanders, J.W., and Cuffey, K.M. (2011). Subsurface hydrology of an overdeepened cirque glacier. Journal of Glaciology, 57(206), 1067-1078. doi:10.3189/002214311798843412.

• Sanders, J.W., Cuffey, K.M., MacGregor, K.R., Kavanaugh, J.L., and Dow, C.F. (2010). Dynamics of an alpine cirque glacier. American Journal of Science, 310(8), 217-227. doi:10.2475/08.2010.03.

• Kavanaugh, J.L., Moore, P.L., Dow, C.F., and Sanders, J.W. (2010). Using pressure pulse seismology to examine basal criticality and the influence of sticky spots on glacial flow. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 115(F4), F04025. doi:10.1029/2010JF001666.