Mike MacFerrin, PhD
Scientist | Educator  | Expeditioner | Public Speaker | Inventor
My research investigates the numerous ways that meltwater and climate is rapidly changing the Arctic and Antarctic environments, with particular emphasis on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. I am an educator, having taught students from kindergarten through the twenty-second grade, and an avid public speaker interested in connecting our human experiences and politics to the environment in which we live. In addition to public research, I am actively involved in developing new field instruments to better detect changes in the polar environments (see the section on "FirnCo Instruments", below). When not working, you can find me either playing with my kids, running, or deeply trekking across the backcountry in any season of the year.
Research
The research amasses and analyzes large datasets over polar environments to describe new and emerging processes that are changing the face and behavior of those landscapes. The methods I use are broad and usually involve a mix of fieldwork, remote sensing (optical, radar, and others), climate models, and new instrumentation. A selection of peer-reviewed research articles is posted below. A full list of publications are available on my CV or Google Scholar.
Nature
MacFerrin, M., Machguth, H., Van As, D., Charalampidis, C., Stevens, C. M., Vandecrux, B., Heilig, A., Langen, P., Mottram, R., Fettweis, X., Van den Broeke, M.R., Moussavi, M., Abdalati, W. (2019). Rapid expansion of Greenland’s low-permeability ice slabs. Nature.
Nature Climate Change
Machguth, H., MacFerrin, M., van As, D., Box, J. E., Charalampidis, C., Colgan, W., … van de Wal, R. S. W. (2016). Greenland meltwater storage in firn limited by near-surface ice formation. Nature Climate Change, 6(4), 390–393.
Geophysical Research Letters
Colgan, W., Machguth, H., MacFerrin, M., Colgan, J. D., van As, D., & MacGregor, J. A. (2016). The abandoned ice sheet base at Camp Century, Greenland, in a warming climate. Geophysical Research Letters, 2016GL069688.
The Cryosphere
Larson, K. M., MacFerrin, M., & Nylen, T. (2020). Brief Communication: Update on the GPS reflection technique for measuring snow accumulation in Greenland. The Cryosphere, 14(6), 1985–1988.
Education
Geography, 2018
PhD University of Colorado
"Rapid expansion of Greenland's low-permeability ice slabs", published in Nature, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1550-3. Advisor: Dr. Waleed Abdalati
Computer Science, 2012
MS University of Colorado
"Turtle Geometry: Constructivist Software using Science on the Sphere", published in the International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-010-9161-y. Advisor: Dr. Michael Eisenberg
Computer Engineering, 2001
BSE University of Michigan
Specialization in software design and engineering
Media
My background as a school teacher combined with a PhD in Earth sciences has provided an ability to speak to the public about complex scientific topics in compelling and engaging ways. Age ranges of my audiences have varied from pre-school to retirement homes, from 1:1 meetings with legislators to international audiences on television. If you are interested in inviting me for a talk or presentation, Contact Me at the form at the bottom of this page.
FirnCo Instruments
As the polar environments are changing, so is the need for new and novel measurement techniques. I currently build a set of field-deployable firn strain-meters to measure compaction rates in polar firn. We are currently developing and testing snow-water-equivalent sensors using multi-frequency differential GPS receivers. Contact me for details or a quote.