Willem G.M. van der Bilt
- E-mailwillemvanderbilt@uib.no
- Phone+47 55 58 81 08
- Visitor AddressAllégaten 41Realfagbygget5007 BergenRoom3G15a - 3143
- Postal AddressPostboks 78035020 Bergen
My research is geared towards understanding and utilizing the climate sensitivity of alpine glaciers to reconstruct Late Quaternary climate variability in Earth`s high latitudes. I investigate sites near both poles - on Svalbard, Greenland, South Georgia and the Kerguelen islands. Although the methods I employ also encompass geomorphological mapping and remote sensing techniques, I primarily harness the potential of lake sediments as continuous records of past (glacier-climate) change. My past (PhD) research mostly focused on fingerprinting the signature of glacial rock flour - reflective of variations in glacier extent. To do so, I employed a combination of established physical analyses as well as novel (XRF and CT) scanning techniques. My current research integrates this sedimentological approach with biomarker (alkenones) paleothermometry to help constrain the climate signature of past glacier change. As a scarcity or organic material often precludes precise classic 14C dating of high-latitude (lake) sediments, I also utilize the geochronological potential of isochronously deposited layers of microscopic volcanic ash (tephra). My on-going and near-future research will expand the outlined multi-disciplinary method toolbox with molecular paleohydrology (hydrogen isotopes) techniques – to detect changes in the source, amount, and phase of precipitation under warmer-than-present conditions, as well as Computed Tomography (CT) – to fingerprint the invisible traces of geohazards like floods, volcanic eruptions, or extreme storms in sediment archives.
2022 New Scientisist, ’Spitsbergen rings the alarm’
2022 Trouw (newspaper), ’Observations from melting Spitsbergen’
2022 NOS (television), ’Seen climate change with my own eyes’
2021 NRC (newspaper), ‛How Europe`s largest waterfall was formed in weeks’
2021 Geoforskning (online), 65 536 shades of grey can help us understand our geological past
2019 Forskning.no (news site; NO), Naturlig nedkjøling fikk isbreene til å vokse
2019 Radio interview (Radio 1; NL), ’Awaking scientist’
2019 Forskning.no (news site; NO), Naturlig nedkjøling fikk isbreene til å vokse
2019 Radio interview (Radio 1; NL), ’Awaking scientist’
2019 TV documentary (NRK; NO), ’Does the Earth go under?’
2018 Arctic Research blog (online) for the EU-Interact transnational access program
2017 National Geographic (online), Expedition Braves Arctic Perils for Climate Science
2017 Harvest.no kronikk (NO), ‛Ice adrift’
2017 IB Times interview, ‛Ash from ancient volcano halfway round the world‛
2016 Science Daily, Algal fat opens window on past Arctic temperatures
1. 2022 van der Bilt, W.G.M., D`Andrea, W.J., Oppedal, L.T., Bakke, J., Bjune, A.E., Zwier, M. Stable Southern Hemisphere westerly winds throughout the Holocene until intensification in the last two millennia. Nature Communications – Earth and Environment
2. 2022 Hardeng, J., Bakke, J., Sabatier, P., Støren, E.W.N., van der Bilt, W.G.M. Lake sediments from southern Norway capture Holocene variations in flood seasonality. Quaternary Science Reviews, as PhD supervisor
3. 2021 Zwier, M., van der Bilt, W.G.M., de Stigter, H., Bjune, A.E., Pollen evidence of variations in Holocene climate and Southern Hemisphere Westerly Wind strength on sub-Antarctic South Georgia. The Holocene, as PhD supervisor
4. 2021 Cederstrøm, J.M., van der Bilt, W.G.M., Støren, E.W., Rutledal, S. Semi‐automatic Ice Rafted Debris quantification with Computed Tomography. Paleoceanography & Paleoclimatology
5. 2021 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Barr, I., Berben, S.M.P., Hennekam, R., Lane, T., Adamson, K., Bakke, J. Slackwater sediments reveal moderate magnitude of canyon-carving outburst floods on Iceland. Nature Communications – Earth and Environment
6. 2021 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Cederstrøm, J.M., Støren, E.W.N., Berben, S.M.P, Rutledal, S. Rapid and non-destructive cryptotephra identification with Computed Tomography (CT). Frontiers in Earth Science, without PhD supervisors
7. 2020 Møller, T.E., van der Bilt, W.G.M., Roerdink, D.L., Jørgensen, S.L. Microbial community structure in Arctic lake sediments reflect variations in Holocene climate conditions. In press. Frontiers in Microbiology, without PhD supervisors
8. 2020 Alsos, I.G., Sjögren, P.J., Brown, A.G., Gielly, L., Føreid Merkel, Paus, A., Lammers, Y., Edwards, M.E., Alm, T., Leng, M., Goslar, T. Langdon, C.T., Bakke, J., van der Bilt, W.G.M. Last Glacial Maximum environmental conditions at Andøya, northern Norway; evidence for a northern ice-edge ecological “hotspot”. Quaternary Science Reviews
9. 2020 Rutledal S, Berben SM, Dokken TM, van der Bilt W.G.M., Cederstrøm JM, Jansen E. Tephra horizons identified in the western North Atlantic and Nordic Seas during the Last Glacial Period. Quaternary Science Reviews, without PhD supervisors
10. 2019 van der Bilt, W.GM., D`Andrea, W.J., Bakke. J. Early Holocene temperature oscillations exceed amplitude of measured and modelled change in three Svalbard lakes. Geophysical Research Letters (GRL), Volume 46, Issue 24
11. 2019 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Lane, C.S. Late glacial lake sediments with Azorean tephra reveal ice-free interval on coastal northwest Spitsbergen. Science Advances, vol. 5 no. 10, without PhD supervisors
12. 2019 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Born, A., Haaga, K.A. Was Common Era glacier expansion in the Arctic Atlantic region triggered by unforced atmospheric cooling? Quaternary Science Reviews, vol. 222, without PhD supervisors
13. 2019 Ólafsdóttir, S., Bakke, J., Stoner, J.S., Bradley, R.S, Gjerde, M., van der Bilt, W.G.M. Holocene paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) near 80° N, Northwest Spitsbergen, Svalbard: Implications for evaluating High Arctic sediment chronologies. Quaternary Science Reviews. Volume 210, pp. 90-102
14. 2019 Beldring, S., van der Bilt, W.G.M., Bogen J. and 7 other lead authors. Climate in Svalbard 2100: a knowledge base for climate adaptation. The Norwegian Centre for Climate Service. NCCS report 01/2019, without PhD supervisors
15. 2018 Oppedal, L.T., van der Bilt, W.G.M., Balascio, N.L., Bakke, J. Patagonian ash on sub-Antarctic South Georgia: expanding the tephrostratigraphy of southern South America into the Southern Ocean. Journal of Quaternary Science. Volume 33, pp. 482-486
16. 2018 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Roerdink, D.L., Jørgensen, S.L., Spagnolo, M., Rea, B., Bakke, J. East Greenland lake sediments highlight geomorphological sensitivity to Holocene climate transitions. Global and Planetary Change.
17. 2018 Bakke, J., Balascio, N.L., van der Bilt, W.G.M., Bradley, R.S., D`Andrea W.J., Gjerde, M., Ólafsdóttir, S., Røthe, T., De Wet, G. The Island of Amsterdamøya: a key site for studying past climate in the Arctic. Quaternary Science Reviews. Volume 183, pp. 188-203
18. 2018 Oppedal, L.T., Bakke, J., Paasche, Ø., Werner, J., van der Bilt, W.G.M. Cirque glacier rejuvenation and retreat on South Georgia during last 10 ka. Frontiers in Earth Science.
19. 2017 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Lane, C.S., Bakke, J. Ultra-distal Kamchatkan ash on Arctic Svalbard: Towards hemispheric cryptotephra correlation. Quaternary Science Reviews. Volume 164
20. 2017 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Bakke, J., Werner, J.P., Paasche, Ø., Rosqvist, G., Vatle, S.S. Late Holocene glacier reconstruction reveals retreat behind present limits and two-stage Little Ice Age on sub-antarctic South Georgia. Journal of Quaternary Science. V.32, pp. 888–901
21. 2017 Sijtsma, F.J., van der Bilt, W.G.M., van Hinsberg, H., de Knegt, B., van der Heide, M., Leneman, H., Verburg, R. Planning nature in an urbanized country: an analysis of impacts of conservation policy scenarios in the Netherlands. Heliyon. V.3, without PhD supervisors
22. 2016 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Bakke, J., Vasskog, K., Røthe, T., Støren, E.N. Glacier-fed lakes as paleoenvironmental archives. Geology Today. Volume 32, pp. 188-203
23. 2016 van der Bilt, W.G.M., D`Andrea, W.J., Bakke, J., Balascio, N.L., Werner, J., Gjerde, M., Bradley, R.S. Alkenone-based reconstructions reveal four-phase Holocene temperature evolution for High Arctic Svalbard. Quaternary Science Reviews. Volume 183, pp. 204-213
24. 2016 van der Bilt, W.G.M. Towards a process-based understanding of Holocene polar climate change. Doctoral thesis, University of Bergen, ISBN 978-82-308-3337-7, pp. 1-133
25. 2015 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Bakke, J., Balascio, N.L. Mapping sediment–landform assemblages to constrain lacustrine sedimentation in a glacier-fed lake catchment in northwest Spitsbergen. Journal of Maps. Volume 12
26. 2015 van der Bilt, W.G.M., Bakke, J., Vasskog, K., D'Andrea, W.J., Bradley, R.S., Ólafsdóttir, S. Reconstruction of glacier variability from lake sediments reveals dynamic Holocene climate in Svalbard. Quaternary Science Reviews. Volume 126, pp. 201-218
- (2024). Holocene changes in the position of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies recorded by long-distance transport of pollen to the Kerguelen Islands. Quaternary Science Reviews.
- (2023). Using Drones to Map and Visualise Glacial Landscapes. CRC Press.
- (2023). The researcher.
- (2023). Revised Minoan eruption volume as benchmark for large volcanic eruptions. Nature Communications.
- (2023). Reconstructing glacier advances on the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen (49°S, 69°E) Islands for the last millennium.
- (2023). Long-distance transported pollen record from sub-Antarctic Kerguelen shows Southern Hemisphere Westerly Wind dynamics during the Holocene.
- (2023). Last Glacial Maximum Svalbard Lake sediments reveal warm stadial summers.
- (2023). Last Glacial Maximum Lake sediments capture High Arctic surface ocean warming during Heinrich Event 2.
- (2023). Holocene leaf wax isotopes from South Georgia reveal unprecedented shifts in Southern Westerlies during Common Era.
- (2023). Exotic pollen reveals Holocene wind dynamics in the sub-Antarctic.
- (2023). Even a modest eruption can end a civilization. Trouw.
- (2023). Detection of ice core particles via deep neural networks. The Cryosphere. 539-565.
- (2023). Behaviourally modern humans in coastal southern Africa experienced an increasingly continental climate during the transition from Marine Isotope Stage 5 to 4. Frontiers in Earth Science.
- (2022). Stable Southern Hemisphere westerly winds throughout the Holocene until intensification in the last two millennia. Communications Earth & Environment. 13 pages.
- (2022). Palynological evidence of Holocene climate variability and Southern Hemisphere Westerly Wind dynamics in the sub-Antarctic.
- (2022). Palynological evidence of Holocene climate variability and Southern Hemisphere Westerly Wind dynamics in the sub-Antarctic.
- (2022). Late Holocene sea-level change and storms in southwestern Norway based on new data from intertidal basins and salt marshes. EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts.
- (2022). Late Holocene sea-level change and storms in southwestern Norway based on new data from intertidal basins and salt marshes.
- (2022). Lake sediments from southern Norway capture Holocene variations in flood seasonality. Quaternary Science Reviews.
- (2022). Holocene vegetation variability on sub-Antarctic islands: Palynological inferred climate reconstructions.
- (2022). Holocene vegetation and climate variability inferred from lake sediment records in the sub-Antarctic.
- (2021). Semi‐automatic Ice Rafted Debris quantification with Computed Tomography. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. 10 pages.
- (2021). Semi-automated quantification of Ice Rafted Debris in sediment archives with Computed Tomography.
- (2021). Rapid tephra identification in geological archives with computed tomography: Experimental results and natural applications. Frontiers in Earth Science. 1-12.
- (2021). Pollen evidence of variations in Holocene climate and Southern Hemisphere Westerly Wind strength on sub- Antarctic South Georgia. The Holocene.
- (2021). Late Holocene canyon-carving floods in northern Iceland were smaller than previously reported. Communications Earth & Environment.
- (2020). Tephra horizons identified in the western North Atlantic and Nordic Seas during the Last Glacial Period: Extending the marine tephra framework. Quaternary Science Reviews.
- (2020). Report on the “past, present and future glacier-climate change in an interdisciplinary light” Summer School.
- (2020). Microbial community structure in Arctic lake sediments reflect variations in Holocene climate conditions. Frontiers in Microbiology. 1-13.
- (2020). Late glacial and Holocene glacier fluctuations at the Sub-Antarctic Island Kerguelen in the Southern Indian Ocean .
- (2020). Late glacial and Holocene glacier fluctuations at the Sub-Antarctic Island Kerguelen in the Southern Indian Ocean.
- (2020). Last Glacial Maximum environmental conditions at Andøya, northern Norway; evidence for a northern ice-edge ecological “hotspot” . Quaternary Science Reviews.
- (2020). Last Glacial Maximum environmental conditions at Andøya, northern Norway; evidence for a northern ice-edge ecological “hotspot”. Quaternary Science Reviews.
- (2020). How to record climate extremes by not turning liquid on a hot summer day.
- (2020). Early Holocene temperature oscillations exceed amplitude of measured and modelled change in three Svalbard lakes.
- (2020). A story of ice and fire: Slackwater sediments reveal moderate magnitude of canyon-carving outburst floods on Iceland .
- (2019). Was common Era glacier expansion in the Arctic Atlantic region triggered by unforced atmospheric cooling? Quaternary Science Reviews. 6 pages.
- (2019). The Microbial Community Structure in Arctic Lake Sediments Reflects Variation in Holocene Climate Conditions.
- (2019). Last Glacial tephra horizons identified in the North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas.
- (2019). Lake sediments with Azorean tephra reveal ice-free conditions on coastal northwest Spitsbergen during the Last Glacial Maximum. Science Advances. 8 pages.
- (2019). Holocene paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) near 80° N, Northwest Spitsbergen, Svalbard: Implications for evaluating High Arctic sediment chronologies . Quaternary Science Reviews. 90-102.
- (2019). Harnessing the potential of CT scanning to identify cryptotephra in sediment cores: a controlled experiment.
- (2019). Early Holocene Temperature Oscillations Exceed Amplitude of Observed and Projected Warming in Svalbard Lakes. Geophysical Research Letters. 14732-14741.
- (2019). Climate in Svalbard 2100 . 1/2019. 1/2019. .
- (2019). Climate Hazards and Extremes (CHEX) – palaeoflood reconstructions from southernmost Norway.
- (2018). The biogeochemistry of Arctic lake sediments: paleoclimate signal or post-depositional cycling? .
- (2018). The Island of Amsterdamøya: A key site for studying past climate in the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard. Quaternary Science Reviews. 157-163.
- (2018). Patagonian ash on sub-Antarctic South Georgia: expanding the tephrostratigraphy of southern South America into the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Journal of Quaternary Science. 482-486.
- (2018). Early Holocene temperature oscillations exceed amplitude of measured and modeled change in three Svalbard lakes.
- (2018). Arctic Research blog.
More information in national current research information system (CRIStin)
2021-2025 Trond Mohn Foundation (TMS) starting grant, Past constraints on a warmer and wetter future Arctic climate (PASTFACT), PI
2021-2025 National Science Centre (NCN) Opus grant, Arctic storm impacts recorded in beach ridges and lake archives: scenarios for a less icy future (ASPIRE), co-PI
2017-2022 Norwegian Research Council (NFR) Polar Program, Past behavior of the Southern Ocean’s atmosphere and cryosphere (SOUTHSPHERE, WP leader
2020-2021 Centre for Climate Dynamics at the Bjerknes Centre (SKD), Fast Track Initiative (FTI), diagnosing sediment archives with Computed Tomography (DISECT), PI
2020-2021 Positioning Funding (POS), Past fingerprints of future European weather extremes, PI
2020-2021 Norwegian Research Council (NFR), Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG), Svalbard Holocene Assembly (SVALHOLA), co-leader
2018-2020 European Research Council (ERC), Transnational Access grant (INTERACT), 2018, Glacier-climate fingerprints of cooling events in the subarctic Atlantic (GLACTIC), PI
2020 Research school on changing climates in the coupled earth system (CHESS), Summer School funding, past present and future glacier-climate change in an interdisciplinary light, co-leader
Interested in climate science? Would you like to familiarize yourself with new instruments and techniques that will help shape the future of paleoclimate science? Are you interested in working on unique sediments from some of the most remote and fast-changing regions of our planet? Or do you want to bulk up your resume with hands-on experience with various analytical techniques that could help you land a job?
Then please contact me about available research opportunities (MSc projects, PhD or Postdoc proposals, internships, Erasmus etc.). Current opportunities include:
- Unravelling seasonal-annual changes in weather patterns over Europe by applying lipid biomarker approaches and high-fidelity scanning (CT/XRF) techniques on laminated Maar lake sediments from the Azores archipelago
- Fingerprinting the timing and magnitude of glacio-volcanic megafloods using tephrochronology and advanced sediment fingerprints on slackwater sediments from northern Iceland
- Advancing the potential of Computed Tomography (CT) scanning to identify the invisible fingerprints of extreme events (volcanic eruptions, ice rafting, avalanches) in geological archives
- Resolving the Holocene behavior of the Southern Westerly Winds and their links with temperature, precipitation and glacier change in the region