I thought I had seen all of the colors of blue before my trip to the Far North. After all, I teach about the electromagnetic spectrum and the active and passive sensors that scientists use to understand our changing planet. And yet. There were blues in Kalaallit Nunaat that I had never seen before. While photographs don’t really capture the vibrancy of the colors, or the feeling of being there, they are a starting point for conveying what I mean.
Paleo Records Of GLacier And Climate changes Inferred from Alaskan Lakes (PROGLACIAL)
The extent of glacier cover is a prime indicator of climate. Our project focuses on reconstructing glacier fluctuations in Alaska, the Arctic region of the United States, as evidence for past climate changes extending back for thousands of years. The research team will estimate past glacier fluctuations by studying sediment carried by meltwater streams and deposited in glacier-fed lakes. The project also aims to further develop the ability to reconstruct the extent of glacier cover within the catchment of glacier-fed lakes using basic sedimentary indicators of glacier rock-flour abundance. By sampling glacier-fed lakes along an environmental gradient of heavily to sparsely glaciated catchments in Alaska, the research team will systematically acquire quantitative information about these well-known glacial indicators, which vary with glacier size and other environmental variables. In addition to rock-flour indicators, the sediment will be analyzed for terrestrial and aquatic productivity indicators, including organic pigments and biogenic silica abundance. These records will be used to address fundamental questions related to the timing and extent of climate changes in Alaska that occurred following the last major ice age.
Participants Involved in This Project
Laura Larocca | Researcher Fellow
Arizona State University | Tempe, Arizona
Monica Maynard | Educator Fellow
Montebello Unified School District | Montebello, CA
From the Blog
Polar STEAM brought me to Utqiaġvik in collaboration with Dr. Julia York from the University of Illinois. Dr. York’s post-doctoral work is investigating how Arctic fishes, specifically Iqalugaq (Boreogadus saida, Arctic Cod) and Uugaq (Eleginus gracilis, Saffron Cod), physiologically sense and adapt to the freeze thaw cycles that dominate the Arctic throughout the year. Unlike
My whirlwind polar adventure is coming to an end. After a very short 10 days (ALL DAY as the sun has not set in Alaska since mid-May), I find myself spending my last few hours in town reflecting on my experience both with the people as well as the research I helped with, all while admiring the tundra. Polar STEAM brought me to Utqiaġvik in collaboration with Dr. Julia York from the University of Illinois. Dr. York’s post-doctoral work is investigating how Arctic fishes, specifically Iqalugaq (Boreogadus saida, Arctic Cod) and Uugaq (Eleginus gracilis, Saffron Cod), physiologically sense and adapt to the freeze thaw cycles that dominate the Arctic throughout the year. Unlike some of the Antarctic fishes that Dr. York focused on during her PhD, Arctic cod experience a wider range of temperatures throughout the year, from freezing ocean water (28.4°F; -2°C) in the winter to up to mid-40s°F during the summer. Fishes are the same temperature as their environment and environmental temperature fluctuation means that during times of the year fishes must either swim away from the freezing water or adapt mechanisms to keep from freezing.
The US academic research vessel RV Neil Armstrong departed from Nuuk, Greenland in early October. On the first leg of our journey, the science team’s initial purpose was to collect water samples and previously deployed instruments along a line of moorings at the southern entrance to Baffin Bay, a gateway between the Arctic and the north Atlantic. This line stretches from Sisimiut, on the west side of Greenland, to just off Cape Dyer, near the Canadian coast.
Our plane glides through the Endicott Mountains of the Brooks Range as we make our final descent into Anaqtuuvak. Accessible only by plane, Anaktuvuk Pass (“the place of caribou droppings”) is located 250 miles northwest of Fairbanks and is home to the only community of inland Iñupiat, Nunamiut, people [1]. Below, icy blue glaciers feed into a winding network of streams that snake through dense, green tundra and low-lying willows that line the banks of the Anaktuvuk River. From the air, the tundra is a verdant forest, but once on the ground the trees and shrubbery are no taller than 5-6 feet. The village stands out like a colorful flower within the greenery, blooming into view as we enter the valley. In Anaktuvuk, the roots of plants and people alike extend down into permafrost, the lifeblood of the ecosystem and holder of history.
Made possible with funding by the National Science Foundation Award #2221990. The information contained here is those of the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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