Project Overview
Polar and Planetary Research: Antarctic biogeochemistry and Ice Age New York Drone Mapping
Department(s)
Earth and Environmental Geosciences
Abstract
How do water, rock, salt, and ice combine to make habitable conditions in modern Antarctic permafrost and relict permafrost from the last Ice Age? Students working on this project will help examine sediments returned from the field in Antarctica to measure soil properties that will reveal how polar soils connect to global biogeochemical processes, including chemical weathering and the carbon cycle. Students will also join fieldwork exploring the legacy of the last ice age in central New York and northern Pennsylvania through field trips to paleo-permafrost sites. We will use drone-borne imagers and geophysical sensors to measure soil moisture and plant health to map ancient permafrost locations. This will shed new light on environmental conditions during the collapse of the last major ice sheet, and provide insight into how deglaciating landscapes evolve and store soil carbon.
Student Qualifications
At least one course in Earth and Environmental Geoscieces or a Core Science course taught by EEGS faculty.
Number of Student Researchers
2 students
Project Length
8 weeks