My primary research interests are the interactions between marine microbes and their environment. My work with Dr. Charlie Trick is focused on describing the different components of the marine microbial community and identifying the factors, like nutrient supply, light, or predation, that control the growth and abundance of these ecologically important organisms. So my usual hat is something to keep the salt water from going down the back of my neck (the picture is from a lovely day in the North Pacific Ocean). However, I have donned the toque (a watch cap to my American friends) to study microbes in ice-covered lakes in Antarctica. I am fascinated by the enormous diversity of microbial life and all the ways these organisms live and thrive in a challenging world. Whether th...

Investigating microbial communities that exist in various nooks and crannies of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is much like exploring outer space. The microbial universe on this planet is a great unknown. In fact, researchers suspect that only less than 1% of all microorganisms have been identified and documented. Microbial communities play a variety of essential roles, in particular, in complex geochemical processes of global elemental cycling. The mystery of the microbial world in terms of identifying who is out there (community structure) and what they are doing (community function) sparks my scientific curiosity. My research questions explore the genetic diversity of microbial communities in biofilms that layer sediments and rock surfaces in Arctic stream ...

The Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) is hosting its kick-off meeting at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, Sweden on the 22nd to 24th of February 2007. PYRN (www.pyrn.org) is an international effort under the patronage of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) to bring young permafrost researchers together during the international polar year and beyond. The first phase of the PYRN project saw more than 300 young researchers from 31 countries join the network. It rapidly became the largest young researcher-driven network in the field of cryospheric science. PYRN offers, news, information and support to its members. It has sent 17 monthly newsletters since its start in 2005, maint...

Hi everyone! I have just embarked on a two month research cruise around the coast of Antarctica. Because I like to communicate, I've set up a blog where I can send email which can then be viewed by everyone! It's a little one-way -- I won't be able to see your comments and/or read email until I get back, but it'll have to do. I am participating in a research cruise as part of the US Antarctic Program on the Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP) to coastal Antarctica. Hopefully I will post photos after we return. In the meantime, Laurie Padman's photos on previous Anslope research cruises should be pretty close to what we're looking at. Cruise background and goals The ...

The five members of the Svalbard Scientific Skiing Expedition, colloquially known as the “Frozen Five”, met in Grenoble last week for the final preparations before embarking on their 11 week voyage through the Arctic wilderness on the 29th March. We’re a group of graduate students of various geosciences that met at UNIS in Longyearbyen during our diverse university careers. From March-June 2007, we will be skiing across the length of Spitsbergen, Svalbard’s largest island. The route, measuring about 1000 km, will take us over numerous glaciers, patches of sea ice and through the territory of the polar bear. Through this expedition, we wish to share our passion for the Arctic regions with the general public and, in particular, high school students. Blo...

I've lived most of my life within sight of Mount Hood in Oregon. The last few years, for the first time, I've seen bare rock on Mt. Hood's upper slopes. I began to wonder how life in Alaska would change if the snow went away. I watched films of the area to see how it looked, and read about dogsledding and Denali Park. Then I put my hero in a world that ours might be becoming. In my story for Polaris, called Shining Field, Walt Ksiolik has an idea to replace some of the benefits of snow. But he finds that applying it in the field is a much different task than using it in the lab... I enjoyed learning about Alaska as it is, and wondering how it might be. Can we find ways to make a good future there? That, for me, is one of the most co...

I’ve been doing field work in Alaska since 2001, both for my PhD research and for my job as a Research Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Most of it has involved tromping through scraggly black spruce forests, which range from dry to boggy. While the wet, boggy sites are harder to walk around in, and usually have orders of magnitude more mosquitoes, they can actually be pleasant places to hang out (provided you’ve come equipped with the proper bug gear). The trees are sparse and small in stature, so the sunlight is bright and you can see quite a bit of the surrounding area. The variety of groundcover plants can be really interesting too – I particularly like the little sundews and red Sphagnum mosses. ...

If you want to get involved in International Polar Year right from the start now is your chance!! The IPY Youth Steering Committee is asking young people from around the world to write to their political leaders (and send a copy to us) about their concerns for the Polar Regions and what they personally are doing to make a difference (biking to school, recycling, starting a polar club in their school, doing a polar science project). The YSC will present these letters at the official launch of IPY in Paris on March 1st and on our website. Throughout the Polar Year we will follow up with youth to see how they are doing with their commitments. To find out more download the launch package. Text: Melian...

The IPY Youth Steering Committee is pleased to announce the launch of a ipyyouth.org, new youth website for the IPY. The site is an interactive online community where young people can learn more about the Polar Regions, the IPY and how to get involved. By joining this online community you can contribute to discussion forums on Polar Issues, submit artworks and photos to a Polar Gallery, view Podcasts by our members and submit your own, start projects with other members, and get involved in the YSC’s activities! Text: Mel...

The thought of writing a science fiction story for the Polaris anthology filled me with trepidation. Science wasn’t exactly my strongest subject in high school. Then I looked at the research that scientists were doing for the IPY, some of which was happening in my own back yard, the Yukon. So I did some research of my own – on the Internet, in science magazines and in books – and I kept coming back to permafrost. In the Yukon, you have to pay attention to how permafrost is going to affect your plans, whether it’s building a house or putting in a highway. The history of the Alaska Highway is rife with stories of how engineers ignored permafrost at thei...