Why is it important to study permafrost and thermokarsts?
The ice in permafrost provides an important physical structure for the frozen soil. Once that ice disappears, the soil will collapse like a failed soufflé. If this occurs on a slope, there could be a major landslide. Permafrost thaw makes a large stock of previously frozen organic carbon available to microbes through disturbances, such as thermokarsts, resulting in the production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. It also releases nutrient materials, such as nitrogen and phosphate, and could cause major changes in vegetation. This is a particularly important issue now because the Arctic is getting warmer, which poses a great threat to permafrost in the region. What aspect of the project are you concentrating on? My long-term interest is on what goes on in streams, especially carbon fixation by plants and how nutrient availability affects this primary-production process, as well as its connection with what happens on the land. As water moves through thermokarsts, it picks up sediments
