I recently wrote a chapter on the application of biogeochemical measurement techniques to glacier surfaces which will hopefully be of interest to students and fellow early career researchers, especially now during MSc project proposal time! Link here This chapter contributes to the British Society for Geomorphology's "Geomorphological Techniques" textbook which is rapidly growing and is a … Continue reading Supraglacial Biogeochemistry Chapter
Category: Science/Tech
General science and tech tutorials, reviews and essays
Discover Magazine: Ecosystem Engineers on ice
In June's Discover Magazine, science writer Elizabeth Preston explored the mysterious world of icy microbes, focussing on cryoconite. I was lucky enough to chat to Elizabeth several times and provide some photos for the article. Elizabeth described how cryoconite granules form when mineral particles and other debris are "ensnared... in the sticky arms of cyanobacteria" … Continue reading Discover Magazine: Ecosystem Engineers on ice
Biocryomorphic evolution on the Greenland Ice Sheet
Our new paper, "Metabolome induced biocryomorphic evolution promotes carbon fixation in Greenlandic cryoconite holes" came out this week. The main finding is that cryoconite holes can change their shape in three dimensions to maintain comfortable conditions for microbial life - an example of biocryomorphology in action. Here's a summary of the main points: Cryoconite holes … Continue reading Biocryomorphic evolution on the Greenland Ice Sheet
Video: What Lives on Ice and Snow?
Here's a link to Krzysztof Zawierucha's (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan) new film about the biology of ice and snow, including cryoconite holes, snow and ice surfaces. The film clearly shows why Earth's ice and snow represents a threatened store of biodiversity and illustrates some of the feedbacks between physical and biological processes operating in the cryosphere. See also Krzysztof's paper in … Continue reading Video: What Lives on Ice and Snow?
Cryoconite: Dark Biological Secrets of the Cryosphere
Recently, Tris Irvine-Fynn, Arwyn Edwards, Nozomu Takeuchi and I put together a big review paper detailing the past century and a half of cryoconite research. Here's a brief run-through... What is cryoconite? Cryoconite refers to granules comprising organic and inorganic matter that are formed due to biological activity on ice surfaces. In the paper we … Continue reading Cryoconite: Dark Biological Secrets of the Cryosphere
Biocryomorphology
In a recent publication in Frontiers in Earth Science, Arwyn Edwards, Alun Hubbard and I outlined a framework for developing a more holistic understanding of the cryosphere. We suggest that the complex reciprocal relationships between physical and biological processes on ice surfaces represent a crucial gap in our knowledge of glacial systems, and propose to … Continue reading Biocryomorphology
NEP Video
Here is a quick video I made outlining the well-known "total dissolved inorganic carbon" (TDIC) procedure for measuring Net Ecosystem Productivity. It is a very basic aide-memoir for undergraduate and postgraduate students showing the major steps in the TDIC procedure. There is a paper document to accompany this video available to students working in the labs at the … Continue reading NEP Video
Water Bears on Ice: Guest blog by Jesamine Bartlett
Huge thanks to Jesamine Bartlett - a recent MSc graduate from the University of Sheffield who has been working on Tardigrade research - for providing this introduction to the weird world of water bears... Whether or not you like microbiology, bugs, or even science, no one can deny the frankly awesome nature of the Tardigrade. … Continue reading Water Bears on Ice: Guest blog by Jesamine Bartlett
Swapping Space and Time
A transect is a straight path between two points along which a number of sampling sites are established. The same procedures are generally carried out at each sampling point so that changes in a certain variable can be related to distance along the transect. Transect studies have been used to examine the spatial variability of various glaciological … Continue reading Swapping Space and Time
A Cryoconite Bibliography
Below is a bibliography of cryoconite literature that may help those looking for material in this field. I will endeavour to regularly update this with omissions and new work! If you are a cryoconite researcher/enthusiast and you notice anything I've missed, please let me know so I can make this as complete as possible! CRYOCONITE … Continue reading A Cryoconite Bibliography
To The Poles 