Research Focus

Quantifying carbon flux with soil chambers and correlating it with physical, chemical, and biological soil parameters. Manipulating water level in tussock tundra and investigating its effects on carbon flux.

How is your reserach affiliated with the PAGE21 project and what parts of your research will be a direct input to PAGE21?

Carbon flux data can be compared to those from other sites to better estimate global carbon flux in permafrost region. Manipulation experiment will enable us to predict ecosystem response to changing climate conditions.

 

What is the current challenge within this topic?

The greatest challenges are accurate measurement of flux (a myriad of factors influence carbon flux over a highly heterogeneous terrain, and flux data vary with measuring equipment) and discontinuous dataset through the year (most studies are done only in growing seasons, and there is nearly no data from the winter season).

 

How did it happen that you became a researcher?

I just chose what I wanted to do every moment, and now I find myself becaming a researcher.

 

Why do you like being a researcher?

It is fun to learn something new and discover unexplored scientific world. (Sounds a little nerdy)

 

What do you like most in being a researcher?

I like to be in the nature. As a field/experimental researcher, I can go out to the nature pretty often rather than sit at the desk all day long all year around. Moreover, the more I know about the nature, the more I love it.

 

How a typical working day looks like?

It depends on the stage of a project. Now, the project has just started so I spend most of my time researching on previous studies and planning for the summer sampling this year. During the summer season, I will go to Siberia to measure carbon flux and after that I will do some lab experiments, analyze data, and again plan for another sampling trip for the following year. When sufficient data are collected, I will write some papers on findings.

 

Funniest response ever when you told somebody that you are a "polar researcher"?

Are you going to Germany for your PhD and going to Siberia for the research? Why??

 

What are your plans for the upcoming three / five years?

I started my PhD studies a few months ago, so I will keep researching here for the next three or four years.

 

Which expeditions do you participate this year and what is going to be their focus? 

We will go to Northeastern Siberia (near Cherskii) during the summer season. The research group will set up an eddy covariance tower, select some spots for chamber measurements, and start collecting data. This is the first journey to Siberia for us, so we will see how it goes...