The PAGE21 project has now been officially closed. The four years of research came to an end on October 31 2015, leaving only...
PAGE21 project was featured in a plenary session "Permafrost in the 21st century" at the 2015 Arctic Circle conference in Reykjavik,...
PAGE21 Researcher Profile: Matthias Siewert from Stockholm University
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- Created on Wednesday, 16 January 2013 10:56
Next in our researcher profile series is PhD student Matthias Siewert from Stockholm University. Matthias is working in work package 3 and jointly organised with Elin the first PAGE21 Young Researchers Meeting in Hamburg.
Name:
Matthias Siewert
Institution:
Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholms Universitet
Nationality:
German
Research Field:
I work on the quantification of soil organic matter (SOM) in the Arctic. Soil organic matter contains a lot of carbon and nitrogen, which can potentially be released into the global carbon and nitrogen cycles through warming climatic conditions. In order to know how much carbon and nitrogen is in Arctic soils, we go to field sites and take samples of the soil at different places. For this we dig soil pits or use coring devices. Later the samples will be analyzed in the laboratory. The point information from these soil pits is afterwards combined with high-resolution satellite images to estimate the carbon storage and quality over large areas.
How are you affiliated with the PAGE21 project / what parts of your research will be a direct input to PAGE21?
Our working group will contribute with carbon storage maps for the main sites within PAGE21.What is the current challenge within this topic?
The current challenge is to find the best way to upscale the point information to large areas using satellite images. I will investigate the use of different landscape classifications as well as the use of different statistical tools. Furthermore we want quantify statistically the uncertainties of our methods. The long-term goal is to develop pan-Arctic maps that include not only the carbon storage, but also the quality of the carbon and therefore the lability.How did it happen that you became a researcher?
My parents always took us to warm countries on vacation. At some point I wanted to see cold countries and one thing led to another.Why do you like being a researcher?
You get to visit places that you would never get to see with another job.What do you like most in being a researcher?
My job has a lot of variety and it never gets boring.How a typical working day looks like?
My working day depends a lot from the season. In summer we are out on fieldwork for several weeks. After summer I sit a lot in my office and work in front of my computer to do paper work. At the moment I also take some courses. In winter and spring I spend a lot of time in the laboratory and work on the samples that we collected during summer. After work I also take a Swedish course four times per week.What are your plans for the upcoming three / five years?
In the next two summers, I want to do a lot of fieldwork to have a lot of data to write about in my Ph.D. thesis. Later I will be busy writing up everything.
Which expeditions do you participate this year and what is their main focus?
I will probably participate in an expedition to the Lena Delta in Russia and do some fieldwork in northern Sweden. In total I will spend around four weeks doing field work and another two weeks taking field courses. In both places we will quantify how much soil carbon can be found in these areas. The Lena Delta will be very interesting, because deltas deposits are thought to have a lot of carbon.What do you usually miss the most when being on the field and what are the biggest challenge in the field?
I don't really miss anything. It is sometimes hard to keep the mood up if you are so long in the field.
What are your nicest / worst / most interesting experiences so far on expedition?
Nicest: The polar day. Having no mobile phone connection for two weeks.Worst: Last year I got stuck in quick sand up to my ribs. In the beginning it was funny, but after a while it got quite scary.
Most interesting: Even in the remotest places you will run into people.
PAGE21 visits Japan at ISAR3 in Tokyo
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- Created on Friday, 11 January 2013 14:05
We are very happy that PAGE21 will be presented at the Third International Symposium on Arctic Research (ISAR3), which will be organized from 14 – 17 January in Tokyo.
WP4 Leader Ko van Huissteden and our cooperation partner Atsuko Sugimoto (GreneTea) will chair the session “Changes in water and carbon cycles of terrestrial ecosystem on permafrost” on Wednesday, January 16 from 9:30-11:05.
Another link to PAGE21 and its outcomes will be also given in the keynote speech of the coordinator Hans-Wolfgang Hubberten to “Arctic warming and its consequences for permafrost” on Tuesday, January 15.
The partners will use the chance beside the sessions for side meetings to discuss the latest progress and further steps.
Three years PhD position in France (Paris, LSCE) seconded in Sweden
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- Created on Wednesday, 09 January 2013 11:55
Three years PhD position in France (Paris, LSCE) seconded in Sweden
Modeling permafrost carbon stocks during the last Ice Age and effects on atmospheric CO2
Despite the likelihood of large permafrost carbon stores during glacial periods, their inclusion, even under a simplified form,
in carbon cycle models is still missing. The PhD candidate will use and further develop the process-based ecosystem model ORCHIDEE forced by climate simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum in order to simulate the extent and distribution of permafrost carbon stores, and evaluate the model results using new paleo-environmental reconstructions.
This position is funded through the 'Common Research Training Program in the Climate, Environment and Energy Agreement between VR, Formas and LSCE' (Sweden and France). Philippe Ciais (main supervisor), Peter Kuhry and Torben Christensen (co-supervisors). Deadline for application February 15th, 2013.
Please click here for more information on the position.
New Publication online
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- Created on Wednesday, 09 January 2013 09:57
The year 2013 has just begun, and we're very excited that the first article of this year "Spatial and seasonal variability of polygonal tundra water balance: Lena River Delta, northern Siberia (Russia)" is already published:
http://www.springerlink.com/openurl.asp?genre=article&id=doi:10.1007/s10040-012-0933-4
You can find all PAGE21 publications here.
PAGE21 Researcher Profiles: Elin Högström from Vienna University of Technology
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- Created on Tuesday, 08 January 2013 09:20
We are back from the holiday season and start into 2013 with the introduction of the PAGE21 PhD students and Post Doctorates. The researcher will be presented once per week and give you some personal and professional insights of each young researcher.
We are starting the "researcher profiles" with the PhD student Elin Högström. Elin is involved in the Work package 5 "Remote sensing and multi-scale integration" and was one of the organisators of the PAGE21 Young Researchers Workshop, which took place on 13 - 14 November 2012 in Hamburg. Elin also spent a part of the field season 2012 at the field site Kytalik in Siberia.
Name:
Elin Högström
Institution:
Vienna University of Technology
Nationality:
Swedish
Research Field:
Remote sensing
How are you affiliated with the PAGE21?
I do remote sensing and multi-scale integration of soil moisture using satellite imagery. Soil moisture is one of the key parameters for understanding permafrost development in a changing climate. My work supports other PAGE21 work packages, dealing with modelling and process studies, via provision of improved land surface information.
What is the current challenge within this topic?
Surface soil moisture can be retrieved from active microwave satellite data, but the approach for application in the Arctic needs improvement. Important challenges are therefore to identify and quantify problems specific for these regions, as well as to develop scaling schemes addressing these issues.
How did it happen that you became a researcher?
I wanted to do something for the environment. With time, it became clear that research within physical geography was a way to go for me.
Why do you like being a researcher?
I like understanding how things work, to solve problems, and to communicate knowledge and new insights to others.
What do you like most in being a researcher?
I like the challenges in learning new things all the time. Also, I enjoy very much the international work environment that our department, as well as PAGE21 as a whole, constitutes.
How a typical working day looks like?
Most of the year, I spend the days in the office, processing and analyzing data or preparing some program to do so. But I also have the privilege to spend a few weeks in field, so far in the Siberian tundra and taiga.
Funniest response ever when you told somebody that you are a "polar researcher"?
I usually am more specific and say "permafrost". Then people will go "How's the permafrost doing in Vienna?" (funny every time, right?)
What are your plans for the upcoming three / five years?:
I will finalize my PhD and continue with a postdoc, preferably keeping the focus on cold regions.
Which expeditions do you participate this year in 2013? What do you usually miss the most when being on the field and what are the most interesting experiences so far on expedition?
I plan to go to Samoylov this summer. In Sibera, I missed being a vegetarian. The nicest part is to work outdoors in nature all day, but the social aspect of field work is also very positive. Mosquitoes are quite unpleasant.