SitS NSF-UKRI: Collaborative Research: Sensors UNder snow Seasonal Processes in the Evolution of ARctic Soils (SUN SPEARS)
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen Mary University of London
Department Name: Geography
Abstract
Melting ice sheets and glaciers are exposing vast ethereal landscapes dominated by seemingly barren post-glaciation soils. These new habitats support specialized and resilient microorganisms, and after many years, even lichens and plants. However, access to and measurements of these remote sites are typically restricted to the summer-and thus seasonal effects, including prolonged cold, dark winters, are under-studied. This collaborative effort between U.S. (University of Utah; University of Colorado, Boulder) and U.K. (Queen Mary University of London; British Geological Survey) researchers will measure biological, hydrologic, and chemical activity under the winter and spring snowpack, in soils near a retreating glacier in Svalbard, Norway, via continuously operated sensors and repeated field measurements. This will enable scientists to understand how under-snow processes contribute to the functioning and development of these unique soil ecosystems now and into the future. Additionally, project researchers will bring interactive lessons to classrooms in underserved areas in rural Colorado and Utah, remotely reach classrooms and podcast audiences around the world, provide research training for high school students from rural Colorado, and training for two university students and three postdoctoral researchers.
Planned Impact
The proposed research will extend human understanding of how seasonal processes contribute to long-term evolution of Arctic soils, which are of increasing global importance as a climate mediator and provider of ecosystem services. Data and modelling code will be shared via web-based archives, and findings will be disseminated to the scientific community through publications and conferences as well as communicated more broadly through public engagement by experienced members of the team via a number of channels. In partnership with the Pinhead Institute, the investigators will bring interactive workshops to classrooms in rural, under-served areas of Colorado and Utah. They will follow that up with a four day summer workshop for high school students in that region to conduct their own research, which they will present to the community in a symposium. Finally, the Pinhead Institute will place two high school interns for the summer in our lab groups at UU and CU. The proposed research will engage with young people and teachers more broadly geographically via video conferencing with classrooms from the field station in the Arctic. Finally, they will also reach a diverse adult population with a special edition podcast on the vulnerability of the Arctic. Two students and three postdoctoral researchers will receive training through this project, equipping the next generation of Arctic soil researchers to address growing challenges in this field.
Publications
Bay SK
(2021)
Trace gas oxidizers are widespread and active members of soil microbial communities.
in Nature microbiology
Bradley J
(2021)
Microbial Life in the Cryosphere and Its Feedback on Global Change
Bradley J
(2023)
Active and dormant microorganisms on glacier surfaces
Bradley JA
(2023)
Active and dormant microorganisms on glacier surfaces.
in Geobiology
Bradley JA
(2022)
Sources and Fluxes of Organic Carbon and Energy to Microorganisms in Global Marine Sediments.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Bradley JA
(2020)
Widespread energy limitation to life in global subseafloor sediments.
in Science advances
Bradley JA
(2022)
Transfer efficiency of organic carbon in marine sediments.
in Nature communications
Cauvy-Fraunié S
(2020)
Reply to: Glacial ecosystems are essential to understanding biodiversity responses to glacier retreat
in Nature Ecology & Evolution
Cimpoiasu M
(2024)
Characterization of a Deglaciated Sediment Chronosequence in the High Arctic Using Near-Surface Geoelectrical Monitoring Methods
in Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
Giovannelli D
(2024)
Greenland 2022 GHOST project: Sampling Greenland geothermal springs - expedition report
in Open Research Europe
Halbach L
(2022)
Pigment signatures of algal communities and their implications for glacier surface darkening.
in Scientific reports
LaRowe D
(2020)
Organic carbon and microbial activity in marine sediments on a global scale throughout the Quaternary
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
LaRowe D
(2020)
The fate of organic carbon in marine sediments - New insights from recent data and analysis
in Earth-Science Reviews
Lyu Z
(2024)
Seasonal dynamics of Arctic soils: Capturing year-round processes in measurements and soil biogeochemical models
in Earth-Science Reviews
Makowska-Zawierucha N
(2024)
Arctic plasmidome analysis reveals distinct relationships among associated antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes along anthropogenic gradients.
in Global change biology
Roy S
(2025)
Prevalence and dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in pioneer and developing Arctic soils
in BMC Microbiology
Stibal M
(2020)
Glacial ecosystems are essential to understanding biodiversity responses to glacier retreat
in Nature Ecology & Evolution
Trejos-Espeleta JC
(2024)
Principal role of fungi in soil carbon stabilization during early pedogenesis in the high Arctic.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Trivedi CB
(2022)
DNA/RNA Preservation in Glacial Snow and Ice Samples.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Winkel M
(2022)
Seasonality of Glacial Snow and Ice Microbial Communities
Winkel M
(2022)
Seasonality of Glacial Snow and Ice Microbial Communities.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Wojcik R
(2021)
How allogenic factors affect succession in glacier forefields
in Earth-Science Reviews
| Description | 1) Fungi early-colonisers stabilize organic carbon in recently deglaciated soils. As glaciers melt and retreat, they expose new bedrock and terrain that over time transforms into soil. Microbes are responsible for controlling how much carbon is stored in the newly developed soils, but how microbial activity promotes carbon storage under these conditions remains poorly understood. In Trejos-Espelet et al. (PNAS 2024) we report that fungi in a Svalbard deglaciated ecosystem drive carbon stabilization in soils within decades after glacier retreat. The pioneer fungi taxa most important for promoting carbon storage were black yeasts. These results show that fungi will play a critical role in future Arctic soil carbon storage, as glaciers continue to shrink and expose more terrain. 2) Cryosphere environments are distinctly seasonal and their microbial inhabitants must survive months-long winter darkness and freezing temperatures. In Bradley et al (2023, Geobiology) we show that dormancy is prevalent among glacial microbial comunities and that levels of dormancy are sensitive to temperature fluctuations above and below the feeezing point of water. We deduce that the biology and biogeochemistry of cryosphere environments are shaped by seasonal processes. 3) We presently lack year-long data that captures the winter and shoulder seasons in high latitude terrestrial environments. We installed geoelectrical monitoring stations on the forefield of a retreating glacier in Svalbard, consisting of semi-permanent surface ERT arrays and co-located soil sensors, which track seasonal changes in soil electrical resistivity, moisture, and temperature in 3D. In Cimpoiasu et al (2025, The Cryosphere) we report 1-year continuous monitoring of soil processes covering the zero-curtain effects, and spatial and temporal variations in susceptibility to water-phase transition. These new insights into soil moisture dynamics throughout the winter and spring melt will help parameterize models of biological activity to build a more predictive understanding of newly emerging terrestrial landscapes and their impact on carbon and nutrient cycling. |
| Exploitation Route | Too early to say |
| Sectors | Environment |
| Description | Project and findings discussed on podcast - The Impossible Network, with Mark Fallows. Project and findings discussed on podcast - BBC Earth Podcast |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | AMBER ICE, INTERACT EU |
| Amount | € 15,694 (EUR) |
| Organisation | European Research Council (ERC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Are There Perennial and Light-Independent Microbial Processes on Supraglacial Ecosystems?# |
| Amount | £624,675 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/V012991/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2021 |
| End | 09/2024 |
| Description | CAP-BIO: Capturing Biogeochemical Processes in Proglacial Soil During the Freezing Period |
| Amount | £12,463 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | Norway |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 01/2022 |
| Description | IN-SPACE: An Integrated Network to measure Seasonal Processes in Arctic habitats via novel Experiments |
| Amount | £20,247 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | Norway |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Arc'teryx Bird Blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Blog post accounting Arctic permafrost thaw Arc'teryx Bird Blog. Global audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://blog.arcteryx.com/our-arctic-a-wake-up-call-to-the-imminent-thaw |
| Description | BBC Earth Podcast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed for BBC Earth Podcast |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://play.acast.com/s/bbcearthpodcast/whatthedeepoceancanteachusaboutlife |
| Description | Podcast - The Impossible Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Guest interviewee on the podcast 'The Impossible Network', hosted by Mark Fallows. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://theimpossiblenetwork.com/ |
| Description | Skype a Scientist |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Regularly participating in 'Skype a Scientist' program: Q&A sessions with school classrooms across the world, covering research topics, experiences from the field, citizen science, career information/guidance, what it's like to be a scientist etc. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Wasafiri International Contemporary Writing/Global Dispatches |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Wasafiri International Contemporary Writing/Global Dispatches Permafrost thaw in a warming Arctic https://www.wasafiri.org/article/call-of-duty-by-james-bradley/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.wasafiri.org/article/call-of-duty-by-james-bradley/ |