Posts Tagged «Carie Frantz»

C.M. Frantz, V.A. Petryshyn, P.J. Marenco, F.A. Corsetti, A. Tripati, W.M. Berelson (2014) “Dramatic local environmental change during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum detected using high resolution chemical analyses of Green River Formation stromatolites.” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, V.405:1-15, doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.04.001

This project has two main objectives: 1) determination of the physical and microbial characteristics and microstructural evolution of sea ice exposed to severe melt; and 2) exploration of the influence of biogenic particles such as sea ice algae, bacteria and polymer gels on the melting behavior of sea ice.

C.M. Frantz, V.A. Petryshyn, F.A. Corsetti (2015) “Grain trapping by filamentous cyanobacterial and algal mats: implications for stromatolite microfabrics through time.” Geobiology, V.13:409-423, doi:10.1111/gbi.12145

The response of Arctic sea ice to a warming climate includes decreases in extent, lower ice concentration, and reduced ice thickness. Summer melt seasons are lengthening with earlier melt onsets and later autumn freezeups. We believe this will likely lead to an increase in so-called “rotten ice” in the Arctic at the end of summer. This ice has experienced a long summer of melt, is fragile, difficult to work with, and has received little attention. Comprehensive information on its physical and microbiological properties does not exist. Our team is embarking on an ambitious field campaign in order to study this poorly-understood type of sea ice in the context of its microstructural properties and potential for habitability.

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