CR
Cryospheric Sciences

Mirjam Paasch

Mirjam Paasch is a PhD student at GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany. She studies glacier ice algae, single-celled algae with a dark purple to brown color that grow on glacier surfaces and are involved in surface ice darkening. Her PhD is part of the DEEP PURPLE project, a European Research Council funded Synergy grant studying physical and microbial processes that darken the Greenland Ice Sheet. Contact Email: mirjam.paasch@gfz.de

Memories from the Field – The Vastness of the Greenland Ice Sheet

March 16, 2026
Below a clear blue sky, ridges of ice undulate towards the horizon in stripes of white, blue, and black.
A view on the Greenland Ice Sheet close to Kangerlussuaq [Credit: Mirjam Paasch - July 2025].

I remember the day very well. It was the first time we drove up to the glacial ice from our base station in Kangerlussuaq (Western Greenland), where we had patiently been waiting for two days for the  weather to clear.  I took this photo during a three-week fieldwork campaign in July of 2025 as part of the Deep Purple project. As part of the project, we were in the field to collect glacial ice-alg ...[Read More]

Cryo Adventures – Discovering the beauty of polar winter

September 12, 2025
Cryo Adventures – Discovering the beauty of polar winter
Fig. 1: Digging snow pits, taking ice cores, and watching out for polar bears – a cold day in February on a glacier in Svalbard. [Credit: Wenceslas Marie-Sainte]

Only one month after starting my PhD, I found myself in a tiny plane flying over one of the most beautiful and breathtaking landscapes I’ve ever seen. I was on the way to the northernmost settlement in the world – the research village Ny-Ålesund. What I expected from the trip: cold temperatures, darkness, and lots of snow. What I found instead: stunning views, magical colors, friendly people, and ...[Read More]