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

An Interview on the importance of simplification – modeling the weathering crust and microbial activity on ice sheets

A graphic of weathering crust on an ice sheet (a cross section view) on the left, and on the right is a brief schematic of how the microbes figure into the ice sheet as represented by simple drawings of pore space, melt, and physics equations

The weathering crust of ice sheets or glaciers is a layer of porous ice, bordering on impermeable ice below and influencing the meltwater storage and production. This physically complex environment harbors a wide range of microorganisms that themselves affect the weathering crust and contribute to darkening of ice surfaces. The two factors – microbial community …[Read More]

Cryo Adventures – Discovering the beauty of polar winter

Cryo Adventures – Discovering the beauty of polar winter

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 …[Read More]