LLGRID8 (2014) low-res

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We are conducting a thorough investigation into the erosional and ecological processes occurring within these deflation patches that cover an impressive 22% of the local landscape in Kangerlussuaq, West Greenland during June/July 2014. Our research focuses on how katabatic winds emanating from the Greenland Ice Sheet remove fine-grained loess soil, ultimately exposing glacial till beneath. As a result, the edge of these patches advances as the surrounding soil and vegetation are undercut, creating an interesting dynamic. Within these patches, a unique biological soil crust forms, which not only hinders future erosion but also aids in the recovery of the soil. Our research team consists of experts from various fields: Ruth Heindel, Earth Sciences at Dartmouth Ross Virginia, Arctic Studies and Environmental Studies at Dartmouth Jonathan Chipman, Geography and Earth Sciences at Dartmouth Becca Novello Phoebe Racine For more information about our research, please visit: http://sites.dartmouth.edu/rheindel. Our study, The Spatial Distribution and Ecological Impacts of Aeolian Soil Erosion in Kangerlussuaq, West Greenland, was published in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers (Heindel, R., Chipman, J., Virginia, R., 2015, Vol. 105, No. 4, pp. 875-890).