The research will occur in Greenland's vast tundra. The Arctic tundra is a stark landscape where the the soil is permanently frozen. This frozen subsoil is referred to as permafrost. Because of this frozen soil it is very hard for trees to grow, so instead the tundra produces lots of moss and woody plants such as blueberry bushes. During the summer some of the permafrost melts leaving the ground very soggy, but provides plants with the water they need to grow. This causes many marshes, lakes, bogs, and streams to form. During my public outreach I used jars of Jello with frozen soil on top to demonstrate permafrost. The jello represented the frozen soil and the actual soil on top demonstrated how the topsoil get soggy as it melted. I did not get a picture of these jars, but you can see them in the background in this picture (notice the mason jars with blue jello)....
When I was in Alaska in February I was able to tour a permafrost tunnel.
We had to wear these beautiful hats...
and then walk into this little building...
Finally we ended up in the permafrost tunnel.
The sides of the tunnel were frozen soil because the soil was frozen. It was still cold even though we were underground.
Since the walls were frozen (and had been frozen for a long time) there were bones frozen into the walls.
Plus, it was just really neat!
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