Jorien Vonk
My research focuses on biogeochemical cycling in Arctic regions, and the impacts of climate change on these environments. I use isotopic and geochemical methods to learn more about a variety of processes, such as permafrost thaw, changing seasonality of arctic rivers, and coastal erosion. I do most of my work on land and in the coastal regions of northeast Siberia and the western Canadian Arctic.
Maps and aerial images of Edge??ya show an impressive amount of small braided streams and rivers that, during the short summer, carry large amounts of sediments to the coast. These waterways integrate the landscape are can be used as a measure of the state of the environment, just as the blood in our arteries is an indicator of our health. Signals of glacial melt, limited vegetation and soil formation, and geological history can all be traced in the sediments and organic matter that the rivers and streams transport. I would like to sample small amounts of water and sediments from multiple stream and river systems across Edge??ya (e.g. Dyrdalselva, Tjuvfjorden; rivers flowing into Diskobukta and Russebukta) to make a first inventory of what these sedimentary systems can tell us about the island.