REU Site: The influence of climate change on biogeochemical processes in northern ecosystems: An international perspective in Earth System Science

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This REU program will focus on providing student research experiences in Earth System Science (ESS), with special emphasis on investigating the impacts of climate change on biogeochemical processes in northern upland and wetland ecosystems. In this multifaceted program, we will bring students for the first four weeks to the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to provide them with background knowledge of ESS and biogeochemistry and to train them in laboratory and field techniques. During that time they will work with a research mentor to develop research questions they will then explore during the second part of the program in the permafrost region of Northern Sweden. The participants will spend the second four weeks at the Abisko Scientific Research Station (ANS), Sweden. ANS is one of the few locations where it is well documented that climate warming is affecting the geochemical, hydrological and biological cycles. At ANS, the REU students will be fully integrated into an international scientific community as they collect samples and data to support their research projects. For the final two weeks of their REU program, the students will return to UNH to analyze their data, complete any requisite additional analyses, summarize their findings and present their research to their peers and mentors, and prepare to submit their research for presentation at an international scientific meeting. This REU program will promote teaching, training and learning through the research process. The UNH-Abisko REU in Earth System Science extends these goals to provide students a systems perspective that emphasizes how aspects of the Earth system are impacted by climate change. This program will enhance the education of the next generation of scientists by giving them a foundation in interdisciplinary collaboration, an essential key in addressing emerging global environmental and energy policy issues. REU participants will also gain experience in communicating their scientific findings with an audience of non-specialists via coordinated visits with policy and education experts. In addition to student training, this ESS REU program provides integrative cross-disciplinary scientific activities and enhances the collaborative links between UNH and a world-class field site.