DC1 ALESSANDRO CUZZERI APRIL 25 - September 25
Month 25 (April 25) : Submitted draft of deliverable “An estimation of the microbial biomass and activity originating from the atmosphere and deposited on glacier surfaces”. Prepared submissions for EGU and IMC conferences. Contributed substantially with expertise on bioinformatics to projects referring to biodiversity in snow and ice of alpine ecosystems.
May 2025: EGU attendance with pico presentation. Co-author for talk: Birgit Sattler, Klemens Weisleitner, Patrick Schwenter, and Alessandro Cuzzeri: „Rethinking Glacier Insulation in the Alpine Space: Microplastic Concerns and Sustainable Materials” First part of the DC secondment (Roskilde, Denmark): DNA/RNA extraction of samples from Antarctica 2024 expedition.
June 2025: Completion of lab work in Denmark. Termination and first processing of samples from a second joint project with DC4/Jacobsen CS. Contribution with expertise on bioinformatics for alpine study for microplastics in snow and ice for the Chamber of Commerce.
July 2025 : Sequencing of samples from Antarctica and joint project. Initial data parsing for pesticide mineralization curves analysis. Drafting of own paper (Intra-seasonal trends of cryoconite bacterial communities on an Alpine Glacier).
Month 29 (August 25): Drafting of own paper (Intra-seasonal trends of cryoconite bacterial communities on an Alpine Glacier).
Month 30 (September 2025) International Mountain conference attendance. Oral presentation of pesticides mineralization experiment during a focus session on pollutants in the alpine space. Co-author for talk: Birgit Sattler, Patrick Schwenter, Alessandro Cuzzeri, Monika Summerer, Klemens Weisleitner, Tabea Grube: Slowing Glacial Melt with Sustainable Cellulose Textiles Preparation of the upcoming second part of the DC planned secondment at IGE Grenoble for statistical analyses of Antarctica data.
DC6 KLARA KOHLER May 25 - octcober 25
Month 25: In May, I worked on two different experiments in the lab: I continued working on the timeseries of incubated
sediment experiment, completing the fifth time point. This involved measuring dissolved nutrients in pore water and
supernatant, as well as preparing the sediments for later nutrient extractions. The second experiment involved
crushing different types of sediment and measuring the nutrients released from the sediment before and after
crushing. Also in May, several IceBio students visited our department, where I helped them get started in the lab.
In June, I continued the lab work I had started in May. I also spent some time at ClearWater Sensors in Southampton, UK. Together with Marco Ajmar (DC7), we learned how the ClearWater nutrient sensors are built, how they are deployed, and how sensor maintenance and quality control work. I have also already begun preparations for my next stay at the GFZ in Potsdam to continue the mineralogical work on my sediment samples.
In July, I completed the time series of incubated sediments that I had started in January 2025. As in May, this involved measuring dissolved nutrients and preparing the sediments for nutrient extraction. I also helped Silje Waaler (DC8) preparing her next experiment on nutrient release from glacial flour, which she conducted as part of her secondment in our lab.
In August, I conducted the nutrient extractions on sediment samples from the time series and from the crushing experiment to measure the release of Si, N, P and Fe from the sediment. I also measured major anions at the IC for samples from my completed experiments (incubated sediments, time series and crushing experiments). In August I also visited the GFZ in Potsdam to learn how to perform grain size analysis and specific surface area analysis on my samples.
In September, I began my final fieldwork on the research vessel Polarstern in north-eastern Greenland. Due to the already strong coverage of fast ice, we were unable to go into the fjords and did not reach the mouth of the glaciers to carry out the planned work with the ClearWater sensors. Sampling during the fieldwork was therefore limited to water samples, which were tested for dissolved nutrients, and sediment samples, which were stored for later nutrient extraction analysis back on land.
Month 30: In October, I was still on fieldwork. In addition to my work on the ship, I completed the first draft of my first paper and sent it to my supervisors. I also began to plot the results of my lab work, which I completed in August.
