About the Snow, Ice, and Climate Group

Snowscape scene at Denali Alaska

About Us

We investigate snow and ice from mountain summits to backyards and from the Arctic to Antarctica, to document current and past climate change and better understand the linkages among snow and ice and our climate system.  We lead field expeditions around the world to investigate atmospheric chemistry from airborne campaigns and ground-based stations, to recover ice cores from glaciers and ice sheets, and to measure albedo, snow chemistry, and energy fluxes of seasonal snowpacks. In our laboratories at UNH, we measure a variety of chemical species in snow, ice and atmospheric samples to track key earth system processes and reconstruct climate change. We also use climate models, observations, and remote sensing to understand how landscapes interact with surface climate.  Our studies include analysis of climate change across the northeast United States and its impact on society, including floods in the Lamprey River watershed, and winter recreation.

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Principal Investigators:

Elizabeth Burakowski
Jack Dibb
Mark Twickler 
Cameron Wake

Research Staff:

Eric Scheuer
Joe Souney

Graduate and & Undergraduate Students:

Dylan Kelly

Graduate Alumni:

  • James Lazarcik, M.Sc. (2016) Major fraction of black carbon is flushed from the melting New Hampshire snowpack nearly as quickly as soluble impurities. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Eric Kelsey, Ph.D. (2014) Ice core records of changes in atmospheric circulation in the Arctic. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Elizabeth Burakowski, Ph.D. (2013) Winter Climate Impacts of Historical Deforestation in New England. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Ann Scholz, M. Sc. (2011) Consequences of Changing Climate and Land Use to 100-Year Flooding in The Lamprey River Watershed of New Hampshire. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Tracey Wawrzeniak, M.Sc. (2010) Reconstruction of the North Atlantic Oscillation via Analysis of Multiple northern Hemisphere Ice Cores.
  • Susan Spierre, M.Sc. (2008) Extreme Precipitation Trends in New England. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Tom Lambert, M.Sc. (2006). Air Quality and Pulmonary Function in New England during the Summer of 2004. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Amy Frappier, Ph.D. (2006) Recent Extreme Events in a Tropical Stalagmite: Multi-Proxy Records and Analysis of Ecosystem d13C Value Sensitivity to Weak Climate Forcing. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Kaplan Yalcin, Ph.D. (2005) A Glaciochemical Record of Anthropogenic and Natural Environmental Change from Eclipse Icefield, Yukon Territory, Canada. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Daniel Voisin, M.Sc. (2005) A 2000-Year History of Antarctica Volcanism From Tephra in the Siple Dome Ice Core. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Emily Fischer, M.Sc. (2004) Source Region of Ozone and Soluble Ions at Mt. Washington, NH.
  • Zachary Irons, M.Sc. (2004) Source Region identification of Extreme water-Soluble nitrate and Sulfate Aerosol Concentrations at the New Hampshire Seacoast. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Adam Wilson, M.Sc. (2003) Air Quality, Weather, and Respiratory Hospital visits in Northern New England. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Kaplan Yalcin, M.Sc.(2001) Anthropogenic and Volcanic Signals in an Ice Core from Eclipse Icefield, Yukon Territory, Canada. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Alison Murphy, M. Sc. (2000) A Glaciochemical record from the Devon Ice Cap and Late-Holocene reconstruction of past Sea ice extent in the North Water Polynya, Eastern Canadian Arctic. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Arun Shrestha, Ph.D. (1998) Physical and Chemical Climate in the Nepal Himalaya. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Christian Zdanowicz, Ph.D. (1999) Paleoclimatic Significance of Insoluble Microparticle records from Canadian Arctic and Greenland Ice Cores. UNH, Durham, NH.
  • Nancy Grumet, M.Sc. (1997) Late Holocene Climate Variability Characterized by the Major Ion Record Derived from the Penny Ice Core. UNH, Durham, NH.

Undergraduate Alumni:

  • Taylor Conte
  • Amber Mercier
  • Sarah Patry
  • Emily Wilcox
  • Marina Bowie, Sustainability Institute Fellow (Summer 2017). Updating and Expanding New England Climate Assessments.
  • Tessa Gorte, B.Sc. in Physics (2017). Analyzing Sea Level Rise Due to Melting of Antarctic Ice and Dispersion of Sea Water from Mass Redistribution.  UNH Durham, NH.
  • Tristan Amaral, B.Sc. in Earth Sciences (2016). A Simple Model for Predicting Snow Albedo Decay Using Observations from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow-Albedo (CoCoRAHS-Albedo) Network. UNH Durham, NH.  Amaral et al. (2017), Journal of Glaciology
  • Abby Kansal, Sustainability Institute Fellow (Summer 2016). New Hampshire Energy and Climate Scorecard.  
  • Gregory Sikora, B.Sc. Earth Sciences (2016). Modeling Future Impacts of Extreme Precipitation Events in the Lamprey River Watershed; Does Choice of Statistical Analysis Matter? UNH Durham, NH.
  • Sara Large, Sustainability Institute Fellow (Summer 2014). Climate Change Assessments for New England.
  • Megan Dalton, B.Sc, Environmetnal Sciences (2015). Atmospheric Nuclear Weapon Testing Horizons: Establishing Depth-Age Relationships in an Alaskan Ice Core. UNH, Durham, NH

UNH Arctic Research

Twitter:

@LizBurakowski
@TheClimateDr