Interview: "It's crucial because it highlights an understudied positive feedback loop due to climate-driven glacial retreat"

In this interview, postdoctoral researcher Gabrielle Kleber discusses her work on glacial biogeochemistry and climate change, highlighting the significance of her research on methane emissions and glacier dynamics, while also sharing her enthusiasm for fieldwork and exploration in Svalbard.

Can you describe yourself briefly? What is the focus of your research and why is it important?

I'm a postdoc. I just finished my PhD in the summer of 2023. My research is a continuation of my PhD work, where I looked at groundwater springs that form in the forefields of glaciers. As glaciers retreat, they reveal land that's not frozen, allowing groundwater beneath the permafrost to surface, bringing methane with it. This study investigated methane emissions caused by glacier retreat, a positive feedback loop. Now, my postdoc research extends this to marine-terminating glaciers, examining forefields revealed beneath the sea, like in fjords, to see if groundwater springs bring methane to the seafloor. We've also extended the research into glacial rivers, studying methane transported from beneath glaciers through the glacial drainage system. It's crucial because it highlights an understudied positive feedback loop due to climate-driven glacial retreat, beyond the obvious concern of sea level rise.

Photo credit: Leonard Magerl (UiT, iC3)

How are you doing that exactly? Are you sampling or modeling?

It’s very much field based. During my PhD, we took samples from about 125 different springs, representing almost 100 different glacier forefields on Svalbard. It's a lot of time on snowmobiles and skis. In the summer, we do more river and marine work, done by boat and foot. I've spent about seven to nine months per year on Svalbard doing fieldwork over the last seven years. It's quite a field-intensive project.

Photo credit: Ingrid Ballari Nilssen (UNIS)

You are part of METHANICE. Can you explain this project?

METHANICE is looking at methane cycling by microbes in the icings that form over pingos on Svalbard during winter. It's about understanding the evolution of life and how microbial communities function in extreme environments. We collaborate with NASA scientists to help them prepare for how they might sample similar environments on the icy moons in our solar system. 

Can you relate that to iC3? What's your role in it?

Part of iC3 focuses on carbon cycling beneath ice sheets, so my work on methane and the glacial hydrological system is relevant to iC3's goals. The marine-terminating work offers a smaller case study to understand methane release at the seafloor as glaciers retreat, which can be applied to larger ice sheets.

Where are you from? Where did you do your bachelor, master, and PhD?

I'm from Michigan, USA. I did my bachelor's at Michigan State University in chemical engineering. I worked for six years in the automotive industry before returning to university for a master's in environmental chemistry at NTNU in Trondheim, which included two semesters up on Svalbard. My PhD was at the University of Cambridge, UK, but I spent most of that time doing fieldwork through UNIS on Svalbard.

Have you always aspired to have a career in science?

I did initially, and started my bachelor’s out by studying environmental chemistry, and planning to get a PhD afterwards. But I was doing my bachelor’s during the 2008 economic recession in the US, and a professor suggested I switch to chemical engineering for job security. I took his advice, and I regretted it once I was working in industry but eventually made the decision to quit my job and return to science.

If you could change one thing in science, what would it be?

I would change the competitive nature of science. While competition can drive progress, it also hinders collaboration. More collaboration rather than competition would be beneficial for scientific advancement.

What do you like most about Svalbard?

Svalbard is unique for its accessibility to diverse field sites. You can visit many glaciers, which expands the scope of research. The ability to revisit sites year after year allows for a deeper understanding of the glacial system. Personally, I love the sense of freedom and the ability to explore the vast landscapes.

Photo credit: Leonard Magerl (UiT, iC3)

How would you allocate an unlimited budget for your research?

I would invest in more analysis and expand the spatial scope of my research beyond Svalbard to places like Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. This would help determine if the phenomena observed on Svalbard are relevant elsewhere.

Can you describe a particularly memorable moment or breakthrough in your research?

A memorable moment was when I finally analyzed methane concentrations from samples collected over three spring seasons. Watching each sample reveal high methane levels was a "holy shit" moment, confirming the significance of our findings. This led to a publication in Nature Geoscience.

What do you miss from the US?

I miss the openness of Americans, the ease of talking to random people, and their friendliness.

What does an ideal day off look like for you?

Sleeping in and spending time outside, hiking or skiing, ideally in mountains, regardless of the weather.

If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?

The Canadian Arctic or Novaya Zemlya. I'm really curious to see glaciers and the landscapes of these regions.

What are you looking forward to in the next year?

Professionally, I'm eager to organize my thoughts and data, and get more papers written. I have a lot of ideas and data in my head, and I'm looking forward to having the time to make sense of it all and get things down on paper.

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Gabrielle Kleber is an iC3 affiliated and METHANICE postdoc working at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) in Tromsø, the capital of the Arctic. To find out more about her work, please check out her list of publications, or contact her by email.

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