Students, Scientist Head for Antarctica to Study Wind Erosion

Newswise — A research group led by University of North Dakota geomorphologist Jaakko Putkonen will head to a little-known valley on the bottom of the world for a project funded by the National Science Foundation. The group will study landform changes in Antarctica and set up sensors that will measure wind erosion. Scientists will return in a year to retrieve the sensor data for analysis. Putkonen is assistant professor in the UND Department of Geology and Geological Engineering. The other members of the research group are Theodore Bibby, Tallahassee, FL, a Ph.D. student in geology; Collin Giusti, Chanhassen, MN, a junior majoring in geology; and Holly Westad, Parkers Prairie, MN, a junior majoring in biology. The purpose of the National Science Foundation-funded expedition is to dig into the evolution of the landscape in one of the continent’s remotest and least understood regions. The Antarctic research location was selected, in part, because it's one of the most desolate locations on the planet, and it resembles the surface of Mars. Scientists hope that research in such rugged terrestrial zones will help them to get a better fix on Martian landscapes. The team leaves Grand Forks Airport at 2:50 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, on a trip that’s scheduled to last two months, including travel to and from their Antarctic destination and training time at the U.S. Antarctic Station at McMurdo Station. For additional information, see the UND Antarctic Project Web page: http://www.geology.und.edu/cosmo/CTAM_2010/Home.html .