Jennifer Burnham, Ph.D.

Geographer and Arctic Scientist

Professor of Geography and Dean of STEM Division- Augustana College

June 28, 2023

Arctic tern census in northwest Greenland (2019).

My Work as an Arctic Scientist, Geographer, and Educator

My love of the polar regions began as a adolescent, but my academic research in the Arctic began in 2003. This journey began by digging soil pits and studying soil carbon in Greenland, and has slowly transitioned to biogeography research on bird migration and environmental contamination. I'm also fortunate to teach about Arctic geography at Augustana College and to bring undergraduate students to the Arctic with me!

Much of my recent biogeography work in northwest Greenland has been done in partnership with colleagues at the High Arctic Institute and other collaborators at U.S. universities.

Through this Story Map I'll share a visual journey of my research highlights. Enjoy!

Contact Information

Augustana College Department of Geography

jenniferburnham at augustana.edu

https://www.augustana.edu/academics/faculty-directory/jennifer-l-burnham

Link to my traditional CV

Publications

Atlantic Puffin Research

The Atlantic puffins breeding in our study area of northwest Greenland are one of the most northern breeding colonies. Approximately 20-30 pairs breed on a small island approximately 14 hectares in size. Where do these birds go in the winter though? We set out to answer this question by attaching a geolocator (light logger) to 22 individuals. The light data recorded on the geolocators allowed us to calculate their approximate latitudinal and longitudinal position 2x per day (other than during 24 hour daylight periods or at equinoxes). Using GIS (geographic information systems) we analyzed data from nine recovered units and arrived at some rather intriguing patterns of movement in individuals. Check out the article below to find out more!

Migratory movements of Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica naumanni from high Arctic Greenland

Although the Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica is well studied throughout its temperate and low Arctic breeding range, few have studied the species in its far northern distribution. This study is the first to present data on the migratory movements of the "large-billed" subspecies, F. a.

https://journals.plos.org

Atlantic puffins aren't the only puffin species we found!

On the tiny island where Atlantic puffins breed in our study area, another interesting puffin story emerged. In 2019 we found that horned puffins and tufted puffins (both Pacific species) were also living on the same island. Three puffin species on a single small island in the North Atlantic. Climate change might be playing a role....read more below to find out how.

First record of horned puffin in the North Atlantic and tufted puffin in High Arctic Greenland

An accelerating decrease in summer sea-ice extent in the Arctic Ocean and Canadian Arctic Archipelago (North-west Passage) is predicted to increase the movement of species between the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. Here we report observations of two Subarctic North Pacific puffin species in the North Atlantic near the coast of north-west Greenland. We observed a horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata) repeatedly during the summer months of 2002–06 and 2013–19 and a single tufted puffin (F. cirrhata) in 2019. While single tufted puffins have been observed a few times in the North Atlantic, this is the first record of a horned puffin in the North Atlantic, and the first record for both horned and tufted puffins in north-west Greenland. In 2019, both puffin species were observed simultaneously at an Atlantic puffin (F. arctica) colony.

https://polarresearch.net

What can puffin size tell us about the distribution of subspecies?

The colony of Atlantic puffins that we study has a wide variety of body sizes. What could this tell us about the distribution of puffin subspecies across the North Atlantic? Could climate change be altering their spatial distribution? Read on to find out!

Morphological measurements of Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica naumanni) in High-Arctic Greenland

Morphological measurements of 45 adult Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica were collected in High-Arctic Greenland between 2010 and 2016. Measurements support that the population belongs to the F. a. naumanni subspecies and were significantly larger than those from populations found at lower latitudes, including F. a. grabae and F. a. arctica populations. Male puffins from High-Arctic Greenland had greater mass, bill length and tarsus length than females, but no difference was found in wing length. In comparison to other naumanii populations, body size was most similar to puffins in Svalbard. Overall, the measured Atlantic puffins from High-Arctic Greenland had some of the largest and most variable morphological measurements reported for any studied Atlantic puffin population. While morphological measurements and the relative geographic isolation of the puffin population in High-Arctic Greenland support the naumanni subspecies designation, additional research should use genetic methods to determine if this population and other populations in the North Atlantic are isolated. This is the only collection of naumanni morphometric measurements from geographical North America and enhances our collective knowledge of the species.

https://polarresearch.net

In a companion paper published by my colleagues, three distinct genetic clusters of puffins were found in our study area. A fascinating study!

Black-legged kittiwake migration from northwest Greenland

In addition to wondering where Atlantic puffins migrated in the winter, we were also curious about the migratory movements of a cliff-nested seabird called a Black-legged kittiwake.

We attached geolocators to leg bands on 40 individuals (note the red band on the adult bird at left) from 2011-2013 and recovered 22 units. 22 of the units contained migration data for one year, nine units had two years of data, and four units had three years of data.

Augustana students, Claire Behnke and Abdul Kamara did some outstanding GIS data analysis on this project. Publication of our results will be forthcoming!

Mercury contamination in Arctic breeding birds of northwest Greenland

In 2009 we began a long-term study to assessment the level of mercury contamination in the blood of numerous bird species breeding in northwest Greenland. The first publication from this project showed that most species were currently at low risk for adverse effects of mercury contamination, but species feeding at higher trophic levels (thick-billed murre and peregrine falcon) were at higher risk.

This research project is continuing in phase two of the project (2022), partnering with graduate students at Texas Christian University.

Correspondence between mercury and stable isotopes in high Arctic marine and terrestrial avian species from northwest Greenland - Polar Biology

Birds are useful bioindicators of environmental contamination around the globe, but avian studies in the high Arctic have been primarily limited to a few abundant species. This study was designed to assess mercury (Hg) concentrations in both abundant and less-abundant marine and terrestrial avian species on breeding grounds in northwest Greenland using blood sampling.

https://link.springer.com

Mercury contamination research in bird eggs

I was honored to work with Augustana undergraduate, Fallon Meyer, on her senior research project studying mercury contamination in bird eggs of northwest Greenland. This project is continuing in 2023 and will contribute to a larger global database of egg mercury data.

You can read more about her work here:

Mercury contamination of seabird and sea duck eggs from high Arctic Greenland - Polar Biology

Mercury (Hg) levels in the environment have substantially increased over the past century leading to increased concentrations in many high trophic level predators, including Arctic seabirds. From the Canadian high Arctic, research on seabird eggs has documented some of the greatest concentrations of egg Hg anywhere in the Arctic.

https://link.springer.com

New and changing birds in high Arctic Greenland

In addition to work on avian migration and mercury levels, my work with the High Arctic Institute also involves the study of bird population dynamics, changing breeding range, and observations of new species appearing in the high Arctic.

You can read some of the research highlights below.

Significant decline observed in Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea population in northwest Greenland

Arctic Terns Sterna paradisaea are an understudied species in Greenland. Outside of the largest colonies, little is known about their current population status and no long-term annual monitoring program has been established. Previous surveys outside of key breeding colonies have been limited to a small number of colonies for single-season studies. This limits our understanding of population dynamics as terns have been shown to have a high degree of variation in annual reproduction and readily move between nearby colonies. Here we present results of the first multi-year systematic survey for breeding Arctic Terns in the High Arctic of northwest Greenland. Surveys took place from 2009 to 2017 and identified eight islands where terns currently nest. A total of 426 nests were counted and annual counts ranged from 25 to 92 nests. Complete reproductive failure in at least one year was noted for seven of the eight colonies, and three colonies comprised nearly 90% of the total population. Mean clutch size ranged from 1.4 to 1.7 eggs. When compared with historical data from the late 1960s through late 1990s, the population has declined by over 50%, with the greatest decline occurring over the past two decades. Four previously identified colonies have been extirpated while three colonies have undergone significant reductions in size.

http://www.seabirdgroup.org.uk

New species records and changes in abundance of waterfowl in northwest Greenland - Polar Biology

Breeding populations of Nearctic and Palearctic waterfowl have undergone significant changes in abundance and distribution over the past 50 years. The Avanersuaq District in northwest Greenland is home to an assemblage of waterfowl from both geographic areas; however, minimal historic or current information is available on species abundance.

https://link.springer.com

Nesting Common Eider ( Somateria mollissima ) Population Quintuples in Northwest Greenland

https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4243 common eider, Somateria mollissima, population growth, Greenland, Avanersuaq District Common eider ( Somateria mollissima) populations in Greenland severely declined throughout the 20th century. As a result, in 2001, harvest regulations were changed and the length of the hunting season was reduced. Recent data suggest that these changes have been successful, and population regrowth is occurring.

https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca

Arctic Research Colleagues and Collaborators

01 / 06

Dr. Kurt Burnham

President, High Arctic Institute

Dr. Jeff Johnson

University of North Texas and the Wolf Creek Foundation

Dr. Matt Chumchal

Texas Christian University

Augustana College student researcher (2018) - Bailey Aasen

Augustana College student researcher (2016) - Fallon Meyer

Dr. Reuben Heine

Augustana College

Life in the High Arctic

Here are some images of what (and who!) we encounter in our research in northwest Greenland.

Fantastic drone footage video of our High Arctic Institute crew (2022).

Greenland Glacial Front with Kittiwakes

Arctic Soils Research

My doctoral research at the University of Washington took me to Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland. Here I studied soil organic carbon and its relationship to patterned ground, climate change, and surface vegetation.

One of the big revelations of this research is that there is more soil organic carbon stored in the active (thawed) layer in northwest Greenland than previously known. This has serious implications for climate change and feedback loops.

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon in northwest Greenland and underestimates of high Arctic carbon stores

The amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the high Arctic is generally poorly constrained. Because of periglacial processes such as frost churning and sequestration in frozen soils, a substantial amount of SOC is typically not inventoried. This study provides a detailed study of SOC content by depth in 55 soil pits in a high Arctic ecosystem of northwest Greenland. Sampling sites spanned ecosystems from mires to polar deserts, from sea level to the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and across various periglacial features. The amount of SOC in the various ecosystems was mapped using a correlation of SOC with high-resolution ASTER satellite imagery and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) classes from the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map. On the basis of this correlation, the total carbon was extrapolated to greater areas of the high Arctic. Our study found the amount of SOC in the high Arctic has typically been grossly underestimated, remarkably by the greatest amount in the most barren environments of the polar desert. We estimate that the high Arctic contains about 12 Pg SOC, a factor of over 5 times greater the most cited values previously reported. Since our estimate was only assessed in seasonally frozen ground, additional carbon frozen in the permafrost is likely present and potentially available in the event of permafrost thawing due to warming of the Arctic.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Another exciting aspect of my doctoral research was looking at the relationship of soil organic carbon and a particular type of patterned ground called non-sorted stripes. These are narrow troughs of vegetation that alternate with wider barren zones, resulting from freeze-thaw action.

Beneath the surface of these stripes, the story becomes more complex. We dug a 16 m trench across a series of stripes and discovered significantly more and significantly older soil organic carbon than previously known.

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon in northwest Greenland and underestimates of high Arctic carbon stores

The role of periglacial processes on soil carbon distribution is examined at a High Arctic site in northwest Greenland. A 16-m trench dug across a series of nonsorted stripes at Thule Air Base revealed sand-rich wedges underlying striped, vegetated troughs, and organic-rich soil horizons buried at depth. The site has sparse prostrate vegetation and is estimated to contain 9.4 kg/m2 of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the active layer. The distribution of carbon is variable with nearly half (49%) stored in the sand wedges, which only account for 10% of the trench area. Additionally, 62% of the total SOC was found below 25 cm, highlighting the significant role of cryoturbation and physical redistribution of carbon in permafrost-affected soils. Carbon in the active sand-rich wedges dates from modern at the surface (65 ± 35 radiocarbon years) to 2695 ± 40 radiocarbon years at depth, and carbon turnover time appears to be ∼450 years. Buried organic horizons found at 50–70 cm depth have radiocarbon ages of 27,480–31,900 BP. A conceptual model is proposed in which the active sand wedges have developed in an approximately 30 ka surface containing buried soils preserved in permafrost or under a cold-based glacier. As the ice retreated and soils warmed, soil development and active cryoturbation resumed forming non-sorted stripes in the modern surface.

https://doi.org

Mima Mound Soils Research

After working in the soil conservation field for two years, I set off to pursue masters research in soils at the University of Illinois. My research studies focused on the soils of a unique landform feature called a mima mound. These enigmatic mounds are found in various sizes and numbers across the western U.S., southern Canada, and northern Mexico. They have been pondered and puzzled over for 200 years with many origin theories proposed (earthquakes, glaciers, wind, humans, animals, and more!). "Mystery mounds" are often what these features are referred to as.

My work focused on using soils as a way to better understand how the mounds may have formed. A polygenetic model of mound formation highly influenced by the role of pocket gophers is just a sample of the work that you can read about below.

Mima-type mounds in southwest Missouri: Expressions of point-centered and locally thickened biomantlesRedirecting

Mima-type mounds, formed in gravelly soils of the Diamond Grove Prairie Natural Area near Joplin, Missouri, are the focus of this study. Emphasis is on the spatial and morphological aspects of the mounds, and more particularly on the analysis of mound soils and gravel distributions as a means for shedding light on mound origins in this region. The results strongly suggest that hierarchically dominant point-centered bioturbation by small vertebrates is the mode of mound genesis. Pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius), aided by other biota, create mounds as they burrow in residual gravelly soils that have evolved dense, relatively impermeable claypans that perch water during wet periods. Although pocket gophers do not presently inhabit the Diamond Grove area, evidence of past occupation, along with laboratory and field data, support them as the dominant role in forming the mounds. We conclude that these mounds are expressions of point-centered and locally thickened biomantles. Various subsidiary processes such as aeolian inputs, water erosion, and physical and chemical weathering also have genetically impacted Diamond Grove mounds.

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com

The work that I and my advisor, Don Johnson, did on mima mounds resulted in a Geological Society of America (GSA) book that we edited. For this publication we were awarded the G.K. Gilbert Award in 2013 by the Geomorphology Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

Mima Mounds: The Case for Polygenesis and Bioturbation

Sharing - Individual scientists are hereby granted permission, without fees or further requests to GSA, to use a single figure, a single table, and/or a brief paragraph of text in other subsequent works and to make unlimited photocopies of items in this journal for noncommercial use in classrooms to further education and science.

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org

Critiques of the seismic hypothesis and the vegetation stabilization hypothesis for the formation of Mima mounds along the western coast of the U.S.

A recent paper published in Geomorphology by Gabet et al. (2014) presents the results of a numerical model supporting the hypothesis that burrowing mammals build Mima mounds - small, densely packed hillocks found primarily in the western United States. The model is based on field observations and produces realistic-looking mounds with spatial distributions similar to real moundfields. Alternative explanations have been proposed for these Mima mounds, including formation by seismic shaking and vegetation-controlled erosion and deposition. In this short communication, we present observations from moundfields in the coastal states of the western U.S. that are incompatible with these alternative theories.

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com

You can also see me in a TV episode about mima mounds too!

Capone's Escape Tunnels

Rob Nelson investigates rumors of a secret, underground escape route used by the infamous gangster Al Capone in Louisville, KY. Also, the Mima mounds in Washington State are explored.

https://www.travelchannel.com

Personal Hobbies

Here is a quick snapshot of some of the things I enjoy doing outside of work. My family and I own a small farm where we raise chickens, ducks, lambs, and bees. I enjoy cooking and preserving the food we grow and raise. Regional and global travel adventures are another favorite family activity.