Katey Walter
Encyclopedia
Katey M. Walter is an Alaskan aquatic ecologist and biogeochemist researching carbon and nutrient cycling between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and the cryosphere and atmosphere.
, and the processes involved in greenhouse gas
emissions from lakes, including thermokarst
(permafrost thaw), industrial plant emissions, geology, and changes in lake area. By using environmental gradients, isotopes, and remote sensing as tools, she hopes for an improved understanding of the basic processes in lake ecosystems. Many newly-formed Arctic lakes have bacteria feeding on plant detritus previously frozen underground and producing methane as a waste product. Methane's contribution to the greenhouse effect
is considerably more than that of carbon dioxide. Global warming extrapolations could be grossly underestimated if methane contributions from lakes have not been properly studied and are not taken into account.
Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.
Walter, who is fluent in Russian, works as project coordinator in Cherskii
for joint Russian-U.S. projects over the International Polar Year
, aiming to network arctic observatories in Alaska and Russia for long term monitoring of climate change in cold regions.
Walter, who has conducted research projects in Russia, Germany, Central America and the United States, has an M.Sc in Ecology from the University of California
with emphasis on the biogeochemistry of invasive aquatic plants. She also holds a BSc
in Biogeochemistry from Mount Holyoke College
.
In May 2006 she was awarded a Ph.D. in Aquatic Biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. In December of the same year the United States Council of Graduate Schools recognised her outstanding work in her doctoral dissertation by awarding her the CGS/UMI Distinguished Dissertation Award in Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering. This biennial award recognises doctoral recipients who have made considerable contributions in their field.
Background
Walter's research focuses on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from arctic and temperate lakes and wetlands in Alaska and SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, and the processes involved in greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions from lakes, including thermokarst
Thermokarst
Thermokarst is a land surface characterised by very irregular surfaces of marshy hollows and small hummocks formed as ice-rich permafrost thaws, that occurs in Arctic areas, and on a smaller scale in mountainous areas such as the Himalayas and the Swiss Alps...
(permafrost thaw), industrial plant emissions, geology, and changes in lake area. By using environmental gradients, isotopes, and remote sensing as tools, she hopes for an improved understanding of the basic processes in lake ecosystems. Many newly-formed Arctic lakes have bacteria feeding on plant detritus previously frozen underground and producing methane as a waste product. Methane's contribution to the greenhouse effect
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere...
is considerably more than that of carbon dioxide. Global warming extrapolations could be grossly underestimated if methane contributions from lakes have not been properly studied and are not taken into account.
Honours, awards and achievements
In March 2007 Walter was appointed the Presidential International Polar YearInternational Polar Year
The International Polar Year is a collaborative, international effort researching the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor, but died before it first occurred in 1882-1883. Fifty years later a second IPY occurred...
Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.
Walter, who is fluent in Russian, works as project coordinator in Cherskii
Cherskii
Chersky is an Arctic research station located near the mouth of the Kolyma River at in Northeast Siberia, and is used as a year-round base for international research in arctic biology, geophysics, and atmospheric physics...
for joint Russian-U.S. projects over the International Polar Year
International Polar Year
The International Polar Year is a collaborative, international effort researching the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor, but died before it first occurred in 1882-1883. Fifty years later a second IPY occurred...
, aiming to network arctic observatories in Alaska and Russia for long term monitoring of climate change in cold regions.
Walter, who has conducted research projects in Russia, Germany, Central America and the United States, has an M.Sc in Ecology from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
with emphasis on the biogeochemistry of invasive aquatic plants. She also holds a BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
in Biogeochemistry from Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
.
In May 2006 she was awarded a Ph.D. in Aquatic Biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. In December of the same year the United States Council of Graduate Schools recognised her outstanding work in her doctoral dissertation by awarding her the CGS/UMI Distinguished Dissertation Award in Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering. This biennial award recognises doctoral recipients who have made considerable contributions in their field.