Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Matthew Druckenmiller
CIRES Visiting Fellow
2011-2012

Post-doc
Ph.D., University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Project: Providing usable sea ice information to Arctic coastal communities in Alaska

Matthew Druckenmiller will earn a doctorate in geophysics this summer from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and then begin his postdoctoral research at CIRES investigating how sea-ice retreat in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas affects marine mammals and coastal communities. As Alaska’s Arctic coasts experience rapid change in the sea ice and coastal environment, policymakers and other stakeholders face difficult decisions regarding related issues such as coastal erosion, offshore oil and gas development, and subsistence hunting. Such decisions require accessible, understandable, and relevant environmental datasets.

Partnering with the National Snow and Ice Data Center and Alaska’s North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, Druckenmiller will identify the baseline data needed for tracking sea-ice impacts and develop strategies for communicating that information to Arctic coastal communities so they can proactively address changing conditions. He also will collaborate on a study to examine how sea-ice retreat in the Beaufort Sea relates to the body size of bowhead whales, since less sea ice cover equates to a larger feeding area.

“What I like most about my research is spending time in Alaska’s northern coastal communities,” Druckenmiller says. “Seeing the environment through their eyes helps me to understand how sea ice is much more than a frozen ocean or a component of the climate system. It’s a ‘place’ for travel and hunting that shapes culture and knowledge for many people in Alaska.” While in Boulder, he is excited to explore the Rocky Mountains with his wife and son.

Sponsor: Mark Serreze

Email: mldruckenmiller@alaska.edu