Bonnie Light

Selected Projects

Collaborative Research: Warming and irradiance measurements in the Arctic: Determining the link betweensolar energy absorbtion and surface warming through long term observations
The objectives of this research are to quantify the connection between seasonal warming of arctic surface waters and the absorption of solar energy, and additionally to identify the presence and seasonal cycling of materials responsible for this absorption. Seasonal changes in the attenuation of solar radiation within the sea ice and upper 30m of the water column will be measured at high temporal resolution (hourly) by a new proof of concept buoy system. Temperature and PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) irradiance measurements will be made using optical sensors paired with thermisters within the water column and sea ice. A fluorometer will…
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Salts and soils on Mars
We propose to use data analysis and modeling to constrain the salt chemistry of the soil measured by Phoenix in the context of soil chemistry measured by the Viking Landers (VLs), Mars Pathfinder (MPF) and the two Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs).
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Ocean Surfaces on Snowball Earth
It is argued that today only Antarctica provides sufficiently analogous ice surfaces to the specialized ones that are thought to have occurred under a Snowball Earth scenario. A combination of field observations of cold snow-free sea ice, salt encrusted sea-ice surfaces and blue glacial ice, laboratory experiments and modeling will be carried out to test the viability of the Snowball Earth hypothesis.
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Pan-Arctic climate and ecosystem response to historical and projected changes in the seasonality of sea ice melt and growth
This project will carry out quantitative assessment of the drivers, effects, and ramifications of the seasonal timing of sea ice melt onset and freeze initiation over the observational record and using earth system model projections of future climate.
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Sea Ice, Sunlight, and Biogeochemistry in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in a Changing Climate
The focus of this project is to work collaboratively with Dr. Donald Perovich (CRREL) in support of a NASA sponsored program, ICESCAPES. Bonnie Light will support this project by helping to characterize the morphological and optical properties of the sea ice cover through field measurements, radiative transfer modeling, and synthesis.
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Producing an Updated Synthesis of the Arctic’s Marine Primary Production Regime and its Controls
The focus of this project is to synthesize existing studies and data relating to Arctic Ocean primary production and its changing physical controls such as light, nutrients, and stratification, and to use this synthesis to better understand how primary production varies in time and space and as a function of climate change.
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Bonnie Light

Selected Projects

Collaborative Research: Warming and irradiance measurements in the Arctic: Determining the link betweensolar energy absorbtion and surface warming through long term observations

Salts and soils on Mars

Ocean Surfaces on Snowball Earth

Pan-Arctic climate and ecosystem response to historical and projected changes in the seasonality of sea ice melt and growth

Sea Ice, Sunlight, and Biogeochemistry in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in a Changing Climate

Producing an Updated Synthesis of the Arctic’s Marine Primary Production Regime and its Controls