Image courtesy of Samuel Gillan
Geographical Fieldwork Grant recipients Samuel Gillan and Alex Hyde from the University of Sheffield have successfully completed their expedition investigating changing glacial mass balance in Ala Archa National Park, Kyrgyzstan.
In 2018, the Society supported nine student expeditions through its long-running Geographical Fieldwork Grants scheme. Established in 1956, these grants support UK led research teams carrying out geographical field research overseas with awards of up to £3,000. Second year BSc Geography students Samuel Gillan and Alex Hyde received £2,500 to support their team of five in travelling to Kyrgyzstan's Tien Shan mountains and conducting five weeks of fieldwork in June and July. Their fieldwork involved collecting data for undergraduate dissertations, focsuing on two areas: diurnal changes in ablation though the 2018 melt season, and reconstructing glacier retreat over centennial scales using ground-based, drone and GIS techniques.
The University of Sheffield students collaborated with local undergraduate students from the American University of Central Asia’s Outdoor Club, and it is hoped that their research will contribute to our understanding of the short-term and long-term effects of climate change on the region's glaciers.
To learn more about Ala Archa Expedition 2018, visit the expedition website and follow on Facebook.
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