Sasha Peterson is a PhD candidate at University of Texas at El Paso whose research seeks to understand the patterns and drivers of erosion in Beaufort Lagoons and across the North Slope of Alaska. Within the PerCS-Net network, she helps to coordinate our monthly ACORN Talk series. Read more about her work and interests.
Hometown: Las Cruces, NM
Affiliation: Environmental Science & Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso / Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research (LTER)
Research focus: Permafrost coastal erosion – understanding patterns, drivers, and biogeochemical impacts
Geographic focus: Elson Lagoon (near Point Barrow), Utqiaġvik, Alaska
Current challenge: To better understand the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of erosion in Beaufort Lagoons, across the North Slope of Alaska. Within the Elson Lagoon, I study the distribution of soil organic carbon in coastal permafrost, its fate into nearshore ecosystems, and to the atmosphere in the form of CO2 and CH4.
Recommended reading: Doering et al. 2022 | Improving the relationships between Indigenous rights holders and researchers in the Arctic (DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac72b5)
Finding balance: rock climbing, pottery, and reading
