I am interested in understanding how soil microbes respond to climate change and other stressors, how these responses affect ecosystem biogeochemistry and function and how to use this understanding to inform ecosystem models and environmental policies.
Much of my current research is focused on understanding the effects of climate change on the composition and functioning of cold-adapted Biological Soil Crust (BSC). BSC is a skin-like layer of crusted soil held together by microbial phototrophs, fungal hyphae, lichens and bryophytes. It can cover up to 90% of the soil surface and is widely distributed in cold and arid regions. BSC and other cryptogramic ground covers contribute nearly half of the global nitrogen fixation and nearly 7% of the terrestrial carbon assimilation. The rates at which BSC drives biogeochemical cycles can be altered by the environment. It is still unclear if or how cold- adapted BSC is responding to global warming and what would be the biogeochemical and ecological consequences of those potential responses.
I have used a variety of tools to address my research questions, including laboratory and field experiments, meta-analyses and ecosystem modeling. Currently, Ólafur Andrésson (HÍ) and I are leading the research on a field warming experiment in a BSC-dominated ecosystem in the South of Iceland. This experiment is generating data that can inform conservation and restoration strategies at the local scale, and that contribute to international initiatives like the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) and the International Workshop on Biological Soil Crusts.
The CRUST (Climate Research Unit at Subarctic Temperatures) experiment