Bugs, glaciers and climate change

Antisana Volcano-Ecuador

Have you ever wonder how do scientist study/monitor glaciers?

I was lucky enough to join a field trip with my friends from Catholic University in Quito.

Antisa

The fresh water team has been studying the Antisana glacier in Ecuador, rivers and all the little bugs that live there for about a decade!!! yes! they know exactly who live in those glacier rivers and what is every bug doing there. Who is visiting, who is a resident in the site and who is dispersing. They visit remote sites, pick some water samples, measure various characteristics of the streams and study the macro invertebrate communities in each site. They also look for little holes called “cryoconites” in the glacier where some microbes live. With that information they can monitor changes over time. This is especially relevant for understanding the biodiversity of the area, the quality of water and how climate change is affecting the glacier. This is how they do it! this was my day at a biologist’s office 😉 Because, science matters!