Riley Mills

Winter Soil Processes Research Team:

My current project investigates the influence of snow cover on soil temperature, soil moisture, and the frequency of soil freeze-thaw cycles. Snow cover can act as an insulator to soil, so it has been hypothesized that reductions in snow cover may result in lower soil temperatures, more extensive soil freezing, and an increased frequency of soil freeze-thaw cycles. The objective of my project is to investigate whether recent soil and meteorological observations in regions of North America with seasonally freezing and thawing ground support these hypotheses.