Hi! My name is Jenna Scharnowski (she/her) and I am a MSc student who started summer 2024 after finishing my BSc in Environmental Science here at the University of Guelph. My research investigates the rates of methane consumption performed by Arctic soil microorganisms and how this might help mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) release from thawing permafrost.
I study active layer soil (the soil that sits atop permafrost and thaws and freezes seasonally) from the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories. My project utilizes in-situ GHG measurements along with microcosm experiments to examine soil GHG flux in these soils. I am also working to grow more of these methane-eating microbes (known as methanotrophs) in the lab to help further our understanding of their capabilities.