Project Grant 2153779

This National Science Foundation Project Grant award of $155,165 supports collaborative research to improve measurements of Arctic river sediment fluxes. The research will engage local Alaska Native students to collect data and supports early career women and students. Specifically, the award funds the development and deployment of low-cost "do-it-yourself" optical backscatter sensors to measure sediment concentrations in the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska across four seasons - summer, fall, winter and spring breakup. Drone-based deployments will capture spring breakup measurements. The sensors cost less than 10% of commercial alternatives and include separate data logging, power, and satellite-enabled transmission capabilities. Deployments will be complemented by river velocity surveys and sediment transport modeling to better understand annual loads under the NSF's Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), which supports basic research in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences through expansion of fundamental knowledge and increased understanding of the integrated Earth system. The University of Alaska Fairbanks will receive the full $155k to conduct the research through August 2024.