Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Biology Blog

Studying glacier effects before they’re gone

Dr. Deb Finn’s research is on a timer.

March 26, 2019 by Strategic Communication

 Climate change affects everything, from plant life, water resources and sustaining human life as we know it.  

Dr. Deb Finn, assistant professor of biology at Missouri State University, studies flowing-water environments. She’s been studying streams and animals that rely on glaciers for more than a decade.   

Mighty glacier to puddle of water 

Finn started studying glacier-melt streams in 2008. She had the opportunity to replicate a study from ten years prior.  

“I had the exact GPS points of where the glacier started melting into the stream,” Finn said. “We got to where the glacier was supposed to be, and we thought, ‘Oh, no. We put the wrong datum into the GPS.’” 

“But then it hit us right in the face. This is where the glacier was 10 years ago, and we can’t even see it now.” 

Finn says the glacier had receded nearly 500 meters in 10 years.

Seeing climate change up close

Read transcript

Why does it matter?  

Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, relies on glacier-fed streams for most of its water. No more glaciers might mean trouble for the big city.   

The Nature Conservancy is helping the city of Quito study glacier-fed streams that supply the city. The Fund for the Protection of Water is a collaborative effort to monitor the status and ecological health of water resources on the surrounding high volcanic peaks. 

Another effect of climate change is losing species. Once their climate or environment is gone, they have no place to go.  

Finn was part of a team of researchers that are studying meltwater stoneflies. Meltwater stoneflies only live in very cold streams fed by melting ice. 

“Can we understand how a streams fed by glacier runoff work before we lose them?” Finn said. “If the glaciers go away, that kind of stream is not there anymore.” 

“A big question is, ‘When those streams go away, what are we losing?’” Finn added.

“Are we losing something big? Are we losing some sort of benefit or some sort of extra diversity? Are we losing an ecosystem type?” 

Filed Under: News, Research

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Meet a rare two-headed snake in Kansas City
  • Fighting back against a fungus killing bats
  • Revolutionizing pain relief
  • The cicadas are coming, but the June bugs are already here
  • What’s the potential of climate-smart agriculture to address food issues? 

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • September 2024
    • June 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • December 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • May 2022
    • March 2022
    • January 2022
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • January 2016
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013

    Categories

    • News
    • Research
    • Spotlight
    • Uncategorized

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
    • Last Modified: March 26, 2019
    • Accessibility
    • Disclaimer
    • Disclosures
    • Equal Opportunity Employer and Institution
    • © 2025 Board of Governors, Missouri State University
    • Contact Information
    • Healthcare MRFs