(Spirit Lake)– Researchers from the Department of Geography at Texas A & M University are in the Iowa Great Lakes studying samples of snow for any signs of contaminants.
Jennifer Morris is one of several students doing the research under the direction of Andrew Klein, an Associate Professor. He is the son of Carl and Sharon Klein of Spirit Lake.
Morris says this is a follow-up to testing they did last year in the Iowa Great Lakes. She says they’re looking for signs of carbon and other compounds in the snowcover.
Morris says their findings are being compared to similar studies they’ve conducted in the Arctic and Antarctic. And she says the results are surprising. Morris says the amount of contaminants they’re finding here is pretty much the same as it is on the polar ice caps. She says that’s surprising given the fact our area has a much higher population.
