Research Team
Alia L. Khan, PhD - Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Western Washington University. Prof. Khan applies environmental chemistry in the cryosphere – the frozen water domain – to document global change of glacier and snow melt in mountainous and polar regions. Her research explores the impact of light absorbing particles on surface optical properties of snow and ice, as well as the growth of biological constituents like snow algae. Her research group explores the impacts on snow and ice spectral albedo, radiative forcing, snow/ice melt and downstream hydrobiogeochemistry. Dr. Khan completed her PhD in August 2016 in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado – Boulder, while working at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, an interdisciplinary research institute focused on documenting environmental change in the polar regions. She then worked as a Postdoc at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, CO with a primary focus on water and snow chemistry in High Mountain Asia as part of a USAID funded project. She remains an active Research Affiliate on the NSIDC Science Team. She has studied snow chemistry and optical properties of sea ice, glaciers and ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as the hydrobiogeochemistry of snow packs, glaciers and meltwater in major mountain regions including the Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, North Cascades and New Zealand Southern Alps. Dr. Khan has active research grants with US funding agencies such as NASA to Quantifying the Impact of Light Absorbing Aerosols upon Sea Ice in the Changing Arctic Climate, the National Science Foundation to Improve Undergraduate STEM Education through the use of GIS and interactive environments to bring Polar science to the classroom, as well as the USGS to quantify impacts of black carbon and snow algae on snowmelt in the North Cascades.
Graduate Students
Sally Vaux's research focuses on the impacts of wildfires on snow and sea ice. More specifically, she studies how climate-driven increases in frequency and intensity of wildfires in both the Pacific Northwest and the Arctic lead to black carbon deposition on snow and ice and how the deposition of light-absorbing aerosols impacts snow and ice albedo and meltwater quality and quantity. She is also working on adapting Cryo Lab research on climate change in polar and alpine environments for local middle and high school students. Originally from Anacortes, WA, she studied at UC Berkeley and completed a NOLS Semester in the Rockies before attending WWU for her undergraduate (Environmental Science, 2021) and graduate degrees. In her free time, she likes to run, ski, bike, read, and enjoy all the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Colby Rand’s research at WWU focuses on remote sensing of snow algae using satellite and drone imagery and investigating how snow algae increases snow melt through a reduction in albedo. He previously completed a BS in Earth and Climate Sciences at the University of Maine, where he worked to better understand glacial erosion through the production of bedrock photogrammetry models. He then went on to work for the New Hampshire Geological Survey as a GIS Technician and then the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as a Geology Technician. Past glaciological fieldwork includes trips to the Juneau Icefield, Alaska and the Jostedalsbreen ice cap, Norway. He is excited to contribute to fieldwork here in the Cascades and spend his free time hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and exploring the Pacific Northwest.
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Ellie Ryan is interested in studying the ecology of alpine environments and the current stressors imposed on such environments by climate change. Her research with the WWU Cryo lab will be predominately wet lab-based and will focus on snow algae and its influence on melting snow and icepack in montane ecosystems. Originally from Bend, OR, Ellie completed a BS in Biology at Oregon State University, where she studied acupuncture and its efficacy as a complementary treatment for mastitis in dairy cattle. In the years following, she developed a passion for ecology and agriculture, working for several farms in Teton Valley, a natural resource conservation company in Vermont, and assisting with field studies while living abroad in Chile. In her free time, she can be found navigating mountains and rivers on skis, mountain bikes, rafts, and her own two feet, as well as growing, preparing and appreciating good food.
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Ella Hall will be studying how increases in the frequency and severity of high latitude wildfires are impacting snow and glacier melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Her research will focus primarily on using remote sensing techniques to investigate changes in albedo in relation to deposition of black carbon and other light-absorbing particles. Ella completed a B.S. in Environmental Studies, a minor in Geology, and a certificate in Arctic Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. During her time in Boulder, she worked on projects with INSTAAR and NASA where she began to learn how wildfires were impacting Arctic-Boreal environments, water quality, and the Indigenous communities that rely on these resources. In her free time, Ella enjoys backcountry skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, and learning to play the ukulele.
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