Emilio Mateo PhD '22
From measuring stream discharge in rivers that relentlessly try to sweep you away downstream, to collecting many years of data from weather stations at 16,500 ft of elevation beneath towering glacier-covered peaks, fieldwork in physical geography depends upon observations of the natural world.
Throughout my doctoral studies at Ohio State, I traveled to the Cordillera Blanca in the Peruvian Andes to conduct fieldwork multiple times. My recently completed dissertation, entitled Hydrological shifts and the role of debris-covered glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, aimed to assess the changes that are occurring on the surface of debris-covered glaciers (glaciers partially covered in a layer of rocky debris), and their impacts on downstream water quality and quantity in a tropical mountain environment. Debris-covered glaciers are typically situated in a unique position between the debris-free ice above and the meltwater streams below. Studying meltwater chemistry and discharge from debris-covered glaciers relative to debris-free glaciers allowed for a comparison between two water sources in a semi-arid climate. Without conducting fieldwork, obtaining these water samples and observations would have been impossible.
I first became interested in water resources in mountainous and glacierized regions during my undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. During a summer at Camp Davis, in northwest Wyoming, we learned valuable field techniques such as how to core trees and soil, measure river discharge, and assess fish populations, to understand the distribution and function of forests, rivers, and alpine ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains. Following this experience and during multiple internships in the year following my undergraduate studies, I decided to further pursue research related to hydrological processes in mountain environments. Following my master’s research which I conducted in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, I came to Ohio State with an interest in studying water and glaciers in South America.
When I began my doctoral studies, my initial fieldwork plan involved the installation of dozens of temperature-recording dataloggers within the rocky layer on the surface of debriscovered glaciers, the collection of over 100 water samples across at least 2 years, and many discharge measurements in the streams throughout the region. I was able to make multiple trips to the field, hiking and camping at many field sites, wading in rivers to gather streamflow measurements, and sometimes mountain biking to weather stations to check on their status.
After beginning the fieldwork entailed for my project, the COVID-19 pandemic intervened. During my trip to Peru in March 2020, I was preparing for a multi-day backpacking trip to collect many of the dataloggers I had deployed when I became aware that Peru would be closing its borders the following day. Instead of backpacking to my field sites, I packed my bags and made the 6-hour journey to Lima where I was able to catch a flight home just hours before the final flights left the country.
With my fieldwork now shortened due to circumstances beyond my control, I found alternative ways in which to complete my dissertation. I used significant amounts of historical streamflow data in conjunction with our group’s recently collected data to statistically analyze shifts that have occurred in the hydrological system at multiple temporal resolutions. Also, instead of relying on my uncollected field dataloggers, I utilized remote sensing to better understand the spatiotemporal patterns of ponds on debris-covered glaciers in this tropical region for the first time. Finally, I was able to use my partially complete water sample dataset to begin to examine the differences between the meltwater flowing from debris-covered glaciers and debris-free glaciers. Although my original research plan was forced to be heavily altered, I was able to pivot using these updated data sources and complete my dissertation this spring.
Following the completion of my dissertation, I began working as a Climate Science Fellow for Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI), a non-profit organization based in Aspen, Colorado. AGCI conducts interdisciplinary research, education and outreach, and collaborates with resource managers and policymakers, to further scientific understanding of Earth systems and global environmental change. I plan to continue working in water resources research, while also conducting outreach and working with science policymakers to continue improving the relationship humans have with the natural environment and water.
![Map of Cordillera Blanca, Peru streamflow](/sites/default/files/styles/66/public/2023-04/emilo_mateo_map_0.jpg?itok=3fJvYDbB)