Miriam Jones, Ph.D.
I use a range of proxies (plant macrofossils, pollen, charcoal, stable isotopes) to interpret landscape change over centennial to millennial timescales. Current topics include responses to abrupt permafrost thaw, sea-level rise, sea-ice retreat, and centennial-scale land-use change.
Education and Certifications
Columbia University, PhD, 2008
Columbia University, MPhil, 2006
Columbia University, M. A., 2005
Barnard College, A.B., 2002, Magna Cum Laude
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 53
Permafrost and climate change: Carbon cycle feedbacks from the warming Arctic Permafrost and climate change: Carbon cycle feedbacks from the warming Arctic
Rapid Arctic environmental change affects the entire Earth system as thawing permafrost ecosystems release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Understanding how much permafrost carbon will be released, over what time frame, and what the relative emissions of carbon dioxide and methane will be is key for understanding the impact on global climate. In addition, the response of vegetation...
Authors
Edward A. Schuur, Benjamin Abbott, Roisin Commane, Jessica Ernakovich, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Gustaf Hugelius, Guido Grosse, Miriam C. Jones, Charlie Koven, Victor Leyshk, David J Lawrence, Michael M Loranty, Marguerite Mauritz, David Olefeldt, Susan M Natali, Heidi Rodenhizer, Verity Salmon, Christina Schädel, Jens Strauss, Claire C. Treat, Merritt Turetsky
Recent climate change has driven divergent hydrological shifts in high-latitude peatlands Recent climate change has driven divergent hydrological shifts in high-latitude peatlands
High-latitude peatlands are changing rapidly in response to climate change, including permafrost thaw. Here, we reconstruct hydrological conditions since the seventeenth century using testate amoeba data from 103 high-latitude peat archives. We show that 54% of the peatlands have been drying and 32% have been wetting over this period, illustrating the complex ecohydrological dynamics of...
Authors
Hui Zhang, Minna Valiranta, Graeme T. Swindles, Marco Aquino-Lopez, Donal Mullan, Ning Tan, Matthew Amesbury, Kirill Babeshko, Kunshan Bao, Anatoly Bobrov, Viktor Chernyshov, Marissa A. Davies, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu, Angelica Feurdean, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Michelle Garneau, Zhengtang Guo, Miriam C. Jones, Martin Kay, Eric S. Klein, Maruisz Lamentowicz, Gabriel Magnan, Katarzyna Marcisz, Natalia Mazei, Yuri Mazei, Richard Payne, Nicolas Pelletier, Sanna Piilo, Steve Pratte, Thomas P. Roland, Damir Saldaev, William Shotyk, Thomas G. Sim, Thomas J Sloan, Michal Slowinski, Julie Talbot, Liam Taylor, Andrey N. Tsyganov, Sebastian Wetterich, Wei Xing, Yan Zhao
Hydrologic controls on peat permafrost and carbon processes: New insights from past and future modeling Hydrologic controls on peat permafrost and carbon processes: New insights from past and future modeling
Soil carbon (C) in permafrost peatlands is vulnerable to decomposition with thaw under a warming climate. The amount and form of C loss likely depends on the site hydrology following permafrost thaw, but antecedent conditions during peat accumulation are also likely important. We test the role of differing hydrologic conditions on rates of peat accumulation, permafrost formation, and...
Authors
Claire C. Treat, Miriam C. Jones, Jay R. Alder, Steve Frolking
Influence of permafrost type and site history on losses of permafrost carbon after thaw Influence of permafrost type and site history on losses of permafrost carbon after thaw
We quantified permafrost peat plateau and post-thaw carbon (C) stocks across a chronosequence in Interior Alaska to evaluate the amount of C lost with thaw. Macrofossil reconstructions revealed three stratigraphic layers of peat: (1) a base layer of fen/marsh peat, (2) peat from a forested peat plateau (with permafrost) and, (3) collapse-scar bog peat (at sites where permafrost thaw has...
Authors
Kristen L. Manies, Miriam C. Jones, Mark Waldrop, Mary-Catherine Leewis, Christopher C. Fuller, Robert S. Cornman, Kristen Hoefke
Permafrost thaw in northern peatlands: Rapid changes in ecosystem and landscape functions Permafrost thaw in northern peatlands: Rapid changes in ecosystem and landscape functions
Peatlands within the northern permafrost region cover approximately 2 million km2 and are characterized by organic soils that can be several meters thick, and a fine-scale mosaic of permafrost and non-permafrost landforms interspersed by shallow ponds and lakes. Ongoing permafrost thaw is transforming these peatlands, causing abrupt changes to their morphology, hydrology, ecology, and
Authors
David Olefeldt, Liam Hefferman, Miriam C. Jones, A. Britta Sannel, Claire C. Treat, Merritt R. Turetsky
Predicted vulnerability of carbon in permafrost peatlands With future climate change and permafrost thaw in western Canada Predicted vulnerability of carbon in permafrost peatlands With future climate change and permafrost thaw in western Canada
Climate warming in high-latitude regions is thawing carbon-rich permafrost soils, which can release carbon to the atmosphere and enhance climate warming. Using a coupled model of long-term peatland dynamics (Holocene Peat Model, HPM-Arctic), we quantify the potential loss of carbon with future climate warming for six sites with differing climates and permafrost histories in Northwestern...
Authors
Claire C. Treat, Miriam C. Jones, Jay R. Alder, A. Britta K. Sannel, Philip Camill, Steve Frolking
Carbon fluxes and microbial activities from boreal peatlands experiencing permafrost thaw Carbon fluxes and microbial activities from boreal peatlands experiencing permafrost thaw
Permafrost thaw in northern ecosystems may cause large quantities of carbon (C) to move from soil to atmospheric pools. Because soil microbial communities play a critical role in regulating C fluxes from soils, we examined microbial activity and greenhouse gas production soon after permafrost thaw and ground collapse (into collapse-scar bogs), relative to the permafrost plateau or older...
Authors
Mark Waldrop, Jack McFarland, Kristen L. Manies, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Steve Blazewicz, Miriam C. Jones, Rebecca Neumann, Jason Keller, Rachel Cohen, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Merritt R. Turetsky, William Cable
USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with university, Federal, Tribal, and independent partners, conducts fundamental research on the distribution, vulnerability, and importance of permafrost in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Scientists, land managers, and policy makers use USGS data to help make decisions for development, wildlife habitat, and other needs. Native villages...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Lesleigh Anderson, Mark Dornblaser, Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Stephanie R. James, Miriam C. Jones, Joshua C. Koch, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Kristen L. Manies, Burke J. Minsley, Neal J. Pastick, Vijay Patil, Frank Urban, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kimberly P. Wickland, Christian Zimmerman
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Land Change Science Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science Center
Spatiotemporal patterns of northern lake formation since the last glacial maximum Spatiotemporal patterns of northern lake formation since the last glacial maximum
The northern mid- to high-latitudes have the highest total number and area of lakes on Earth. Lake origins in these regions are diverse, but to a large extent coupled to glacial, permafrost, and peatland histories. The synthesis of 1207 northern lake initiation records presented here provides an analog for rapid landscape-level change in response to climate warming, and its subsequent...
Authors
L. S. Brosius, K. M. Walter Anthony, C. C. Treat, J. Lenz, Miriam C. Jones, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte, G. Grosse
Subsea permafrost carbon stocks and climate change sensitivity estimated by expert assessment Subsea permafrost carbon stocks and climate change sensitivity estimated by expert assessment
The continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas contain large stocks of organic matter (OM) and methane (CH4), representing a potential ecosystem feedback to climate change not included in international climate agreements. We performed a structured expert assessment with 25 permafrost researchers to combine quantitative estimates of the stocks and sensitivity of organic...
Authors
Sara Sayedi, B.F. Thornton, Benjamin Abbott, Jennifer M. Frederick, Jorien E. Vonk, Paul Overduin, Christina Schadel, E.A.G. Schuur, A. Bourbonnais, N. Demidova, Anatoly Gavrilov, Shengping He, Gustaf Gustaf Hugelius, Martin Jakobsson, Miriam C. Jones, DoongJoo Joung, Gleb Kraev, Robie W. Macdonald, A. David McGuire, Cuicui Mu, M. O’Regan, Kathryn M. Schreiner, Christian Stranne, Elena Pizhankova, A. Vasiliev, S. Westermann, Jay P. Zarnetske, Tingjun Zhang, M Ghandehari, Sarah Baeumler, Brian C. Brown, Rebecca J. Frei
Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink
The carbon balance of peatlands is predicted to shift from a sink to a source this century. However, peatland ecosystems are still omitted from the main Earth system models that are used for future climate change projections, and they are not considered in integrated assessment models that are used in impact and mitigation studies. By using evidence synthesized from the literature and an...
Authors
Julie Loisel, A.V. Gallego-Sala, M.J. Amesbury, G. Magnan, G. Anshari, D. W. Beilman, J. Blewett, J. C. Benevides, P. Camill, D. J. Charman, S. Chawchai, A. Hedgpeth, T. Kleinen, A. Korhola, D. Large, J. Muller, C. A. Mansilla, S. van Bellen, J. B. West, Z. Yu, J. L. Bubier, M. Garneau, T. Moore, A. B. K. Sannel, M. Väliranta, S. Page, M. Bechtold, V. Brovkin, L. E. S. Cole, J. P. Chanton, T. R. Christensen, M. A. Davies, F. De Vleeschouwer, S.A. Finkelstein, S. Frolking, M. Galka, L. Gandois, N. Girkin, .L.I. Harris, A. Heinemeyer, A.M. Hoyt, Miriam C. Jones, F. Joos, S. Juutinen, K. Kaiser, M. Lamentowicz, T. Larmola, M. Leifeld, A. Lohila, A.M. Milner, Kari Minkkinen, P. Moss, B.D.A. Naafs, J. Nichols, J. O'Donnell, R. Payne, M. Philben, S. Pilo, A. Quillet, A.S. Ratnayake, T.P. Roland, S. Sjogersten, O. Sonnentag, G.T. Swindles, W. Swinnen, J. Talbott, C. C. Treat, A.C. Valach, J. Wu
High sensitivity of Bering Sea winter sea ice to winter insolation and carbon dioxide over the last 5,500 years High sensitivity of Bering Sea winter sea ice to winter insolation and carbon dioxide over the last 5,500 years
Anomalously low winter sea ice extent and early retreat in CE 2018 and 2019 challenge previous notions that winter sea ice in the Bering Sea has been stable over the instrumental record, although long-term records remain limited. Here, we use a record of peat cellulose oxygen isotopes from St. Matthew Island along with isotope-enabled general circulation model (IsoGSM) simulations to...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Max Berkelhammer, Katherine Keller, Kei Yoshimura, Matthew J. Wooller
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 53
Permafrost and climate change: Carbon cycle feedbacks from the warming Arctic Permafrost and climate change: Carbon cycle feedbacks from the warming Arctic
Rapid Arctic environmental change affects the entire Earth system as thawing permafrost ecosystems release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Understanding how much permafrost carbon will be released, over what time frame, and what the relative emissions of carbon dioxide and methane will be is key for understanding the impact on global climate. In addition, the response of vegetation...
Authors
Edward A. Schuur, Benjamin Abbott, Roisin Commane, Jessica Ernakovich, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Gustaf Hugelius, Guido Grosse, Miriam C. Jones, Charlie Koven, Victor Leyshk, David J Lawrence, Michael M Loranty, Marguerite Mauritz, David Olefeldt, Susan M Natali, Heidi Rodenhizer, Verity Salmon, Christina Schädel, Jens Strauss, Claire C. Treat, Merritt Turetsky
Recent climate change has driven divergent hydrological shifts in high-latitude peatlands Recent climate change has driven divergent hydrological shifts in high-latitude peatlands
High-latitude peatlands are changing rapidly in response to climate change, including permafrost thaw. Here, we reconstruct hydrological conditions since the seventeenth century using testate amoeba data from 103 high-latitude peat archives. We show that 54% of the peatlands have been drying and 32% have been wetting over this period, illustrating the complex ecohydrological dynamics of...
Authors
Hui Zhang, Minna Valiranta, Graeme T. Swindles, Marco Aquino-Lopez, Donal Mullan, Ning Tan, Matthew Amesbury, Kirill Babeshko, Kunshan Bao, Anatoly Bobrov, Viktor Chernyshov, Marissa A. Davies, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu, Angelica Feurdean, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Michelle Garneau, Zhengtang Guo, Miriam C. Jones, Martin Kay, Eric S. Klein, Maruisz Lamentowicz, Gabriel Magnan, Katarzyna Marcisz, Natalia Mazei, Yuri Mazei, Richard Payne, Nicolas Pelletier, Sanna Piilo, Steve Pratte, Thomas P. Roland, Damir Saldaev, William Shotyk, Thomas G. Sim, Thomas J Sloan, Michal Slowinski, Julie Talbot, Liam Taylor, Andrey N. Tsyganov, Sebastian Wetterich, Wei Xing, Yan Zhao
Hydrologic controls on peat permafrost and carbon processes: New insights from past and future modeling Hydrologic controls on peat permafrost and carbon processes: New insights from past and future modeling
Soil carbon (C) in permafrost peatlands is vulnerable to decomposition with thaw under a warming climate. The amount and form of C loss likely depends on the site hydrology following permafrost thaw, but antecedent conditions during peat accumulation are also likely important. We test the role of differing hydrologic conditions on rates of peat accumulation, permafrost formation, and...
Authors
Claire C. Treat, Miriam C. Jones, Jay R. Alder, Steve Frolking
Influence of permafrost type and site history on losses of permafrost carbon after thaw Influence of permafrost type and site history on losses of permafrost carbon after thaw
We quantified permafrost peat plateau and post-thaw carbon (C) stocks across a chronosequence in Interior Alaska to evaluate the amount of C lost with thaw. Macrofossil reconstructions revealed three stratigraphic layers of peat: (1) a base layer of fen/marsh peat, (2) peat from a forested peat plateau (with permafrost) and, (3) collapse-scar bog peat (at sites where permafrost thaw has...
Authors
Kristen L. Manies, Miriam C. Jones, Mark Waldrop, Mary-Catherine Leewis, Christopher C. Fuller, Robert S. Cornman, Kristen Hoefke
Permafrost thaw in northern peatlands: Rapid changes in ecosystem and landscape functions Permafrost thaw in northern peatlands: Rapid changes in ecosystem and landscape functions
Peatlands within the northern permafrost region cover approximately 2 million km2 and are characterized by organic soils that can be several meters thick, and a fine-scale mosaic of permafrost and non-permafrost landforms interspersed by shallow ponds and lakes. Ongoing permafrost thaw is transforming these peatlands, causing abrupt changes to their morphology, hydrology, ecology, and
Authors
David Olefeldt, Liam Hefferman, Miriam C. Jones, A. Britta Sannel, Claire C. Treat, Merritt R. Turetsky
Predicted vulnerability of carbon in permafrost peatlands With future climate change and permafrost thaw in western Canada Predicted vulnerability of carbon in permafrost peatlands With future climate change and permafrost thaw in western Canada
Climate warming in high-latitude regions is thawing carbon-rich permafrost soils, which can release carbon to the atmosphere and enhance climate warming. Using a coupled model of long-term peatland dynamics (Holocene Peat Model, HPM-Arctic), we quantify the potential loss of carbon with future climate warming for six sites with differing climates and permafrost histories in Northwestern...
Authors
Claire C. Treat, Miriam C. Jones, Jay R. Alder, A. Britta K. Sannel, Philip Camill, Steve Frolking
Carbon fluxes and microbial activities from boreal peatlands experiencing permafrost thaw Carbon fluxes and microbial activities from boreal peatlands experiencing permafrost thaw
Permafrost thaw in northern ecosystems may cause large quantities of carbon (C) to move from soil to atmospheric pools. Because soil microbial communities play a critical role in regulating C fluxes from soils, we examined microbial activity and greenhouse gas production soon after permafrost thaw and ground collapse (into collapse-scar bogs), relative to the permafrost plateau or older...
Authors
Mark Waldrop, Jack McFarland, Kristen L. Manies, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Steve Blazewicz, Miriam C. Jones, Rebecca Neumann, Jason Keller, Rachel Cohen, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Merritt R. Turetsky, William Cable
USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with university, Federal, Tribal, and independent partners, conducts fundamental research on the distribution, vulnerability, and importance of permafrost in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Scientists, land managers, and policy makers use USGS data to help make decisions for development, wildlife habitat, and other needs. Native villages...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Lesleigh Anderson, Mark Dornblaser, Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Stephanie R. James, Miriam C. Jones, Joshua C. Koch, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Kristen L. Manies, Burke J. Minsley, Neal J. Pastick, Vijay Patil, Frank Urban, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kimberly P. Wickland, Christian Zimmerman
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Land Change Science Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science Center
Spatiotemporal patterns of northern lake formation since the last glacial maximum Spatiotemporal patterns of northern lake formation since the last glacial maximum
The northern mid- to high-latitudes have the highest total number and area of lakes on Earth. Lake origins in these regions are diverse, but to a large extent coupled to glacial, permafrost, and peatland histories. The synthesis of 1207 northern lake initiation records presented here provides an analog for rapid landscape-level change in response to climate warming, and its subsequent...
Authors
L. S. Brosius, K. M. Walter Anthony, C. C. Treat, J. Lenz, Miriam C. Jones, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte, G. Grosse
Subsea permafrost carbon stocks and climate change sensitivity estimated by expert assessment Subsea permafrost carbon stocks and climate change sensitivity estimated by expert assessment
The continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas contain large stocks of organic matter (OM) and methane (CH4), representing a potential ecosystem feedback to climate change not included in international climate agreements. We performed a structured expert assessment with 25 permafrost researchers to combine quantitative estimates of the stocks and sensitivity of organic...
Authors
Sara Sayedi, B.F. Thornton, Benjamin Abbott, Jennifer M. Frederick, Jorien E. Vonk, Paul Overduin, Christina Schadel, E.A.G. Schuur, A. Bourbonnais, N. Demidova, Anatoly Gavrilov, Shengping He, Gustaf Gustaf Hugelius, Martin Jakobsson, Miriam C. Jones, DoongJoo Joung, Gleb Kraev, Robie W. Macdonald, A. David McGuire, Cuicui Mu, M. O’Regan, Kathryn M. Schreiner, Christian Stranne, Elena Pizhankova, A. Vasiliev, S. Westermann, Jay P. Zarnetske, Tingjun Zhang, M Ghandehari, Sarah Baeumler, Brian C. Brown, Rebecca J. Frei
Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink Expert assessment of future vulnerability of the global peatland carbon sink
The carbon balance of peatlands is predicted to shift from a sink to a source this century. However, peatland ecosystems are still omitted from the main Earth system models that are used for future climate change projections, and they are not considered in integrated assessment models that are used in impact and mitigation studies. By using evidence synthesized from the literature and an...
Authors
Julie Loisel, A.V. Gallego-Sala, M.J. Amesbury, G. Magnan, G. Anshari, D. W. Beilman, J. Blewett, J. C. Benevides, P. Camill, D. J. Charman, S. Chawchai, A. Hedgpeth, T. Kleinen, A. Korhola, D. Large, J. Muller, C. A. Mansilla, S. van Bellen, J. B. West, Z. Yu, J. L. Bubier, M. Garneau, T. Moore, A. B. K. Sannel, M. Väliranta, S. Page, M. Bechtold, V. Brovkin, L. E. S. Cole, J. P. Chanton, T. R. Christensen, M. A. Davies, F. De Vleeschouwer, S.A. Finkelstein, S. Frolking, M. Galka, L. Gandois, N. Girkin, .L.I. Harris, A. Heinemeyer, A.M. Hoyt, Miriam C. Jones, F. Joos, S. Juutinen, K. Kaiser, M. Lamentowicz, T. Larmola, M. Leifeld, A. Lohila, A.M. Milner, Kari Minkkinen, P. Moss, B.D.A. Naafs, J. Nichols, J. O'Donnell, R. Payne, M. Philben, S. Pilo, A. Quillet, A.S. Ratnayake, T.P. Roland, S. Sjogersten, O. Sonnentag, G.T. Swindles, W. Swinnen, J. Talbott, C. C. Treat, A.C. Valach, J. Wu
High sensitivity of Bering Sea winter sea ice to winter insolation and carbon dioxide over the last 5,500 years High sensitivity of Bering Sea winter sea ice to winter insolation and carbon dioxide over the last 5,500 years
Anomalously low winter sea ice extent and early retreat in CE 2018 and 2019 challenge previous notions that winter sea ice in the Bering Sea has been stable over the instrumental record, although long-term records remain limited. Here, we use a record of peat cellulose oxygen isotopes from St. Matthew Island along with isotope-enabled general circulation model (IsoGSM) simulations to...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Max Berkelhammer, Katherine Keller, Kei Yoshimura, Matthew J. Wooller