“Simple question” leads to multi-year research study about effects of alpine glacial meltwater on groundwater in mountainous regions

Alpine glaciers are formed high in the mountains and produce meltwaters that flow down the mountain. These meltwaters sustain life in mountain streams, lakes, and rivers. The meltwater from iconic frozen mountaintops is an essential building block to the Earth’s ecosystem, so when Jordyn Miller, PhD Candidate for Purdue Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) asked her advisor a “simple” question years ago, she assumed there would be an answer readily available. She asked Dr. Marty Frisbee, EAPS hydrogeology professor, does meltwater from alpine glaciers contribute to mountain-block recharge and deep circulation within a mountain block. As it turns out, the simple question turned into a quest to deliver an answer because there is very little research in this area. In March of 2021, Miller published the first results of a multi-year research project