Biocementation in Permafrost Environments

Studying applications of cold-adapted bacterial isolates for microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) to stabilize defense materials in Arctic environments.

Overview

This project investigates whether cold-adapted, ureolytic bacteria isolated from glaciers and ice sheets can be used for microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) — a biocementation process — to stabilize materials in permafrost environments.

As Arctic permafrost thaws due to climate change, infrastructure built on frozen ground becomes increasingly unstable. Traditional engineering solutions are often energy-intensive and impractical in remote locations. MICP offers a potentially sustainable, low-energy alternative by leveraging the natural metabolic activity of bacteria to precipitate calcium carbonate, effectively “gluing” soil particles together.

Current Work

  • Characterizing growth and urease activity of glacier-derived bacterial isolates (from Gilkey Glacier and Glacier National Park)
  • Determining preferred carbon sources for cold-adapted isolates through growth assays
  • Planning fieldwork in Alaska (Summer 2026) to collect permafrost-specific isolates

Funding

  • NSF Extreme Biofilms National Research Traineeship ($100,000)
  • Crawford Wildlife Habitat Scholarship ($10,000)
  • Mildred Livingston Grant Memorial Presidential Fellowship ($10,000)

See the Research Methods page for protocols and notebooks from this project, including: