The research team in Manitoba included faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students from UW-Eau Claire, the University of Calgary, the University of Saskatchewan, Lakehead University in Ontario and Brandon University in Manitoba. Running is co-principal investigator of the grant, which will support a continuation of this interdisciplinary, international research project during the next five summers. Morrell, and alumni Bill Lazarz and Matthew Bloom-Krull presented the results of last year's research this spring at the Association of American Geographers annual meeting in Hawaii. In addition to the work that the students did for the project itself, the three student researchers also are working on individual research agendas. Morrell will analyze ostracodes to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions in the area about 6,000 years ago, a critical period of environmental change and human cultural adaptation to such change across the plains.
Ostracodes are small molluscs that are good indicators of water temperature and salinity.
Landis will use orthophotographs and GIS to map the modern distribution of sand dunes in the study area. She will compare the impact of modern land use on dune stability. Dunes occur on grazed land, ungrazed land and on private agricultural land. She will explore the impact these land uses have on rates and magnitude of dune erosion. And Aurit will combine GPS and GIS to create detailed topographic maps of significant archeological localities.