Aaron Putnam
@aaronputnam
Dad. Husband. Earthling. Associate Professor of Earth Science at the University of Maine. I am interested in glaciers and climate in the past, present, and future.
Beautiful day wading rivers in northern Maine. Machias River (tributary of the Aroostook River).
Cobscook Bay State Park with the family. Not a bad view from the campsite.
Torben doesn’t care for the way humans celebrate birthdays of intangible ideals.
@paleobluedot.bsky.social and I made garlic scape pesto tonight… I actually don’t really like pesto, but this was awesome. Scapes, mint, and basil all from the garden.
Photos from our Carnivorous Garden here in Orono, Maine. Sarracenia (pitcher plant) leaves are starting to open. Sundews are glistening and Venus Flytraps look well-fed. Fun surprise this year: the Rose Pogonia orchids (non-carnivorous) seem to be spreading throughout the bog garden. 1/
Had a lovely Father’s Day walk up a nice hill with these wonderful critters today.
Turtle time! (Had to encourage this and another nearby turtle to leave the road today) 🐢🐢
The story involves a young Austrian immigrant oceanographer/climatologist graduate student at SCRIPPS Institute of Oceanography named Walter Munk. Munk and his Ph.D. advisor Harald Sverdrup were working on the equations that related wind strength to wave height. 2/ 📸: from California Surf Museum.
Eighty two years ago, allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in what was a pivotal moment in WWII. However, Supreme Allied Commander General Eisenhower had originally planned D-Day for June 5th. Why did he delay by one day? 1/ (📸: National Geographic)
And we took samples of glacier- and rainfall-fed streams and lakes for stable isotope analyses. 3/
We also applied geophysical methods (ground-penetrating radar and albedo measurements) to characterize structure and conditions of the glacier termini. 2/
Wildflowers from the foreland of Svínafellsjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull ice cap. Thrilled to see Dryas octopetala in full bloom! This rose-family plant is famous for dominating European pollen records during the Heinrich episodes of the last deglaciation (e.g., the ‘Younger Dryas’).
This morning on Sólheimajökull. Small supraglacial stream that empties into a moulin (in the distance).
Also not so bad! Although we had a minor setback this morning. Broke an axle on this rig:
Some interesting plants encountered around Valahnúkur. 1. The carnivorous butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris). 2. Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris). 2/
Views from Valahnúkur, at the base of Eyjafjallajökull and not far from the eastern periphery of Mýrdalsjökull. The lower reaches of Steinholtsjökull are visible from this location. The glacier was much larger in photos from the 1920s, extending well down the tributary canyon. 1/
We later headed to Reykjavík where we were thrilled and honored to meet with Andri Snær Magnason, and share with us his journey and ideas. Thank you, @andrimagnason.bsky.social!
Lava flow impinging on road on the outskirts of Grindavík. (and a buttercup) 3/
