Sarah Jovan
Pacific Northwest Research Station
My favorite science experience was conducting field work in Interior Alaska where moss and lichens rule the land. The sheer size and diversity of these organisms in that landscape was astounding. While there, the sun wasn’t setting until around 11 p.m., so I’d accidentally work until almost midnight every day—except it didn’t feel like work. The objective of the research was to help estimate the biomass and carbon stored in these thick mats of moss and lichens on the ground to help with science about climate change. We were also estimating the abundance of ecologically important groups, such as the forage lichens that caribou depend on and sphagnum moss, which can create deep frozen carbon stores in the Earth.
Featured from Natural Inquirer
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In this study, researchers worked with middle and high school students to collect moss samples around industrial neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington. They used the moss samples to both pinpoint pollution...Hidden in Plain Sight – Using Moss to Detect Air Pollution and Engage Civic Scientists
In this study, researchers worked with middle and high school students to collect moss samples around industrial neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington. They used the moss samples to both pinpoint pollution... -
Natural Inquirer Readers for students in grades K-2 focus on a scientist and their research. In this Reader, students meet Dr. Jovan and learn about her research with moss and...Meet Dr. Jovan!
Natural Inquirer Readers for students in grades K-2 focus on a scientist and their research. In this Reader, students meet Dr. Jovan and learn about her research with moss and...
Additional Resources
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USDA Forest Service: Sarah Jovan
Learn more about Sarah Jovan's research at her Forest Service profile page.Visit Profile
