Melissa Ward Jones

I am a permafrost geomorphologist interested in understanding how changing system components (e.g. climate, ground cover, active layer properties and ground ice content) within permafrost environments drives landscape change, such as ground subsidence and slope failure. I am also interested in understanding and quantifying the resulting system responses to changing landscapes.

I use a mix methods approach and combine field observations and measurements, sensor networks, remote sensing, GIS and statistical analysis to answer research questions. Finally, I am passionate in both understanding permafrost systems and applying my permafrost knowledge to tackle sustainability issues, such as food security and agriculture in permafrost-affected soils.

Active Projects:

2022 – 2027: NNA Research: Permafrost Grown: Cultivating convergence between farmers and researchers to foster sustainability for intensifying permafrost-agroecosystems

National Science Foundation: Navigating the New Arctic

Principal Investigator: Melissa Ward Jones (UAF)

Co-Investigators: Mikhail Kanevskiy (UAF), Tobias Schwoerer (UAF), Benjamin Jones (UAF), and Glenna Gannon (UAF)

Award Number: 2126965

Project website

2021 – 2024: Degrading ice-wedges: using field, airborne and satellite measurements to link fine-scale micro-topographic changes to large-scale impacts in terrestrial permafrost systems

NASA New (Early Career) Investigator Program in Earth Science

Principal Investigator: Melissa Ward Jones (UAF)

Award Number: 80NSSC21K1820

2020 – 2022: Quantifying Arctic Mass Wasting using ArcticDEM

NASA Earth Surface and Interior

Principal Investigator: Chunli Dai (LSU)

Co-Investigators: Ian Howat (OSU), Jeffrey Freymueller (MSU), and Anna Liljedahl (Woodwell)

Award Number: 80NSSC20K0491

Past Projects:

2023 - 2024: Mapping Agricultural Fields in Alaska: creating a baseline dataset to understand and monitor the environmental and socio-economic effects of a growing sector

Alaska NASA EPSCoR RID

Principal Investigator: Melissa Ward Jones (UAF)

Award Number: Alaska NASA EPSCoR Program (80NSSC22M0046)

2019 – 2022: Teshekpuk Lake Observatory Landscape and Ecosystem Studies

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Impact-Directed Environmental Accounts (IDEA)

Principal Investigator: Benjamin Jones (UAF)

Award Number: NFWF Project ID #8006.19.063445 / UAF S

Project website

2022 – Present: Research Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA

2020 – 2022: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA

2020 – 2021: Part-time Postdoctoral Researcher, Woodwell Climate Research Center, Falmouth, MA, USA

2020: Temporary Research Technician, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA

2016 – 2017: Course Instructor, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

2013 – 2018: Symposium Co-organizer: McGill Sustainability Research Symposium, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada

2013 – 2015: Report Manager, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

2012 – 2016: Teaching Assistant, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada

2010 – 2012, and 2014 – 2015: Research Assistant, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada

Graduate Course (2021), Computer Science and Computer Engineering, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Topics in Computer Science and Computer Systems Engineering: Image Analysis using Google Earth Engine

Doctor of Philosophy (2020), Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Thesis title: Permafrost-active layer dynamics and feedbacks with climate forcing in ice-rich sediments, Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut (supervised by Dr. Wayne Pollard)

Funding was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (awarded to W. Pollard), and additional Field Logistics was provided by the Polar Continental Shelf Program (awarded to W. Pollard).

Additional Ph.D. support awarded to M. Ward Jones (in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated):

2016 Troy L. Péwé Award- Outstanding presentation of a young scientist in permafrost science (400€); International Permafrost Association; 11th International Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, June 2016
Fonds de recherche du Quebec – Nature et technologies doctoral scholarship in geomorphology studies ($46,666); Fonds de recherche du Quebec- Nature et technologies, 2016 - 2018
Student Travel Award (250€); to attend the 11th International Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, June 20 - 24, 2016
Northern Scientific Training Program ($9,125); Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Government of Canada, 2016 – 2018
David Erb Fellowship in Remote Sensing and GIS for the Study of Geomorphology ($1,000); Graduate Affairs Committee, McGill University, 2015
The Canadian National Committee for the International Permafrost Association (CNC-IPA) Travel Bursary ($200); to attend GeoQuebec 2015 - the 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and the 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference, Quebec City, Qc, September 20 – 23, 2015.
Eben Hopson Fellowship in Arctic Studies ($24,000); Graduate Affairs Committee, McGill University, 2015 - 2018
Research Support Opportunity in Arctic Environmental Studies (in kind field logistics support worth $100,000); Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS), 2015 – 2017
Grad Excellence Award- PhD ($7,000); Department of Geography, McGill University, 2015

Research Exchange (2018), Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

Funding provided by a McGill University Graduate Mobility Award ($5,300) for travel and living expenses awarded to M. Ward Jones

Intensive Graduate Course (2016), Department of Arctic Geology, University Center in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, Norway

Permafrost and Periglacial Environments, PhD Course AG 830
Funding to attend course provided by Ph.D. supervisor W. Pollard

Master of Science (2016), Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Thesis title: Geomorphology of two hyper-saline springs in the Canadian High Arctic (supervised by Dr. Wayne Pollard)

Additional M.Sc. support awarded to M. Ward Jones (in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated):

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Collaborative Research and Training Experience (NSERC CREATE) MSc Student position ($34,600); Canadian Astrobiology Training Program (CATP), 2013 – 2015
National Geographic Young Explorer Award ($5,000USD); National Geographic Society, 2013
Northern Scientific Training Program ($9,000); Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Government of Canada, 2013 – 2015
Grad Excellence Award- M.Sc ($3,000); Department of Geography, McGill University, 2012

Bachelor of Science (2012), McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Physical Geography (major) and Geology (minor)

Authored or co-authored science outreach articles:

Ward Jones, M. (2025). Measuring permafrost thaw subsidence in agricultural fields in Alaska. Open Access Government. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-046-11390

Ward Jones, M. (2025). Impacts of land clearing on areas containing permafrost. Open Access Government. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-045-11172

Ward Jones, M. (2024). First insights into global permafrost-agroecosystems and recommendations for policymakers. Open Access Government. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-044-11172

Ward Jones, M. (2024). When common recommendations for cultivating in cold soils inadvertently thaw permafrost. Open Access Government. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-043-11172

Ward Jones, M. (2024). Permafrost Grown: The heterogeneity of permafrost conditions. Open Access Government. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-042-11172

Ward Jones, M. (2024). US Permafrost Association Launches Family Care Program. Witness Community Highlights. Arctic Consortium of the United States (ARCUS).

Ward Jones, M. (2024). Shapes on the Tundra: Art Created by Permafrost. Alaska Magazine, February 2024

Ward Jones, M. (2023). Permafrost grown: Investigating permafrost-agriculture interactions in Alaska. Open Access Government. https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-041-11143

Ward Jones, M. (2023). Assessing Ice Wedge Micro-Topography Interactions with Environmental Parameters in Alaska through Family Friendly Science. Witness Community Highlights. Arctic Consortium of the United States (ARCUS).

Ward Jones, M. (2023). Grad school frustrations become career strengths. Becoming a polar Scientist Blog Series. US Association of Early Polar Career Scientists.

Ward Jones, M., K., Garron, J., Jones, B. M., Bergstedt, H., Raynolds, M., Zwieback, S., and Frost, G. (2022). Rethinking Scientific Meetings in a COVID World, an Example of the 16th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium. Witness Community Highlights. Arctic Consortium of the United States (ARCUS).

Ward Jones M. K., Jones, B. M., Gannon, G., Schwoerer, T., Kanevskiy, M., Russell, J., Russell, D., and Sutton, I. (2021). Northern Farmers and UAF Researchers Team up to Sustainably Manage Permafrost-Agroecosystems, Witness the Arctic, Arctic Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), 22 November 2021.

Ward Jones, M. (2019). Widespread permafrost degradation in the Canadian High Arctic at 80°N, Witness Community Highlights, Arctic Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), 18 October, 2019.

Ward, M. (2016) Fosheim Peninsula. The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada.

Ward, M. (2016) Axel Heiberg Island. The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada.

Media appearances in:

Season 1, Episode 6, Climat d'urgence: Alaska (in French), April 2024, TV5 Quebec Canada

Farming on Permafrost, Futurum Careers Webpage, July 2023

Farming on Permafrost, Futurum Magazine, January 2023

Future of Farming: Scientists Turn Towards Alaska, Alaska Magazine, September 2022

Policy changes can help Alaska’s new farmers work in permafrost conditions, UAF experts say, Alaska Beacon, 6 September, 2022

The Surreal Abundance of Alaska’s Permafrost Farms, The New Yorker, 30 August, 2022

Breaking the Ice, How to Feed the World Impact Report 2022, August 2022

UAF at AGU 2021, Science Shorts Q & A: Melissa Ward Jones.

Project to study interactions between permafrost, agriculture, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cornerstone Newsletter, 22 September 2021.

Twig Science Reporter Weekly News Update, 6 June, 2019, Twig Education, Imperial College London, UK

Live Radio Interview, CBC Homerun, 29 May, 2019

Interview, CBC Montreal 6pm evening news, 24 May, 2019

Even in the High Arctic, researchers find permafrost thaws are changing the landscape. CBC News Montreal, 24 May, 2019:

Permafrost degradation spreads in Canadian High Arctic. Eye on the Arctic, 24 May, 2019

Permafrost degradation spreads in High Arctic. Radio Canada International 24 May, 2019

Ward Jones, M., Jones, B., Gannon, G., Schowoerer, T., Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Gaglioti, B., Parlato, N., Fedorov, A., Desyatkin, R., Ping, C., Chapin, C., Sutton, I., Russell, J., Russell, D., St. Pierre, B., and St. Pierre, C. (2021). Understanding permafrost and agriculture interactions for ensuring sustainable, adaptable and resilient permafrost-agroecosystems. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, LA, and online. December 13 – 17.
Ward Jones, M., Jones, B. M., Walker, D. A., Kanevskiy, M. Z., Shur, Y., Peirce, J., Zwieback, S., Breen, A. L., Liljedahl, A., Natali, S., Miller, C. E., Larsen, C., and Iwahana, Go. (2021). Preliminary assessment of the micro-topographic impacts of ice-wedge systems using remote sensing and field observations. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, LA, and online. December 13 – 17.
Jones, B. M., Kanevskiy, M. Z., Shur, Y., Jorgenson, M. T., Iwahana, G., Gaglioti, B., Ward Jones, M., Larsen, C., Miller, E. A., Miller, C. E., and Jandt, R. (2021). Degradation, stabilization, and initial aggradation of permafrost following an arctic tundra fire. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, LA, and online. December 13 – 17.
Dai, C., Howat, I., Ward Jones, M., van der Sluijs, J., Nesterova, N., Liljedahl, A., and Freymueller, J. T. (2021). Mapping Retrogressive Thaw Slumps Using ArcticDEM and Machine Learning. Oral Presentation. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. New Orleans, LA, and online. December 13 – 17.
Ward Jones, M., Dai, C., Pollard, W., Liljedahl, A., van der Sluijs, J., Brinkerhoff, C., Howat, I., Freymueller, J., (2021). Using ArcticDEM and shallow boreholes to quantify mass wasting sediment loss of retrogressive thaw slumps in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, Canadian high Arctic. Poster Presentation. 2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost and 19^th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering. Online. October 24 – 29.
Jones, B., Urban, F., Soliman, A., Kanevskiy, M., Ward Jones, M., Farquharson, L., Heise, M., Bergstedt, H., Breen, A. L., Shurm Y., and Hinkel, K., (2021). High spatial and temporal resolution remote sensing of a collapsing pingo in northern Alaska. Poster Presentation. 2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost and 19^th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering. Online. October 24 – 29.
Frederick, J., Eymold, W., Mota, A., Tezaur, I., Jones, B., Flanary, C., Jones, C., Thomas, M., Bristol, E., Choens, R., Ward Jones, M., Kasper, J., Brown, E., McClelland, J, and Bull, D. (2021). Demonstration of the ACE (Arctic Coastal Erosion) model at Drew Point, AK during a permafrost bluff block collapse event in summer 2018. Poster Presentation. 2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost and 19^th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering. Online. October 24 – 29.
Ward Jones, M., Jones, B., Gannon, G., Schowoerer, T., Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Gaglioti, B., Parlato, N., Ping, C., Fedorov, A., Klimstra, R., Schlumbohm, R., Sutton, I., St. Pierre, C., St. Pierre, B., Russell, J., and Russell, D. (2021). Permafrost Grown: Co-producing Knowledge with Alaskan and Siberian Farmers to Understand Permafrost-cultivation Interactions. Oral Presentation. Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) Community and Citizen Science in the Far North. Online, October 5 – 7.
Bull, D. L., Frederick, J., Mota, A., Jones, B. M., Tezaur, I., Flanary, C., Choens, R., Ward Jones, M. K., Eymold, W. K., Jones, C. A., Kasper, J., Bristol, E. M., McClelland J. W., and Brown, E. P. (2020). Initial Validation Results for the Arctic Coastal Erosion (ACE) Model. Oral Presentation. American Geophysical Union. Online, December 1 – 17.
Ward Jones, M. K., Jones, B. M., Dai, C., Pollard, W. H., Amyot, F., Liljedahl, A. K., Howat, I., Freymueller, J. T., and Higman, B. M. (2020). A mixed-methods approach to assessing sub-seasonal retreat rates of retrogressive thaw slumps in the Eureka Area, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union. Online, December 1 – 17.
Witharana, C., Bhuiyan, M. A. E., Liljedahl, A. K., Kanevskiy, M. Z., Jorgenson, T., Jones, B., Daanen, R. P., Epstein, H. E., Griffin, C. G., Kent, K., and Ward Jones, M. K. (2020). Automated Mapping of Ice-wedge Polygon Troughs in the Continuous Permafrost Zone using Commercial Satellite Imagery. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union. Online, December 1 – 17.
Dai, C., Howat, I., Freymueller, J. T., Liljedahl, A. K., Ward Jones, M. K., and Higman, B. M. (2020). Establishing a database for volcanic eruptions and landslides using ArcticDEM. Oral Presentation. American Geophysical Union. Online, December 1 – 17.
Higman, B. M., Briggs, C., Coe, J. A., Dai, C., Dufresne, A., Freymueller, J. T., Geertsema, M., Haeussler, P. J., Jacquemart, M. F., Koppes, M. N., Liljedahl, A. K., Lynett, P. J., Nicolsky, D., Schaefer, L. N., Ward Jones, M. K., Weiss, R., West, R., and Wolken, G. J. (2020). How Alaska’s Barry Arm Can Help Us Prepare for Climate Change Hazards. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union. Online, December 1 – 17.
Ward Jones, M. K., and Pollard, W. H. (2019) Environmental interactions and feedbacks of degrading ice wedges and impacts on shallow ground temperatures in a high Arctic polar desert system. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union. San Francisco, USA, December 9 – 13.
Shur, Y., Fortier, D., Jorgenson, T., Kanevskiy, M. Z., Jones, B. M., and Ward Jones, M. K. (2019) Self-organization pf ice-wedge systems during their formation and degradation. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union. San Francisco, USA, December 9 – 13.
Ward Jones, M. K., Pollard, W. H., and Jones, B. M*. (2018). Rapid initialization and retreat rates of retrogressive thaw slumps in the Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Poster Presentation. 15^th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium. Potsdam, Germany, September 2018. *Presenting author
Ward Jones, M. K., and Pollard, W. H. (2018) Daily Monitoring of a Retrogressive Thaw Slump on the Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Oral Presentation. European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP) Chamonix-Mont-Blanc,23 June – 1 July.
Ward, M. K., and Pollard, W. H. (2017) Seasonal Ice Wedge Dynamics in Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union. New Orleans, USA, December 11 – 15.
Ward, M. K., Moersch, J. E., and Pollard, W.H. (2016) Monitoring thermokarst activity and landscape change in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Poster and Oral Presentation. American Geophysical Union. San Francisco, USA, December 12 – 16.
Ward, M., Moersch, J. E., and Pollard, W. (2016) Combining remote sensing, GIS and fieldwork to monitor the evolution of a retrogressive thaw slump in Eureka, NU. Poster Presentation. GIS Day, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, November 16.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2016) Monitoring thermokarst activity and landscape change in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Oral presentation, 14^th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium, Homer, Alaska, September 12-16.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2016) Using a mix-methods approach to monitor thermokarst activity in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Oral presentation, winner of the Troy L. Péwé award for outstanding student presentation, 11^th International Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, June 20-24.
Pollard, W., and Ward, M. (2016) The seasonal dynamics of a hydrohalite tufa associated with a perennial hyper-saline spring in the Canadian high Arctic. Poster presentation, 11^th International Conference on Permafrost, Potsdam, Germany, June 20-24.
Gros, M., Koutsavlakis, J., Levoy, S., Normand, S., Ward, M., and Chmura, G. (2016) Dyke construction and failure near Caraquet on Chaleur Bay. Poster presentation based on GEOG 550 class research project. Atlantic Canada Coastal and Estuarine Science Society, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, May 11-14.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2016). Landscape change around Eureka, Nunavut between 1947 and 2015 and implications for sustainable development. Oral Presentation. McGill Sustainability Research Symposium, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, March 9.
O. Dallaire, C., Harris, L., Ward, M., Trinsci, K., Jarvis, L., MacDonald, G., and Dryden, R. (2016) Creating spaces for sustainability literacy outside the classroom: the McGill Sustainability Research Symposium. Poster Presentation. Science for a Sustainable Society Symposium, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, January 26-27.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2015) Arctic change: landscape changes around Eureka, Nunavut and other stories from the field. Geography in Action! Brown Bag Series Invited Presentation, Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, November 12.
Ward, M. K., Pollard, W. H. (2015) Hyper-saline spring dynamics and salt deposits on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut. Oral Presentation. GeoQuebec 2015 – the 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and the 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference, Quebec City, Qc, September 20 – 23.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W.(2015)Geomorphology of two hyper-saline springs in the Canadian High Arctic. Oral Presentation. European Geophysical Union, Vienna, Austria, April 13 – 17.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2014) Recent retrogressive thaw slump activity in the Eureka Area, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Poster Presentation. Arctic Change, Ottawa, Canada, December 8 – 12.
Ward, M., Pollard, W, and Omelon, C. (2014) Hyper-saline spring activity on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut. Poster Presentation. Arctic Change, Ottawa, Canada, December 8 – 12.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2014) Recent retrogressive thaw slump activity in the Eureka Area, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Poster Presentation. GIS Day, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, November 10.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2014) High Arctic camping with a grain of salt: the geomorphology of two hyper-saline springs on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut. Geography in Action! Brown Bag Series Invited Presentation, Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, September 19.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2014) Hyper-saline spring geomorphology at Stolz Diapir, Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut. Oral Presentation. Canadian Astrobiology Scientific Training Program Annual Meeting. Montreal, Canada, June 2 – 4.
Ward, M., and Pollard, W. (2013) The geomorphology of two hyper-saline springs in the Canadian High Arctic. Oral Presentation. Canadian Astrobiology Scientific Training Program Annual Meeting. Montreal, Canada, September 16 – 17.
Ward, M.K., and Pollard, W.H. (2013) The geomorphology of two hyper-saline springs in the Canadian High Arctic: preliminary observations and results. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union. San Francisco, USA, December 9 – 13.
Ward, M.K., Pollard, W.H. and Omelon, C.R. (2013) The geomorphology of two hyper-saline springs in the Canadian High Arctic: preliminary observations and results. Poster Presentation. Arctic Change, Halifax, Canada, December 9 – 13.
Hernandez-Morlan, X. Itzel, G. Peterson, J. Rhemtulla, M. Ward, S. Gupta. (2011). Legacies of the Colorado River Delta, Mexico: Over 30 Years of Landscape Changes. Poster Presentation. Resilience 2011: Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability. Second International Science and Policy Conference. Tempe, AZ, USA. March 11-16.

Parlato, N., and Ward Jones, M. K. (2025). The Law of Thaw: Understanding Subnational Land Use Policies for Permafrost-Agroecosystems. Polar Record, 61: e3. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247424000263

Nitze, I., Van der Sluijs, J., Barth, S., Bernhard, P., Huang, L., Lara, M., Kizyakov, A., Nesterova1, N., Runge, A., Veremeeva, A., Ward Jones, M., Witharana, C., Xia, Z., and Liljedahl, A. (2024). A labeling intercomparison of retrogressive thaw slumps by a diverse group of domain experts. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, ppp.2249. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2249

Ward Jones, M., Habeck, O.H., Ulrich, M., Crate, S., Gannon, G., Schwoerer, T., Jones, B., Kanevskiy, M., Baral, P., Maharjan, A., Steiner, J., Spring, A., Price, M.J., Bysouth, D., Forbes, B.C., Verdonen, M., Kumpula, T., Strauss, J., Windirsch, T., Poeplau, C., Shur, Y., Gaglioti, B., Parlato, N., Tao, F., Turetsky, M., Grand, S., Unc, A., and Borchard, N. (2024). Socio-ecological dynamics of diverse global permafrost-agroecosystems under environmental change. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 56(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2024.2356067. 2024 Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research Editors' Choice Award Winner.

Jones, B.M., Kanevskiy, M.Z., Shur, Y., Gaglioti, B.V., Jorgenson, M.T., Ward Jones, M.K., Veremeeva, A., Miller, E.A., and Jandt. R. (2024). Post-fire stabilization of thaw-affected permafrost terrain in northern Alaska. Scientific Reports, 14: 8499. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58998-5

Dai, D., Howat, I., van der Sluijs, J., Liljedahl, A. K., Higman, B., Freymueller, J. T., Ward Jones, M. K., Kokelj, S. V., Boike, J., Walker, B., and Marsh, P. (2024). Applications of ArcticDEM for measuring volcanic dynamics, landslides, retrogressive thaw slumps, snowdrifts, and vegetation heights. Science of Remote Sensing, 9: 100130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srs.2024.100130

Jones, B.M. Kanevskiy, M., Parsekian, A., Bergstedt, H., Ward Jones, M.K., Rangel, R., Hinkel, K.M., and Shur, Y. (2023). Rapid saline permafrost thaw below a shallow thermokarst lake in Arctic Alaska. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(22): e2023CL105552. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105552

Jones, B.M., Tessier, S.S., Tessier, T., Brubaker, M., Brook, M., Schaeffer, J., Ward Jones, M.K., Grosse, G., Nitze, I., Rettelbach, T., Savoico, S., Clark, J.A., and Tape, K.D. (2023). Integrating local environmental observations and remote sensing to better understand the life cycle of a thermokarst lake in Arctic Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 55 (1), 2195518. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2023.2195518

Witharana, C., Udawalpola, M. R., Liljedahl, A. K., Ward Jones, M. K., Jones, B. M., Hasan, A., Joshi, D., and Manos, E. (2022). Automated recognition of retrogressive thaw slumps in the Arctic permafrost tundra using high spatial resolution commercial satellite imagery. Remote Sensing, 14(17), 4132. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14174132

Ward Jones, M. K., Schwoerer, T., Gannon, G., Jones, B. M., Kanevskiy, M. Z., Sutton, I., St. Pierre, B., St. Pierre, C., Russell, J., and Russell, D. (2022). Climate-driven expansion of northern agriculture must consider permafrost. Nature Climate Change, 12, 699-703. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01436-z.

Ward Jones, M., and Bendixen, M. (2022). It’s time to make science in remote places family friendly. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02048-5.

Dai, C., Howat, I. M., Freymueller, J. T., Lu, Z., Vijay, S., Liljedahl, A. K., Ward Jones, M.K., Bergstedt, H., and Lev, E. (2022). Quantifying surface height changes at Mt. Cleveland, Alaska between 2001 and 2020 using satellite photogrammetry. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 429, 107614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2022.107614.

Shur, Y., Fortier, D., Jorgenson, M. T., Kanevskiy, M., Schirrmeister, L., Strauss, J., Vasiliev, A., and Ward Jones, M. (2022). Yedoma Permafrost Genesis: More than 150 Years of Mystery and Controversy. Frontiers Earth Science, 9, 1251. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.757891.

Jones, B. M., Tape, K. D., Clark, J. A., Bondurant, A. C., Ward Jones, M. K., Gaglioti, B. V., Elder, C. D., Witharana, C., and Miller, C. E. (2021). Multi-dimensional remote sensing analysis documents beaver-induced permafrost degradation, Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Remote Sensing, 13(23), p.4863. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13234863.

Ward Jones, M. K. and Pollard, W. (2021). Daily field observations of retrogressive thaw slump dynamics in the Canadian high Arctic. ARCTIC, 74(3), 339-354. https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic73377.

Shur, Y., Jones, B. M., Kaveskiy, M., Jorgenson, T., Ward Jones, M. K., Fortier, D., Stephani, E., and Vasiliev, A. (2021). Fluvio-thermal erosion and thermal denudation in the yedoma region of northern Alaska, revisiting the Itkillik River Exposure. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 32(2), 277-298. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2105.

Witharana, C., Bhuiyan, M.A.E., Liljedahl, A.K., Kanevskiy, M., Jorgenson, T., Jones, B.M., Daanen, R., Epstein, H.E., Griffin, C.G., Kent, K. and Ward Jones, M.K. (2021). An Object-Based Approach for Mapping Tundra Ice-Wedge Polygon Troughs from Very High Spatial Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery. Remote Sensing, 13(4), 558. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13040558

Bull, D.L., E.M. Bristol, E. Brown, R.C. Choens, C.T. Connolly, C. Flanary, J.M. Frederick, B.M. Jones, C.A. Jones, M. Ward Jones, J.L. Kasper, J.W. McClelland, A. Mota, I. Tezaur (2020). Arctic Coastal Erosion: Modeling and Experimentation, Report SAND2020-10223, Sandia National Laboratories, NM.

Chunli, D., Higman, B., Lynett, P. J., Jacquemart, M., Howat, I., Liljedahl, A. K., Dufresne, A., Freymueller, J. T., Geertsema, M., Ward Jones, M., Haeussler, P. J. (2020) Large slow moving landslide and potential future tsunami following rapid glacier retreat, Barry Arm Fjord, Alaska. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089800

Witharana, C., Bhuiyan, E. M., Liljedalh, A. K., Kanevskiy, M., Epstein, H. E., Jones, B. M., Daanen, R., Griffin, C. G., Kent, K., and Ward Jones, M. K. (2020) Understanding the synergies of deep learning and data fusion of multispectral and panchromatic high resolution commercial satellite imagery for automated ice-wedge polygon detection. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2020.10.010

Ward, M. K. (2020) Permafrost-active layer dynamics and feedbacks with climate forcing in ice-rich sediments, Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Ph.D. thesis, McGill University, Department of Geography. 193 p.

Ward Jones, M. K., Pollard, W. H., and Amyot, F. (2020) Impacts of degrading ice wedges on ground temperatures in a high Arctic polar desert system. Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005173

Ward Jones, M. K., Pollard, W. H., and Jones, B. M. (2019) Rapid initialization of retrogressive thaw slumps in the Canadian high Arctic and their response to climate and terrain factors. Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab12fd

Ward Jones, M. K., and Pollard, W. H. (2018) Daily Monitoring of a Retrogressive Thaw Slump on the Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. In European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP) Conferences Proceedings.

Ward, M. K., and Pollard, W. H. (2018) A hydrohalite spring deposit in the Canadian high Arctic: A potential Mars analogue. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 504, 126-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.10.001

Ouellet Dallaire, C., Trincsi, K., Ward, M. K., Harris, L. I., Jarvis, L., Dryden, R. L., and MacDonald, G. K. (2018) Creating space for sustainability literacy: the case of student-centered symposia. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 19(4), 839-855. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-08-2017-0126

Ward, M. K. (2016) The geomorphology of two hypersaline springs in the Canadian high Arctic. M. Sc. Thesis, McGill University, Department of Geography. 146 p.

Ward, M. K., Pollard, W. H. (2015) Hyper-saline spring dynamics and salt deposits on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut. In GeoQuebec 2015 – the 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and the 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference Proceedings.

Pollard, W., Ward, M., Becker, M. (2015) The Eureka Sound lowlands: an ice-rich permafrost landscape in transition. In GeoQuebec 2015 – the 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference and the 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference Proceedings.

Bishop, J. L., Ward, M. K., Roush, T. L., Davila, A., Brown, A. J., McKay, C. P., Quinn, R., and Pollard, W. (2014) Spectral Properties of Na, Ca-, Mg-and Fe-Chlorides and Analyses of Hydrohalite-Bearing Samples from Axel Heiberg Island. In Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts (Vol. 45, p. 2145).

Articles submitted, in review or in revision:

Ward Jones, M. K., Jones, B. M., Kanevskiy, M. Z., and Shur, Y. (Submitted). Increasing micro-topography diverges environmental responses in ice-wedge systems in northern Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.

Ward Jones, M. K., Jones, B. M., Nitze, I., Gessner, M., Grosse, G., Bartsch, A., and Bull, D. (In Review). Annual and sub-seasonal dynamics of a rapidly eroding permafrost coastline along the Beaufort Sea Coast in northern Alaska. Scientific Reports.

Bayat, E., Bull, D. L., Frederick, J. M., Mota, A., Jones, B. M., Tezaur, I., Flanary, C., Bristol, E. M., Ward Jones, M., Choens, R. C., and Jones, C. A. (In Review). The Arctic Coastal Erosion Model: Overview, developments, and calibration at Drew Point, Alaska. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (JAMES).

Jones, B. M., Kanevskiy, M. Z., Ward Jones, M. K., Wilson, P. R., Ditmer, I., Gaglioti, B. V., Klein, E. S., Rangel, R. C., Wallace, K., Jones, M. C., Wooller, M., and Shur, Y. (In Review). Cryptic ice wedge networks in Holocene peat, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes.

Dai, C., Ward Jones, M. K., van der Sluijs, J., Nesterova, N., Howat, I. M., Liljedahl, A. K., Higman, B., Freymueller, J. T., Kokelj, S. V., Sriram, S. (In Review). Volumetric Quantifications and Dynamics of Areas Undergoing Retrogressive Thaw Slumping in the Northern Hemisphere Between 2012 and 2022. Nature Communications.

Jones, B.M., Ward Jones, M. (2024). University of Alaska, Fairbanks, T Field; Classified LiDAR Point Cloud, Digital Surface Model, Digital Terrain Model, Orthophoto Mosaic, and Multispectral Orthomosaic Imagery; Fairbanks, Alaska; 18 August 2023. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A2125QB64.

Ward Jones, M., Gannon, G., and Jones, B. (2024). Temperature and soil moisture monitoring of celery trials and compost piles at a farm in Fairbanks, Alaska from May 2022 to March 2023. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A2319S45K.

Ward Jones, M., Gannon, G., and Jones, B. (2024). Temperature monitoring of various crop with and without seasonal extension techniques during the 2022 growing season in Fairbanks, Alaska. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A26T0GZ0N.

Jones, B., Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Ward Jones, M., Gaglioti, B., Jorgenson, T., Veremeeva, A., Miller, E., and Jandt, R. (2024). Multi-temporal elevation data, ground temperature time-series, and permafrost borehole logs document the recovery of permafrost at the Anaktuvuk River tundra fire, 2009 to 2023. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A2251FM9P.

Jones, B.M., and Ward Jones, M. (2023). Midnight Sun Golf Course Classified LiDAR Point Cloud, Digital Surface Model, Digital Terrain Model, Digital Photos, and Orthophoto Mosaic, Fairbanks, AK. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A2W37KX40.

Jones, B.M., Kanevskiy, M., Parsekian, A., Bergstedt, H., Ward Jones, M., Rangel, R., Hinkel, K., and Shur, Y. (2023). Saline permafrost degradation below a shallow thermokarst lake in northern Alaska, 2008-2023. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A20P0WS3K.

Jones, B.M., and Ward Jones, M. (2023). Orthomosaic Image and Digital Surface Model for the Bugeye Lakes Complex, Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska. Arctic Data Center. https://doi.org/10.18739/A2X34MT5Q.

Ward, M. K., Amyot, F., and Pollard, W. (2020). Shallow (12 cm) ground temperatures for 7 ice-wedge troughs and 2 polygon centres in a high-centred polygon system in Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Polar Data Catalogue. https://doi.org/10.21963/13135.

Ward, M. K., Amyot, F., and Pollard, W. (2020). Ice-wedge transect thaw depths during 2017 and 2018 thaw seasons, Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Polar Data Catalogue. https://doi.org/10.21963/13134.