Honour for soil science work in Antarctica
It was a ‘privilege’ to work in Antarctica
New Zealand Antarctic Medal (NZAM) Dr Megan Ruby Balks, Te Awamutu, for services to Antarctic soil science
Living on the slopes of Mt Pirongia at Ngutunui is New Zealand’s latest recipient of the New Zealand Antarctic Medal, Dr Megan Balks.
The award recognises work undertaken in the Antarctic region, and for Balks it is for services to Antarctic soil science.
Balks says she feels fortunate to be singled out in what is very much a collaborative field of research.
But she says, it easily could have not happened considering soil science wasn’t her first career choice.
“Growing up on a sheep farm in North Wairarapa gave me an interest in the environment, but I wanted to be a geologist,” says Balks.
“But I was to attend Massey University, so I did a BSc Honours in soil science and did my first soil survey on the large fault line that runs near Woodville.”
Even as a soil scientist, Balks almost turned down the opportunity to work in the Antarctic as she was sceptical that there was even soil to study on the frozen continent.
But, as she says, “If someone offers you a trip to Antarctica, you say yes.”
That someone was actually two people, Antarctic soil research pioneers Drs Iain Campbell and Graeme Claridge and the trip was in 1990.
It was the first of 19 trips to Antarctica, 12 as field leader, and the beginning of research into permafrost and human environmental impacts in Antarctica.
Balks first met Campbell and Claridge at the DSIR Soil Bureau (the forerunner of Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research) in the 1980s in Otago.
She had moved to Dunedin with her husband Errol when he attended university to study land surveying and her job saw her undertake soil survey work in Central Otago.
In 1988 Errol completed his study, but it was also the time of huge restructuring in the scientific field with several redundancies, including the Antarctic team.
Balks took a part time lecturing position at the University of Waikato and signed up to complete her PhD.
The couple have been in Waikato since and own a block of land at Ngutunui where they have a nature forest reserve and she has returned to her roots, running sheep on the steep hill country, including special breeds that produce fibres she uses in her fibre craft hobby.
Balks undertook three field seasons in Antarctica with Campbell and Claridge, giving her a great introduction to the soils and landscapes of the frozen continent.
She says it was a great opportunity, but it did put her PhD on hold, and after three consecutive trips over three years, she had to knuckle down and complete her doctorate.
With that completed she continued to work on the Antarctic programme, including a 20-year contract with Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research and leader Jackie Aislabie, another collaborator she credits with making the project such a success.
Through this research, a series of Antarctic soil climate monitoring stations were established that contribute to the international programme Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) to monitor the effects of climate change in polar regions.
Among Balks’ numerous publications, she co-authored the award-winning textbook The Soils of Aotearoa New Zealand (2021), which includes coverage of the Ross Sea Region.
She lectured at the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Waikato from 1988 to 2018, supporting 10 graduate students in Antarctic soils research along with over 40 others on New Zealand-related projects.
Balks helped develop links with the international scientific community in the subjects of Cryosols (soil in very cold environments) and permafrost (frozen ground), furthering scientific collaboration and recognition of research undertaken by New Zealand soil scientists in Antarctica, was a member of the Crysol Working Group of the International Union of Soil Sciences from 2000 until 2023, with two years as co-Chair. She represented New Zealand on the Council of International Permafrost Association (IPA) from 2008 to 2022 and organised the first Southern Hemisphere IPA Regional Conference on Permafrost in 2019.
She was a founding member and secretary of ANTPAS (Antarctic Permafrost and Soils), a working group of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and has been a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Committee on Antarctic Research, the New Zealand Geographic Board Committee of Place Naming in the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica, and President of the New Zealand Society of Soil Science from 2018 to 2020.
Balks is currently working with the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, working as a review editor on the ‘ State of the World Soils Report’ due for release in 2025.
All those important collaborations and positions arose from the hard work and passion for Antarctica and the important findings the team unearthed.
Balks’ first Antarctic project involved looking at an area where the US team had built an airstrip in the late 1950s and there were areas of heavy disturbance where the soil had been bulldozed and areas where the soil had been dumped.
The researchers looked at how much these soils had recovered and how the permafrost had adjusted to those changes.
Balks also quickly accepted that there is soil in Antarctica, although the processes that create soil are very slow.
She says the landscapes are very old and have endured millions of years of surface exposure, which makes them much older than soil surfaces in New Zealand, for instance.
The Kiwi soil researchers dug holes and brought back hundreds of samples of soil from different locations.
Balks says she thought at the time it was a tiny study but now she realises the full value of the work the team did.
“A lot of it has been highly cited which is always a measure of success,” she says.
The work was unique around the globe and increased knowledge of the way soil moisture behaves in different temperatures.
“There is still much to learn about understanding the role of soils in the Antarctic landscape. “We haven’t got to the end of this research.”
Over the years developing technology has been the biggest change for researchers, such as internet access and phones in the field, plus advances in biological sciences, such as DNA analysis, which allow for more indepth research.
She describes uncovering Antarctica’s soil secrets as a slow, culminative journey where knowledge and understanding builds up incrementally.
“It’s been a privilege to work in Antarctica and while I didn’t expect or anticipate an award, it is a real honour,” says Balks.