Current Research
Environmental Functions of Floodplain Soils:
We are researching impacts of past and current land use on forested floodplain and transient island landscapes of the Susquehanna River basin, the largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay system.
We are researching impacts of past and current land use on forested floodplain and transient island landscapes of the Susquehanna River basin, the largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay system.
Soil description on the Susquehanna River flooplain, Bloomsburg, PA.
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Floodplain soil profile in eastern Pennsylvania, anthropogenic legacy sediments.
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Summer 2016 research crew sampling the Nescopeck Creek floodplain delta.
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Soil Mapping (Geoarchaeology), Proyecto Arqueológico Waka', Guatemala:
We are mapping soil properties along broad catena transects in El Perú Waka', a Maya archeological site in the Petén region of Guatemala. Our goals are to link soil morphological characteristics with surface hydrology models to better understand the impacts of past Maya land use on the regional landscape.
News Link
We are mapping soil properties along broad catena transects in El Perú Waka', a Maya archeological site in the Petén region of Guatemala. Our goals are to link soil morphological characteristics with surface hydrology models to better understand the impacts of past Maya land use on the regional landscape.
News Link
Thick jungle landscapes at Waka'.
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El parque nacional Laguna del Tigre is one of the most important ecosystems in Guatemala.
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Surface cracks typical of lowland Vertisols.
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I am also collaborating with Dr. Ben K. Odhiambo at the University of Mary Washington on various projects involving water quality in the lower Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia.
Past Research
2014: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Auburn University
I quantified water quality thresholds for Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito breeding success to understand links between urbanization and the spread of West Nile virus in the southern United States.
I quantified water quality thresholds for Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito breeding success to understand links between urbanization and the spread of West Nile virus in the southern United States.
Water samples from mosquito breeding sites
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Simulated mosquito breeding sites (mesocosms) with varied water quality
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Culex larva at 30x magnification
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2010-2013: I studied nutrient dynamics (in soils and woody debris) and biogeochemical indices (including microbial biomass, nitrogen mineralization, phosphorus saturation) in the old-growth bottomland forests of Congaree National Park, South Carolina.
Setting up woody debris for a decomposition study
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Rare summer flood in Congaree National Park, South Carolina
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Spring 2010: I studied soil morphology along headwater transient streams in Rhode Island. This was part of a larger water quality study in the region, specifically looking at nitrogen retention and removal in intermittent stream areas.
You never know what you will find in a wetland...
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Example of a soil where hyporheic flow can occur outside the stream channel
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2007-2010: I studied the impacts of land use change on riparian zone soils in southern New England (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut), specifically sediment and carbon storage functions. We utilized a combination of approaches, including heavy metal accumulation, pollen stratigraphy, calibrated C-14 dates, and process-based measurements of autochthonous carbon production to assess the impact of historical and contemporary land use on riparian soils.
Example of a buried surface (Ab horizon) at 50 cm
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Measuring soil CO2 flux
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Hand dug soil pit to 150 cm
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2006-2007: I studied soil erosion and sedimentation in the Lake Anna drainage basin in northern Virginia. We used a combination of spatial (GIS) and isotopic (Pb-210, Cs-137) analyses to identify major anthropogenic and geomorphic characteristics responsible for reservoir sedimentation since Lake Anna was created in the 1970s.
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Soil erosion model for the upper Lake Anna basin
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2005-2007: As an undergraduate researcher I studied sediment flux dynamics in small tributaries of the Rappahannock River (Chesapeake Bay watershed) in northern Virginia.
Enthusiastically endorsing a rainfall event
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Our research photo was featured on the cover of Environmental Management
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