NEW Project! What makes the Critical Zone resistant and resilient? Using Big Data and field investigations |
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The global scale of disturbance in the Anthropocene typically transcend the bounds of a single site, posing a challenge for traditional, site-specific investigations. In order to advance network-scale syntheses and integrate across scales, we propose an iterative “pattern to process” and “process to pattern” approach to investigate how CZ structure controls water, carbon, nutrients, and response to overlapping disturbances in the context of multi-dimensional resilience. For this we compile existing ecohydrological data from across the continental U.S. into a multi-dimensional CZ database, perform advanced statistical analysis with complex-systems tools on big data to identify state changes in ecological function and ecosystem services, refine hypotheses based on these data-driven approaches, and perform in-depth process investigations at three high-vulnerability focal sites in the northeast (Sleeper River Research Watershed) and southwest (Santa Catalina Mountain - CZO and Illilouette Creek Basin). Find more info here.
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Integration of top-down, and bottom-up investigative approaches (process to pattern and vice versa).
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Funding NSF-EAR: 2020-2025.“Collaborative Research Network Cluster: Using Big Data approaches to assess ecohydrological resilience across scales”. Lead-PI: Julia Perdrial
Co-PIs and collaborators: Donna Rizzo (UVM, Co-PI), Kristen Underwood (UVM, Co-PI), Byung Lee (UVM, Co-PI), Regina Toolin (UVM, Co-PI), Adrian Harpold (UNR, Co-PI), Gabrielle Boisrame (DRI, Co-PI), Erin Seybold (KSU, Co-PI), Ben Abbott (BYU, Co-PI), Li Li (Penn State, Collaborator), Jon Chorover (UofA, Collaborator), Jamie Shanley (USGS, Collaborator), Scott Hamshaw (UVM, collaborator), Mike Blouin (UVM, collaborator), Leon Walls (UVM, collaborator).
Students: Bren Cable (MS student), Niara Hicks (MS student), Manya Ruckhaus (MS student).
Co-PIs and collaborators: Donna Rizzo (UVM, Co-PI), Kristen Underwood (UVM, Co-PI), Byung Lee (UVM, Co-PI), Regina Toolin (UVM, Co-PI), Adrian Harpold (UNR, Co-PI), Gabrielle Boisrame (DRI, Co-PI), Erin Seybold (KSU, Co-PI), Ben Abbott (BYU, Co-PI), Li Li (Penn State, Collaborator), Jon Chorover (UofA, Collaborator), Jamie Shanley (USGS, Collaborator), Scott Hamshaw (UVM, collaborator), Mike Blouin (UVM, collaborator), Leon Walls (UVM, collaborator).
Students: Bren Cable (MS student), Niara Hicks (MS student), Manya Ruckhaus (MS student).
Current Project:Stream water dissolved organic carbon, a test case for integrative modelling across scales (see recorded talk here) |
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The objective of this research is to combine complex systems modelling and Reactive Transport Modelling (RTM) with select experiments to test hypotheses on the origin of the widespread increased in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes from forested headwater streams. We use a great variety of data to investigate linkages between observed patterns, internal Critical Zone drivers, external drivers and hypothesized processes. Complex systems tools are used on these combined data sets to better visualize and identify regional scale patterns (>100km), RTM is used on selected catchments to test process-based hypotheses at the catchment scale (km) and experiments complement RTMs to isolate specific processes at the macro to micrometer scale (mm-μm).
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Complex systems tools, Reactive Transport Modelling (RTM) and experiments bride scales in low temperature geochemistry (modified after Bao et al. 2016).
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Funding: NSF-GG: 2018-2021.“Collaborative Research: Combining Complex Systems Tools, Process-Based Modelling and Experiments to Bridge Scales in Low Temperature Geochemistry”. Lead-PI: Julia Perdrial
Collaborators and studnets: Donna Rizzo (UVM, Co-PI), Li Li (Penn State, Co-PI), Adrian Harpold (UNR, Co-PI), Kristen Underwood (research assistant professor), Thomas Adler (MS student), Caitlin Bristol (MS student).
Collaborators and studnets: Donna Rizzo (UVM, Co-PI), Li Li (Penn State, Co-PI), Adrian Harpold (UNR, Co-PI), Kristen Underwood (research assistant professor), Thomas Adler (MS student), Caitlin Bristol (MS student).
Completed Project: The movement of nutrients through soils, riparian zones and streams to the Lake |
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Lake Champlain with the Adirondacks in the background.
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The overall goal of the VT EPSCoR Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) project is to Study and Promote Resiliency in the Lake Champlain Basin. A newly installed soil sensor network will help us answer the question what type of land covers (forested vs. agricultural) are more resilient to extreme events. Sub surface instrumentation in transects across dry and wet areas are used to test hypotheses around hydrologic connectivity and impacts on downstream water quality and lake algal blooms. Learn more here.
Funding: NSF-EPSCoR: 2016-2021, VT EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII). “Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE)”. Investigator. Lead PIs: Arne Bomblies (UVM, Lead-PI VT EPSCoR), Carol Adair (UVM, ecology team leader, Co-PI), Andrew Schroth (UVM, ecology team leader, Co-PI). Students: Max Landsmann-Gerjoi, Brittany Lancellotti See resulting products here |
Completed project: Acidification, recovery and the effects on soil organic carbon at Sleepers River, VT |
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In this combined laboratory and field study to investigate how environmental change (i.e. recovery from acid rain) impacts the stability of soil aggregates and their capacity to sequester carbon (C). We specifically investigate how changes in soil solution chemistry impact the stability of soil aggregates and the capture or release of associated carbon using Sleepers River Watershed as test bed. Sleepers River in Daneville, VT has been heavily impacted by acidification due to wet and dry deposition but is currently recovering from these effects.
Funding: VTSGC Graduate Research Fellowship Competition: 2017/2018. “Soil Aggregates: What role do they play in the generation of dissolved organic carbon?”. Lead-PI: Julia Perdrial Collaborators: Jamie Shanley, (USGS, collaborator) Project contact: Malayika Cincotta, Jesse Armfield See resulting products here |
Map of the Sleepers River Watershed (W-9) in Danville, VT (Shanley et al. 2015).
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Completed Project: Weathering in acid impacted environments: the terrestrial and planetary Critical Zone |
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The terrestrial Critical Zone (left) spans from the top of the tree canopy to the actively cycled ground water (Chorover et al. 2007). The martian CZ (right) exhibits similar features, including the presence of an atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere but lacks vegetative cover and its extent is presently undefined.
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In this study we contrast weathering in acid impacted terrestrial systems in the NE and weathering on Mars. The Sleepers River watershed in VT is our test bed for regolith weathering on Earth. The pilot study on martian weathering generates preliminary data due to human presence. Using the concept of the terrestrial Critical Zone, we investigate planetary drivers for weathering on Mars and design analogue experiments that capture conditions on Mars more realistically. Using column experiments, we simulate how atmosphere, aqueous solutions and martian regolith interact during stationary conditions (constant temperature and continuous flow) and during freeze and thaw events. The composition of solution and regolith before and during each experiment is characterized and reactive transport modelling (RTM) is used to assess martian regolith weathering dynamics and rates.
Funding: VT-NASA EPSCoR Faculty Research Awards: 2017/2018. “Expanding the concept of the Critical Zone from Terrestrial to Planetary Systems: What can we learn about weathering on Mars?”. Lead-PI: Julia Perdrial Collaborators: Nicolas Perdrial, (UVM, Co-PI), Liz Rampe (NASA ARES, collaborator). Project contact: Jesse Armfield. |
