My Research
My current research examines biogeochemical transformations at the land/ocean margin and at the sediment/water interface. My methods include using sediment bioreactors and in situ sampling alongside frequentist and Bayesian modeling approaches to monitor spatial and temporal environmental change. As a biogeochemist, my role is to investigate what is happening on a molecular level and translate the potential impacts at the ecosystem scale.
TraCing Terrestrial ORganic Matter
I collaborated as part an NSF RAPID project to investigate the sources and transport of terrestrial organic matter along a mountains-to-ocean transect following periods of drought and winter storm events. Read more about our findings here.
Sediments as a Source of Nutrients
I use nearshore marine sediments collected in the Santa Barbara Channel to investigate their potential to contribute nutrients to the overlying water column.
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Consumer-Derived Nutrients
I participated in projects designed to measure the excretion rates of various consumers, including beach hoppers (pictured above), and the impacts of this nutrient subsidy on the surrounding marine and terrestrial communities. Read more about our findings here.
Responses to Extreme WEather
Following the Thomas Fire and the resulting Montecito debris flow, I am analyzing the composition and transport of pyrogenic material and terrestrial debris deposited on a local beach.
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Algal Nutritional content
I collaborated with Santa Barbara Coastal LTER researchers to examine decadal changes in giant kelp tissue nutritional content in relationship to changing seawater temperatures and oceanographic indices. Read more about our findings here.
Modeling Stream Metabolism
In collaboration with researchers at the Universities of Wyoming and Montana, as well as the USGS, I am modeling stream metabolism and how it responds to disturbance.
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