Hydro-Biogeochemistry Lab
Integrating Hydrology and Biogeochemistry to Trace Nitrogen from Soils to Rivers to the Atmosphere
Nitrogen sustains agricultural productivity, but much of it escapes to water and air, degrading water quality and producing nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Our research resolves how hydrological and biogeochemical processes interact to control the transport and transformation of reactive nitrogen, and how climate, soil and landscape properties, and human activities shape those interactions.
We combine field observations, laboratory experiments, and modeling, and we specialize in stable isotope techniques that trace water, nitrate, and nitrous oxide together to reveal their sources, pathways, and fates. Our work spans scales from soil profiles and tile-drained fields to watersheds, river networks, and the U.S. Corn Belt.
Beyond advancing fundamental understanding, our work informs strategies to reduce nitrogen loss from agricultural systems, from fertilizer and tillage management that accounts for soil physical conditions to more accurate models and greenhouse gas inventories.
Our research is organized around three themes (see [Research] to learn more):
- Reactive transport in lowland watersheds: how flow paths are manifested in water age and control nitrogen cycling and export
- Nitrogen loss from intensively managed cropland: isotope fingerprints of nitrogen loss and the role of soil physical conditions
- Indirect stream nitrous oxide emissions: how hydrologic connectivity delivers N2O from fields to rivers and the atmosphere
We welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students, postdocs, and collaborators. See [Opportunities] to learn more, and visit our [Isotope Facility] for analytical capacities.