Current Research
As a Senior Aquatic Technician at the University of Wyoming I am a part of the larger Wyoming Anticipating Climate Transitions (WY-ACT) project. My role will primarily involve utilizing water quality sensors to monitor surface water characteristics and ecosystem productivity in lakes and reservoirs of western Wyoming. Stay tuned for updates along the way!
Past Research
Drivers of Ecosystem Metabolism Across an Urban Stream Network
MS Biology, Idaho State University, 2022
I conducted my M.S. research at Idaho State University under Dr.'s Rebecca Hale and Colden Baxter and in partnership with the City of Pocatello. The bulk of my research was aimed at understanding the rates and drivers of ecosystem metabolism (photosynthesis and respiration) across a physically variable urban stream and canal network. We were specifically interested in estimating the rates of photosynthesis and respiration in a degraded urban stream ecosystem and human-made agricultural canal and investigating how contrasting, longitudinally connected ecosystems may interact to structure these metabolic rates. We measured low rates of photosynthesis and respiration in the mainstem stream and high rates in the canal. Interestingly, we found that inputs of water from the canal that only occurred during the growing season stimulated respiration in a downstream ecosystem, evidence that inputs from upstream environments can drive asynchronies in mainstem ecosystem function. This is particularly relevant for stream metabolism study, as areas where tributaries interact with mainstem ecosystems are often avoided due to methodological constraints.
My work with the City of Pocatello also involved quantifying fluxes of salt, sediment, and nutrient pollutants from the greater Pocatello Creek watershed. Pocatello Creek is a tributary of the regionally important Portneuf and Snake Rivers, and we identified sources of pollutant loads to these downstream ecosystems. Ultimately, this work will aid the City of Pocatello in managing pollutant loads across the city.
For more information on this work, refer to my M.S. thesis here. Journal publication in prep!
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Fast Limnological Automated Measurements (FLAMe) and Cascade
Summer 2017-Summer 2020
The Fast Limnological Automated Measurements (FLAMe) system is a water chemistry sampling platform designed to measure surface water conditions of a lake or river at high speeds. The FLAMe provides a high resolution spatial snapshot of a water body's chemistry, measuring 12 different parameters every second. Working with the Cascade team, I have surveyed >50 different lakes with the FLAMe in order to investigate the spatial heterogeneity of water chemistry in north temperate lakes. Our current goal is to use changes in spatial variability of chlorophyll, phycocyanin, and dissolved oxygen across a lake's surface to predict an impending regime shift to a cyanobacteria-dominated state. Additionally, in the summer of 2020 I assisted in baseline limnological monitoring of study lakes at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC).
Sampling with the FLAMe
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FLAMe Sampling Platform, Boulder Lake, WI, USA
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Sampling on Peter Lake, UNDERC
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Open-Sourced, Cost Effective Water Temperature Sensor Strings
Summer 2019-Summer 2020
Over the past couple summers I have been working on designing and constructing water temperature sensor strings that measure water temperature at multiple depths at high temporal resolution (one measurement per minute). Temperature is a "master variable" in aquatic ecosystems, and while scientists and managers are increasingly interested in high resolution temperature data the environmental sensing technology required to gather it is expensive (>$10,000). Working with NTL-LTER researchers, I built three accurate water temperature sensor strings using entirely open-sourced materials. The material cost to build these temperature strings was ~$230 per string, a significant reduction in cost from commercially available strings. The estimated battery life for each string is 187 days, and I have successfully deployed the temperature strings for a combined 150 days of data collection over the summers of 2019 and 2020.
7 Meter Long Temperature String
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Individual Temperature Sensor Node
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Waterproof Housing For Arduino Datalogger and Wiring
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North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research (NTL-LTER)
2019
As a sensor technician with NTL-LTER, I assisted with the construction, maintenance, and deployment of environmental sensing buoys on several north temperate lakes. These buoys collect high resolution data on atmospheric and water chemistry conditions, contributing to a long term dataset dating back to 1980.
Sensor Buoy Deployment on Trout Bog, WI, USA
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Sensor Buoy on Sparkling Lake, WI, USA
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions From North Temperate Agricultural Streams
2017-2018
Freshwater streams are significant sources of atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and CH4). A variety of factors have been found to drive the greenhouse gas flux in different streams, including nutrients, temperature, hydrology, and geomorphology, among others. These drivers, particularly temperature in north temperate streams, are seasonally variable and little research has characterized greenhouse gas flux in the winter. We measured winter greenhouse gas flux from agricultural streams in Dane County, WI, USA using a portable greenhouse gas analyzer for comparison to previous summer measurements. Additionally, I maintained a stream sensor network and collected water chemistry data from multiple streams as part of a project aimed at characterizing streams based on their metabolism.
Winter GHG Flux Measurement at Black Earth Creek, WI, USA
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Sampling Water Chemistry at Black Earth Creek, WI, USA
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