Research

We study physical and chemical mass fluxes across Earth’s Surface.
Current research directions include:

Earth’s carbon cycle from source to sink

The erosion of mountains and the transport of sediments exposes fresh rock to Earth’s surface. When these rocks weather, they can alter atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The weathering of these rocks and sediment is controlled by an interplay of tectonic, climatic, biologic, and geomorphic factors. How can we understand this interplay from local to global scales?

Using water chemistry across erosion-rate gradients in Taiwan, New Zealand, and Sichuan, we study the links between erosion and weathering.

During field work in Taiwan, we witnessed a 20-year storm with 1.3m of rain in three days. We documented changes in the chemistry of the rivers across the storm.

Erosion also moves carbon in the form of organic matter. Here, we study the impact of the extreme erosion event during the Ahr-Valley Flood in Germany in 2021 on carbon mobilization.

Landslides are extreme erosion events that suddenly expose large masses of rock to weathering, and they mobilize soils and organic carbon. What is the impact of landslides on the carbon cycle?

Fluvial processes and morphologies

Rivers move over 15 billion tons of sediment and about one billion tons of dissolved solutes per year across Earth’s continents. These fluxes shape landscapes, generate sedimentary archives, and modulate Earth’s climate. How do rivers respond to climatic and tectonic changes? Can we use fluvial archives to reconstruct environments of the past?

Rivers move back and forth across floodplains. How fast do they rework sediment and what are the timescales of sediment storage?

Rivers carve valleys across growing topography. Can we use valley morphologies as recorders of tectonics and climate?