On 7/14/2023 I left West Virginia University to join the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station as a Research Geomorphologist. Given my new job, I will not be routinely taking on new graduate students except through collaborations with university PIs. I remain happy to collaborate with anyone to whom I might be of help.
New paper on terrain metrics for predictive mapping/modeling
If you like DEMs, you won’t want to miss this thorough yet accessible review led by my WVU colleague and GIS wizard Aaron Maxwell. We discuss best practices for selection and use of terrain metrics in mapping and predictive modelling tasks, with a focus on gaining insight into geomorphic processes.
Review paper out now in Earth-Sci Reviews
Take a look at our new invited review on how boulders influence landscape evolution, out now in Earth-Science Reviews. We try to synthesize recent progress on this problem and point out directions for fruitful future research. Thanks to coauthors Jens Turowski, Ron Nativ, Rachel Glade, Georgie Bennett, and Bene Dini!
New paper: projections of erosion
If you’ve got buried hazardous waste, you want to be able to predict how quickly the land surface will lower. We’re now one step closer thanks to Katy Barnhart; check out the latest in JGR: Earth Surface!
New paper out in GSA Bulletin
Find it here! If some rock units deliver large boulders to rivers through landsliding, but other rock units don’t, does this leave a meaningful imprint on the shape of the landscape? We mapped 1,833 boulders, analyzed topography and landslide inventories, and applied a simple numerical model to understand how lithologically controlled boulder delivery influences landscape response to tectonics. This data-intensive undertaking was only possible thanks to fantastic collaborators Georgie Bennett, Greg Tucker, Kevin Roback, Scott Miller, and Josh Roering!
I’m moving (and recruiting)!
I am thrilled to report that in January 2021 I’ll be joining the Department of Geology and Geography at West Virginia University as an assistant professor.
I’m looking for graduate students to apply this coming fall/winter and start at WVU in Fall 2021. WVU offers MS and PhD Geology degrees in a large, research-intensive department. There’s a great group of faculty with research interests that touch on surface processes, and a great group of friendly and motivated grad students.
Please see this page and/or email me directly for more information!
New piece in Scientific American
“Can Rivers Cause Earthquakes?” just came out on the Scientific American Observations blog. It talks about how rivers might trigger earthquakes by removing trillions of tons of rock from Earth’s crust. The piece was inspired by a recent paper on the subject by Sean Gallen and Ryan Thigpen (GRL 2018).
Dates and times for my AGU presentations
I’m excited to head to the AGU annual meeting in Washington, D.C. next week. I’ll be giving an invited talk on Tuesday morning as well as a poster, which is unfortunately also on Tuesday morning. Times, locations, and sessions are below:
Talk:
Title: Variable Thresholds in Rivers: Causes and Effects
Paper Number: EP22A-04
Tuesday, 11 December 2018; 11:05 – 11:20
Session EP22A: The Role and Relevance of Thresholds, Event Variability, and Disturbances Across Landscapes II
Location: Convention Ctr; 147A
Poster:
Title: Chaotic Chasms: Canyon Evolution Governed by Autogenic Channel-Hillslope Feedbacks
Paper Number: EP21D-0564
Tuesday, 11 December 2018; 08:00 – 12:20
Session EP21D: Sediment Dynamics Across Landscapes Posters
Location: Poster Hall