Author Archives: jkemper

The Earth & Planetary Surface Processes section of the American Geophyiscal Union seeks to “highlight exciting new science coming from students and postdocs” and this month’s researcher is our very own Emily Iskin. Her research – which you can read about in her EPSP Spotlight and on her personal page – focuses on investigating the natural patterns of floodplain heterogeneity in various rivers across the US.

Congrats Emily on this well deserved recognition!

Sarah’s dissertation title is “Monitoring heterogeneity and carbon sequestration of restored river-wetland corridors” and John’s is “Process linkages in large watersheds: Connecting tributary erosion to downstream channel change and floodplain forest establishment in the Yampa and Green River Basin.” Congratulations, Doctors!

Rich’s dissertation investigated the locations and impacts of artificial levees in the United States. To do so, Rich developed a novel method for detecting artificial levees at the scale of the entire country; his research results both substantially expand the database of artificial levees in the US and highlight their impacts on the form, function, and ecosystems of American rivers.

Congratulations Rich!!!!!

Both Mickey and Sarah received a scholarship for their research proposals concerning their ongoing work in Colorado watersheds. Mickey’s research focuses on examining geomorphic controls and the influence of sediment and wood fluxes on fish ecology and recovery in a post-fire environment in Little Beaver Creek, Colorado. Sarah’s research centers around investigating sediment deposition in various mountain lakes and reservoirs throughout the Colorado Front Range.

Congrats Mickey and Sarah!!!

Celeste’s research focuses on linking flow and sediment dynamics to stream channel response following invasive vegetation removal in order to quantify the magnitude of landscape change and inform management of post-removal channel behavior. Celeste was chosen based not only upon her research, but also because of her passion for riparian conservation and dedication to preserving vital riparian landscapes.

Juli’s research focuses on understanding sediment dynamics in ephemeral streams. She will use the grant to calculate residence times of sediment in floodplains using optically stimulated luminescence with the goal of determining the influence of disturbance frequency on geomorphic heterogeneity.

Sarah’s research focuses on developing monitoring strategies and investigating carbon sequestration potential in Stage 0 stream restoration projects in Colorado and Oregon. Juli’s research investigates sediment storage and floodplain function in desert ephemeral streams in the Southwest. Christoph’s research focuses on post-glacial alluvial dynamics in the South Fork Cache la Poudre River valley at CSU’s Mountain Campus. Congrats Sarah, Juli and Christoph!

Celeste was recognized for her research proposal that focuses on linking flow and sediment dynamics to stream channel response following invasive vegetation removal to quantify the magnitude of landscape change and inform management of post-removal channel behavior. The Mackin award is a longstanding award given by the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Divison of GSA to an outstanding PhD student on the basis of a submitted research proposal. Congrats Celeste!

John received the award for his research proposal Sediment-ecological connectivity: exploring the links between tributary erosion and floodplain forest establishment in a large river basin. John’s research will use the chemical composition of tributary source sediment and downstream floodplain sink sediment to determine the contributions of each tributary watershed to the downstream floodplain sediments that support cottonwood gallery forest.

Presented remotely due to the current Covid-19 situation, Julia, Zach, and Emily all successfully and exceptionally defended their respective theses. Titles are listed below:

• Julia Grabowksi (Advisor: Wohl) – Logjam attenuation of annual sediment waves in eolian-fluvial environments, North Park, Colorado
• Zach Kornse (Advisor: Wohl) – Potential for beaver-related restoration in northern Colorado
• Emily Iskin (Advisor: Wohl) – The Fabric of Wood: Patterns and Processes of River and Floodplain Large Wood on the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

Congratulations to Julia, Zach, and Emily!