Participating Faculty:

Sherilyn Fritz Areas of Research: Paleohydrology, Limnology
Sheri Fritz and her students work on modern and ancient lakes to understand both contemporary ecosystem processes and the history of landscapes and climate during the Quaternary. Current students are working on patterns of aquatic ecosystem development following deglaciation in Yellowstone National Park and on diatom evolution in large tropical lakes (Titicaca and Malawi). Other active projects in the Fritz lab include investigations of long-term environmental history in the Amazon Basin, the history of the Asian monsoon based on sediment cores from Thai lakes, and reconstructing drought history in the Great Plains.

John Gates Areas of Research: Hydrogeochemistry, Tracers
John Gates investigates interconnected processes of water cycling and water chemistry in groundwater and the unsaturated zone. His research group applies geochemical, isotopic and physical approaches to a wide range of topics including aquifer recharge, paleohydrology, agricultural hydrochemical cycles, and groundwater/lake interaction. Much of his work has a geographic focus on the U.S. High Plains region and Northern China.

Richard Kettler Areas of Research: Organic Geochemistry

Darryll Pederson Areas of Research: Hydrogeology, Fluvial Geomorphology
Darryll Pederson's research interest lie at the intersection between groundwater processes and landscape development. He is currently investigating the concept of dynamic equilibrium between stream drainage network density and groundwater flow, and applying this approach to diverse settings including the Cascades region and Mars using modeling, GIS and remote sensing. He is also continuing his work on Kauai regarding the effect of groundwater flow on development of the landscape.

Karrie Weber Areas of Research: Geomicrobiology, Aquatic Biogeochemistry

Vitaly Zlotnik Areas of Research: Physical Hydrogeology, Groundwater-surface water interactions, Hydrogeophysics
Vitaly Zlotnik studies flow and transport processes in various formations and their links to the applied problems. These problems include effects of irrigation on stream runoff, salinity variations in lakes, methods of aquifer characterization at various scales, and contaminant remediation. Current students are working on mechanisms controlling lake salinity in the Nebraska Sand Hills and stream depletion in the Platte River and Republican River watersheds. Recent projects included colleagues in the U.S., Australia, Germany, Denmark, and Taiwan.