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Research Interests
I am a Ph.D student in the Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UIUC. My research interests include ecosystem ecology, paleoclimatology, and biogeography. I am interested in understanding how ecological patterns are influenced by the dynamic interaction of climate and geomorphology.
Current Research
Recent work in the field of winter ecology demonstrates the importance of snow cover for ecological processes. Anticipated changes in snowfall patterns, and snow cover duration associated with global warming highlight the need to understand how snow cover influences forest ecosystems. The Great Lakes region provides a unique opportunity to examine the long-term influence of snow on forest communities because of the strong gradient in snowfall produced by the occurrence of lake-effect snow. My research utilizes this gradient by combining GIS, paleoclimatic, and paleoecological techniques to assess the influence of lake-effect snow on modern forest communities, the timing of lake-effect snowbelt during the Holocene, and the interactive influence of lake-effect snow and geomorphology on forest communities during the Holocene.
Influence of lake-effect snow on modern forest communities
I am assessing the influence of lake-effect snow on the distribution of mesic tree species (e.g. sugar maple) in northern Lower Michigan using GIS and modeling software. I am interested in determining the importance of lake-effect snow as a predictor of the distribution of mesic taxa, relative to other variables such as soil texture and landform.
Lake-effect snowbelt development during the Holocene
A better understanding of past changes in lake-effect snow is key for anticipating future snowfall patterns in the Great Lakes region. I am reconstructing changes in regional climate and lake-effect snowfall during the Holocene on the basis of oxygen isotopes preserved in lake sediments.
Interactive influence of lake-effect snow and geomorphology on forest communities during the Holocene
The long-term influence of changing snowfall patterns on forest communities remains poorly constrained. A further complication is the variable response to climatic change by forest communities developing on different landform and soil types. I am comparing pollen and oxygen-isotope profiles preserved in sediments from four lakes. Two lakes are situated within, and two lakes outside of the lake-effect snowbelt. One lake in each climatic regime is situated on till and the other on outwash. Thus the four lakes are juxtaposed such that the effects of lake-effect snow and glacial landform can be evaluated.
 
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