My research focusses on dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization in northern lakes to determine the impacts of climate change on water quality. Increased DOM concentrations from a variety of sources can lead to lake browning of inland waters, release of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere, and storage of carbon in sediments. Overall, this changes the physical and chemical properties of water, altering aquatic ecosystems, and causing decreased species diversity.
During my undergrad, I completed a thesis on the effects of winter pulsed warming and snowmelt on nitrogen cycling in an agroecosystem. This study used lysimeter systems to study the nitrogen leaching and nitrous oxide fluxes in agricultural soils and how they are impacted by winter warming pulses and freeze-thaw cycling.