Research

Please note that I am no longer recruiting graduate students or post docs.

Fluid flow processes at subduction zones

My research combines field work, laboratory work, and numerical modeling to investigate the interrelationship of fluid flow and deformation in subduction zones. Much of the work has been with the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), including drilling legs to investigate the Oregon, Barbados, Nankai, Costa Rica and Hikurangi (New Zealand) subduction zones.

Surface water and groundwater exchange

We have been working at understanding  the interaction between streams and groundwater. At O’leno State Park in north central Florida, the Santa Fe River enters a sinkhole, and re-emerges at the River Rise, ~ 5 km away. Our research has used temperature to trace the underground path of the water and water budgets to estimate the amount of dissolution, the variations of diffuse recharge and its role in dissolution. Sampling of wells and chemical analyses have helped to distinguish water sources, including finding contributions from deeper within the aquifer system. Flooding along the Suwannee River affects springs. As water levels in the Suwannee River rise faster than the surrounding water table, river water flows backwards into the springs, affecting water quality and perhaps helping to dissolve the cave systems.