Research

Modeling the Impact of Constructed Wetlands on Water Quality at the Watershed Scale:

View my Poster from the 2023 American Ecological Engineering Society Meeting

The primary goal of this EPA-funded project is to determine the area of constructed
wetlands needed to significantly reduce pollutant loads (TN, TP, and sediment) in a 303(d)-listed North Dakota watersheds. This determination will be made via the modeling applications SWAT and PTMApp, both of which operate within ArcGIS to simulate the flows of water, nutrients, and sediments.

Two engineering PhD students will work to modify, run, calibrate, and validate the SWAT models. My role is to run PTMApp analyses and to provide details relevant to the design, placement, and expected performance of wetlands. I will be evaluating the ecological and economic implications of the model outputs with a focus on ecosystem services.

Recycling Nutrient Pollution via Cattail Bioproducts:

View My Poster from the 2023 Society of Wetland Scientists Conference

Typha spp. is an extremely productive wetland plant that forms dense monocultures, most notably in wetlands with high nutrient-loading. Even native species of this plant can be highly invasive, and land-managers typically control invasions via herbicide application. The plants then decompose, returning stored nutrients to downstream waters and perpetuating the eutrophication that facilitates their spread.

Harvesting Typha would remove sequestered nutrients and carbon from wetlands, prevent herbicide application, and yield an incredible amount of biomass. However, this management technique is rarely applied due to the difficulty of harvesting in a wetland environment as well as the absence of a viable market for cattail biomass.

My goal is to explore the suitability of cattail biomass as a soilless potting medium. If successful, a cattail potting medium would not only help to recycle nutrient pollution, but could potentially discourage the use of sphagnum peat moss, a product with negative repercussions for wetlands and the global climate.