My research involves studying the hydrologic processes and moisture dynamics in areas of discontinuous permafrost. I am also interested in studying how disturbances, such as wildfire, affect these processes.
Permafrost plays an important role in the hydrology of sub-arctic watersheds.
Water movement at sub-zero temperatures distinugishes permafrost hydrology. The arctic winter effects substantial changes in the spatial distribution and density of soil components. The winter's great length ensures that these changes are important components of active layer dynamics. In particular, the soil solution chemistry can reflect changes in phase density via transport and exclusion of dissolved species during freezing and through changes in pH and redox potential. Changes in the soil water phase density can be observed via their effect on hydrological, thermodynamic and chemical properties of the soil.