My research examines the linkages between water, energy, and carbon fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. A major component of my research program quantifies the impacts of droughts and wildfires on terrestrial ecosystem function. I utilize a variety of techniques, including remote sensing, eddy covariance, and ecological modeling.
Plant Drought Stress
Plants are adapted to the environmental conditions in which they grow, and shifts in water and energy availability can cause widespread stress and mortality in forest ecosystems. I am using multispectral, hyperspectral, and thermal remote sensing to monitor physiological responses to drought stress at canopy to landscape scales.
Wildfire Resilience
Drought stress can increase forest flammability before a fire, and it can decrease fecundity and seedling survival after a fire. My research combines field surveys and process-based modeling to examine how the interaction between wildfires and droughts will affect forest structure and resilience under future climate scenarios.
Plant Carbon Cycling
The amount of water and energy that is available to plants directly regulates the rate of carbon uptake via photosynthesis. My research combines eddy covariance and process-based modeling to analyze how shifts in water and energy fluxes affect carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.
Habitat Degradation
Plant communities serve as important habitat for animal species, and vegetation stress and mortality can cause habitat degradation that leads to decline in animal populations. My work combines remote sensing and bird survey data to understand how sensitive bird populations respond to vegetation change.
