简介

My research and teaching melds field and laboratory work. My approach entails collection of samples on spatial and temporal scales coupled with analysis using modern analytical techniques to trace natural and anthropogenic geochemical processes. Check out the Environmental Geology portion of our program information on how my programs mesh with other faculty members' interests within the Department of Geological Sciences at Binghamton University. Environmental geochemistry continues to be the theme of my research interests, which involve development and application of methods for recognition of anthropogenic perturbations to natural systems. Present research activities include work coordinated through the Center for Integrated Watershed Studies (CIWS) on projects monitoring ecosystem scale processes within watersheds in urban, rural and mixed land use environments. This work includes collaborative studies with the Upper Susquehanna Coalition to assess the effects of nutrients and trace metals generated in the Southern Tier of New York on ecosystems in the Chesapeake Bay. These projects mesh physical and chemical techniques for monitoring changes in water quality parameters with watershed models. The Chenango and Susquehanna Rivers merge in downtown Binghamton (check out the photo near the welcome message to the Geological Sciences Department website), so the Binghamton area is an ideal place to study the headwater regions of a major river basin! Monitoring studies also take place on campus! Karen Salvage (Geology), Weixing Zhu (Biology) and I recently received NSF funding to establish instrumentation for long term monitoring within the Binghamton University Nature Preserve. This study area is used as a teaching, training and research tool for watershed based studies. Undergraduate and graduate students are performing field studies to characterize the geology and hydrology of the area; selecting, siting, and testing atmosphere and hydrosphere monitoring equipment, and performing ongoing automated and manual data collection and analysis. Check out The Campus Watershed for an overview. Much of my past and present research also involves the development of techniques to trace metal pollution, specifically lead and other metals, to their source(s). Project support from the EPA has allowed for projects that include comparison between types of analytical instrumentation to measure Pb isotope ratios as well as evaluation of ICP-MS methodologies for atmospheric aerosol analysis. Samples for this work involved field studies in several locations. One in the Detroit, Michigan area involved measuring Hg and other trace elements in precipitation, ambient aerosols, dry deposition to surrogate surfaces, runoff from parking lots, and the influent and effluent from sewage treatment plants. Another involved collecting samples in southern Florida to study the importance of urban sources to the atmospheric deposition of trace metals including mercury to the Everglades. ESEM image of sulfate aerosols on teflon filter substrate. The Binghamton area provides many opportunities to work on environmental problems at a local scale that lead to broader scale applications. For example, in the Fall of 2000, several of my graduate students and I began work on a project near Hillcrest. Hillcrest is an area located 10 miles northeast of the Binghamton University campus where a probable childhood cancer cluster is located. We have been assessing the impacts of activities in the area from a geochemical perspective by examining: 1) Hg Emissions - Local versus Regional Sources and Their Impacts 2) Determining the Past Deposition Record and Sources of Heavy Metals using Pond Sediments 3) Determining Present Day Fluxes and Sources of Heavy Metals in Surface Water Runoff Visit the Binghamton Press and Sun Article on Nature Preserve Grant, May 1st, 2000 for more information. The work on this project has lead to further research opportunities with the Defense Logistics Agency at other locations. These watershed, Pb isotope, mercury, and trace metal monitoring studies mesh well with my future plans for work on projects involving source apportionment related to power plant emissions. All of these past and present research efforts have involved multi-disciplinary teams of scientists, a method that I find to be integral and satisfying for solving complex problems.