Research

Our research is broad-based, both in topic and methodology. We work on advancing understanding of physical processes related to hydrology and hydraulics, we develop new experimental methods, and we consider how our water environment changes with changing climate. We are always looking for curious and capable people to join our team.

A complete look at our work is provided by our publications.  Below are some details on representative current projects.

---

Community Snow Observations - Crowdsourcing Snow Depth Data
Funding: NASA
In this study, a three-institution team (OSU, UW, Alaska DGGS) is building a network of citizen scientists who measure snow depth and submit data for assimilation into numerical models of snow processes. Visit communitysnowobs.org to learn more and to get involved.

---

Climate Change Impacts on Gulf of Alaska Runoff
Funding: North Pacific Research Board / Oil Spill Recovery Institute
Coastal Alaska is dominated by dramatic watersheds containing enormous amounts of ice and seasonal snow. In a long-term project, we model the present and future hydrology of this region, considering changes to glacier cover, evapotranspiration and other processes. In the figure below (a) is the present seasonal hydrograph for the GOA drainiage, (b) is the 2070-2100 RCP4.5 scenario and (c) is the 2070-2100 RCP8.5 scenario.

---

Emulation for Rapid Coastal Modeling
Funding: Oregon Sea Grant
Dynamic modeling of complex coastal areas is computationally very demanding. In this body of work, we develop computationally efficient 'emulator' methods that replace the dynamic model with a (trained) statistical model. This approach allows to rapidly carry our large ensembles of model runs for the purposes of uncertainty estimates or future climate change scenarios. The conceptual graphic below illustrates the key steps in our approach.