THE BREN SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Presents

James W. Kirchner

"Exploring Watersheds by Studying Their Streams"

Hosted by Bren Assistant Professor Christina Tague

Abstract

Streams collect water, solutes, and sediment from their entire catchment area, and thus they act as natural integrators of landscape processes. Patterns of stream flow, stream chemistry, and stream sediment flux can therefore be helpful in understanding physical, chemical, and biological processes at the scale of the whole landscape. In this talk, I will present several examples showing how hydrological and geochemical time series data can be used to measure how watersheds store, mix, and release water to streams. These examples illustrate the close coupling between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and show how streams can be used as a window into landscape processes.

Current Research/Teaching Areas

Watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry

Effects of climate and land use on rates of weathering and erosion

Analysis of environmental data

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