When ocean waves break in strong winds, they release showers of spray droplets into the air. The droplets transfer heat, moisture and momentum to the air, but the effects of these transfers on large-scale storm systems (such as hurricanes) are difficult to predict because the processes involved are very complex. I am adding sea spray physics to numerical models of hurricanes and using these simulations to explore the effects of sea spray on the structure and evolution of these storms.

I study ways to improve the way we estimate population changes in fisheries. We do well using observations from scientific surveys, but can we include information from commercial fishermen to do better? The methods I develop account for the fact that, among other things, fishermen only fish where they will catch fish. Monitoring population change is one key piece to managing fisheries sustainably. Having lived in Alaska, I know how important fisheries can be for people and communities, and I am driven to pass sustainably managed fisheries on to the next generation, including my daughter.

I am broadly interested in resource management and using quantitative analysis to improve the governance of natural systems. My current research is focused on recreational fisheries in Wisconsin. I’m using angler survey data to develop a model that assesses the drivers of fishing effort in the state’s walleye fishery. My aim is to improve managers’ understanding of how lake attributes like stock abundance or distance from population centers affect effort in this fishery. This research will ideally aid agencies like the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in making management decisions – e.g., setting lake-specific catch limits – especially for lakes that are not routinely surveyed.

I study the impacts of air pollution on wild birds. I am especially interested in how birds respond to smoke pollution from wildfires. Currently, I am using citizen science to determine how smoke events affect observations of birds and using bioacoustics recorders to monitor birds before, during, and after wildfires and prescribed burns to learn more about how smoke exposure affects bird activity. I am also coordinating a community science program tracking the impact of social distancing on birds in the Pacific Northwest.

Most of the world’s population lives near a coastline, but the shape of many coastlines are changing rapidly as climate change and other human impacts cause beaches to erode and estuaries to fill up with sediment. By figuring out how coastlines formed in the past and observing how their shapes are changing today, I can predict how their shapes will continue to change in the future. To do so, I analyze mud and sand that were deposited on coastlines hundreds to thousands of years ago, using techniques like radio-isotopic dating, and I track modern sediment as it transits down rivers and along coastlines.

Glaciologists are still trying to figure out exactly which factors have been causing glacier retreat in Greenland, and how that will influence their future changes. I use satellite images of glaciers in Greenland to track how their fronts change over time. I study both their seasonal variability and their long-term trends, and I use that to try to determine which climate factors (such as air temperature or ocean temperature) they respond to the most strongly.

I am an Iñupiaq Inuit conservation biologist focusing on the theory and practice of conserving lands, waters, and species in Arctic Indigenous homelands. I challenge the colonial legacy of conservation by engaging projects and assessments through partnerships with Indigenous methodologies, knowledge, and governance to develop culturally-relevant and ethically-conscious conservation efforts that support Indigenous Peoples’ ability to shape research, management, and the actualization of new protected areas. My field research encompasses all eight of the Arctic countries, and I currently live full-time in Nuuk, Greenland.

I study the effect of ocean acidification on multiple generations of Pacific and Eastern oysters, two species crucial for shellfish aquaculture. When oysters are exposed to the stress of ocean acidification, it can affect how their offspring respond to the same stressors. In hatchery experiments, I expose adult oysters to ocean acidification conditions, then see if parental exposure makes offspring more or less robust. Using “-omic ” techniques to investigate changes to oyster DNA, I discern if ocean acidification affects molecular functions in adult oysters and offspring. This will allow me to discern if oysters not only have the tools they need to fare well in future ocean conditions, but also if they can use them effectively.