Forest insect outbreak dynamics are changing rapidly in response to climate warming. Altered outbreak patterns in response to warming temperatures have been reported for many species; however, the patterns are not consistent. Using historical aerial detection survey data (1960-2019), I am quantifying how the spatial and temporal dynamics of bark beetle and defoliator outbreaks have changed. Through intensive field sampling across the Washington Cascade Mountain Range, I am also measuring how climate and natural enemy communities influence the population dynamics of Douglas-fir beetle and western spruce budworm, which show a greater propensity for outbreaks east of the Cascades. Through this research, I hope to provide a better understanding of how climate warming affects insect population dynamics to facilitate the development of proactive management strategies that mitigate the impacts of landscape-level outbreaks.

My current research focuses on quantifying changes of “firn aquifers” (which retain liquid meltwater within the upper part of a glacier) across the southeast Greenland Ice Sheet in response to recent atmospheric warming. I use data from ice-penetrating radar (which can be used to image the internal layers and structure of glaciers) from NASA’s Operation IceBridge aerogeophysical mission to determine changes in the firn-aquifer extent and volume during recent years. I hope to answer how the firn aquifers in southeast Greenland respond to recent high-melt years and whether these firn aquifers are expanding over the last several decades. Answering these questions will become even more critical in quantifying and predicting the mass change of the Greenland Ice Sheet and its contribution to future sea-level rise.

The growth, melt and movement of sea ice in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica exert a strong control on the circulation and properties of the global ocean, as well as the earth’s climate system. My research combines satellite data with ocean measurements collected beneath sea ice by Argo profiling floats and instrumented seals to fill in holes in our understanding of ice-ocean interactions. This work builds on my previous research, which used similar techniques to examine the causes and impacts of literal holes that form in the Antarctic sea ice, known as open-ocean polynyas.

After working with colleagues to monitor artificial floating wetlands placed in Seattle’s lower Duwamish River, we are now using that experience as a case study to inform a report on the efficacy and feasibility of novel techniques for ecosystem restoration, as well as policy ideas that could foster environmental and community well-being. I am also part of a team investigating changes in gene expression when eelgrass, a habitat-forming marine plant, is exposed to a disease that could threaten eelgrass meadows.

My scholarship is motivated by environmental equity and climate resilience. I study the effects of patterns and processes in environmental systems to increase understanding of changes in the distribution and composition of species and habitat. My work characterizes the natural wood regime, fish and habitat associations of Pacific salmonids (Chinook and coho), and the habitat mosaic in a coastal river in Oregon. I participate in community-based work that examines knowledge production and place-based science to enhance research frameworks that analyze environmental systems and optimal pathways for management and planning.

My research focuses on carnivore community dynamics while considering the increasing influence of people in ecological systems. For my dissertation, I am studying wolves and cougars (also known as mountain lions) in Washington as wolves naturally recolonize the state. My work seeks to understand if wolves are going to affect how cougars use the landscape, or where cougars hunt their prey, and ultimately how the presence of two top predators affects deer and elk in Washington. A large part of this work is considering how heavy anthropogenic influences, such as roads and developed land, alter the wolf-cougar dynamic.

I work on developing and improving mathematical models, called size-structured models, used to manage crab and lobster fisheries. Most fisheries use age-based models; however, crabs and lobsters are difficult to age, therefore size-based models are used. All models have assumptions that limit the model’s ability to mirror reality. The goal of my work is to improve upon these assumptions so that models more accurately resemble reality. For example, one of my chapters focuses on crab growth. Current models assume that all crabs follow a single growth curve, which is not realistic. I am developing a method that allows all crabs to follow their own curve. This improvement will help fisheries managers know how many crabs are in the ocean and what size they are, which allows them to develop a more sustainable fishery.

I use theoretical models of the land surface to understand continental climate change. Climate change is affecting places where people live, grow crops and work; it’s extremely important to understand the physical processes responsible for these meaningful changes. In my research, I try to understand where disruptive events like heat waves and droughts come from, how plants help keep the land surface cool, and how the interaction between the land surface and the atmosphere shapes the climate that we experience.