Research

My research investigates the resilience of wetland ecosystems to both climate change and disturbance regimes, as well as the roles these ecosystems can play as natural climate solutions.

I like to use a multi-scale approach, combining both field research and laboratory analysis with remote sensing and modelling approaches to better constrain spatio-temporal dynamics of wetland ecosystems.

With my work, I aim to contribute to a better understanding of the complex feedbacks between ecosystem resilience and disturbance regimes under a rapidly changing climate.

Research themes:

I am interested in the vulnerability and resilience of peatland ecosystems to the impacts of wildfire. This includes vegetation dynamics following wildfire and post-fire biogeochemical cycling and carbon fluxes.

Image Caption: A) A natural, undisturbed peatland containing environmental conditions suitable for CH₄ production and emissions such as high water tables, suitable substrate conditions, vegetation communities and anoxic, belowground conditions and B) the hypothetical reduction in CH₄ production and emissions following wildfire through reduction in methanogenic community and substrate availability.

Similarly, I am interested in how peatland ecosystems function following disturbance following human activities, including drainage, resource extraction and forestry practices. This includes looking at soil characteristics, vegetation community dynamics and carbon fluxes.

Image Caption: Infographic created by Fuse Consulting Ltd about our study looking at the impact of linear disturbances known as seismic lines on soil physical and chemical characteristics.

I am really interested in how we can use our understanding of ecosystem functions at the plot scale and scale them up to the landscape scale. This work includes looking at mapping vegetation communities at large scales, upscaling greenhouse gas emissions and improving our understanding of wetland vegetation phenological characteristics to improve earth system and climate models.

Image Caption: Illustration of the multi-scale approach I like to use in my research to gain a better understanding of ecosystem functions 1) plot scale and microbial measurements of CH₄ production and emissions, 2) mapping of vegetation communities using unpiloted aerial vehicles at the site scale and 3) upscaling plot scale findings to the landscape scale using remote sensing.