Current Students

Ryan Adams,
Ph. D. Student

Research interests/activities

My research interest is currently in the field of mercury biogeochemical cycling. Recently I have studied factors that influence mercury partitioning and accumulation in lower aquatic food webs. I am presently investigating mercury transport and transformations in the Seneca, Oneida and Oswego Rivers. In collaboration with the Upstate Freshwater Institute, we plan to monitor aqueous total and methylmercury, dissolved gaseous mercury formation and elemental mercury evasion in an anthropogenically altered river system. Papers and biographic information.

Youngil Cho,
Ph. D. Student

Research interests/activities

My current research is part of an interdisciplinary initiative examining the role of calcium supply in the structure and function of base-poor northern forests in New Hampshire. I have been investigating the response of a watershed ecosystem at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) to an experimental manipulation of the supply of calcium by the addition of a readily-weatherable calcium-silicate mineral, wollastonite. This study includes the long-term response of soil water and stream water chemistry in watershed 1 at the HBEF to the changes in Ca2+ availability and consequent changes in pH, acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), cations, anions, H4SiO4, NH4+, total nitrogen (TN), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). I have also studied the effects of soil properties and the changes of spatial patterns on the Ca application, measuring exchangeable acidity, exchangeable cations, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and base saturation (BS), and using geostatistical models. My research interests are the area of environmental chemistry and biogeochemistry, soil chemistry, hydrology, and environmental geostatistical modeling. Biographic information.

Jason Dittman ,
Ph. D. Student

Research interests/activities

My current research interests involve studying the response of yellow perch in Adirondack Lakes to decreases in atmospheric deposition of mercury and strong acids. In addition, I am also working at three sites in the Northeast (NY, VT, & NH) studying mercury flux in relation to DOC quality in streams during high flow events. I have also been involved with the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest studying temporal and spatial patterns in nitrogen and DOC flux in drainage waters. Papers and biographic information.

Stephanie Gindlesperger,
Undergraduate Student, Senior

Research interests/activities

My current research interest is mercury cycling in Onondaga Lake, NY. I am working on a project that examines seasonal and temporal patterns in the deposition of mercury to lake sediments through the collection and analysis of sediment traps deployed over a span of 13 years. I also have been involved with the Hubbard Brook project where I analyze stream water and soil solutions for various water chemistry parameters. Papers and biographic information.

Colin Fuss ,
Lab Technician and M.S. Student

Research interests/activities

My current research is part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study and I am involved in the long-term monitoring of the chemistry of drainage waters (soil solution, groundwater, and stream water). The current focus of this project is the continued monitoring of the biogeochemical reference watershed (W6) and the effects of treatment in the calcium addition watershed (W1). For my thesis research I am interested in iron biogeochemistry at Hubbard Brook. I am using a mass balance approach to study the cycling of iron through the forest ecosystem and drainage waters as well as its distribution between oxidized and reduced species. Papers and biographic information.

Afshin Pourmokhtarian ,
Ph. D. Student

Research interests/activities

My current research interest focuses on the climate change modeling. I am using fully integrated biogeochemical model (PnET-BGC) to evaluate the effects of climate change in the Northeastern U.S. I am currently running the model (Ver. 0.9.2.4) for five watersheds including Hubbard Brook, Biscuit Brook, Huntington Forest, Sleeper River and Cone pond in order to study the soil and surface water responses to different climate change scenarios to the end of 21st. century. I am planning to develop the current model from single layer to multi-layer soil. Papers and biographic information.

Amy Sauer,
Ph.D. Student

Research interests/activities

My current research focuses on the production and transfer of methylmercury through terrestrial food webs across the northeastern landscape. Using selected vertebrate and invertebrate prey species, I will examine and compare patterns of methylmercury bioaccumulation within both northern hardwood forests and sphagnum bog habitats in the Adirondack Park of New York State. Additional data collected from long-term, ecological research sites in the northeastern United States will be utilized to determine the relationships between mercury deposition and regional patterns of environmental health. Papers and biographic information.

Svetoslava Todorova,
Ph.D. Student

Research interests/activities

The current focus of my research is processes controlling ionic mercury methylation and methyl mercury demethylation in freshwater aquatic ecosystems. The project is part of the remediation efforts undertaken to mitigate methyl mercury production in Onondaga Lake, NY. My work also involves evaluation of the response of fish and plankton in the lake as a result of changes in mercury load and recent water quality improvements. I will also study the organiational structure and interactions among entities involved in the decision-making remediation process. Papers and Biographic information.

Syracuse University
151 Link Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244
(315) 443-3434 (phone)
(315) 443-1243 (fax)
ctdrisco@syr.edu