My research interests focus on the interaction of surface water and ground water within two areas of interest: (1) movement of shallow groundwater in agricultural land use and (2) urban streams’. To address the questions I use hydrological tools to
- measure the physical parameters of the system, including hydraulic conductivity, stream geometry, and stream discharge,
- model the fluid flow and solute flux within aquifer systems to gain an understanding of the controlling factors governing the movement of fluids through the system(s) of interest,
- determine the flow paths of fluids and solute(s).
My research group is currently focusing on three main topics: (1) how saturated riparian buffer zones cycle nitrate and influence shallow groundwater flow; (2) how floating wetlands improve water quality in urban streams; and (3) the transport and fate of chloride.
Student Theses
Lauren Hunt (2004) “A petrophysical and shallow geophysical study to determine pathways gas migration within and above an underground gas storage field in North-Central Illinois.”
Suzanna Moore (2005) “Nitrate transport in the unsaturated zone below agricultural fields.”
Timothy Sickbert (2005) “An examination into physical controls on hyporheic interchange.”
Scott Maguffin (2007) “The hydrogeology effects of variable land use along wolf creek in the Mackinaw River watershed.”
John Woodside (2008) “Examination of the relationship between longitudinal profile and sediment mobility within a fluviokarst stream system.”
Carol Glennon (2008) “Evaluating the role of sinuosity in the removal of nitrate from a third order agricultural stream in central Illinois.”
Vanessa Beach (2008) “The impact of streambed sediment size on hyporheic temperature profiles in a low gradient third-order agricultural stream.”
Lara Harlan (2009) “Expanding the conceptual model for the Carter Caves system, Carter County, Kentucky using GIS.”
Erasmus Oware (2010) “The impact of storm on thermal transport in the hyporheic zone of a low-gradient third-order sand and gravel bedded stream.”
Benjamin Maas (2010) “Investigation of spatial and temporal variations in water quality around Nora, IL.”
Julie Angel (2010) “Characterization and comparison of the geochemistry of Horn Hollow Valley karst waters to other midwestern karst systems”
Hridaya Bastola (2011) “Identifying seasonal changes in streambed thermal profile in a third order agricultural stream using 2D thermal modeling.”
Brianne Jacoby (2011) “Uncovering the speleogenesis of the Carter Cave system in Carter County, KY.”
Jessie Ackerman (2011) “Quantifying nutrient removal from groundwater seepage out of a constructed wetlands receiving wastewater effluent.”
Darren Kimple (2012) “Stratigraphy and porosity modeling of southern central Illinois Chester (Upper Mississippian) series sandstone in PETREL.”
Ryan Doucette (2012) “Thermal patterns of subsurface flow regimes in a mantled karst aquifer NW Arkansas.”
Eric Dieck (2012) “Constraining infiltration rate through an aquitard by modeling the generation of methane gas pockets.”
Randi Liescheidt (2012) “Using the O and H stable isotopes to track sources of water in constructed wetlands.”
Andrew Sergeant (2012) ” Quantifying Sediment Transport in Modified Streams in the Upper Mackinaw River, IL.”
Kelly Hayden (2012) “Seasonal and diurnal variation of nitrate concentrations within the hyporheic zone of a low gradient, third-order stream in central Illinois.”
Laura Hanna (2013) “Dissolved and suspended sediment transport dynamics in two agriculturally dominated watershed, McLean County, Illinois.”
Anas B. Rabie (2014) “Integrating GIS and Hydrology for flood risk analysis.”
Kathryn Schroeder (2014) “Determining the source of anomalous segments in a karst stream.”
Kristen Theesfeld (2014) “Nitrate uptake in central Illinois streams: a comparison along a transient storage gradient.”
Emma Singh Baghel (2015) “Model of Residence Time and Analysis of Nitrogen Removal for Two Constructed Wetlands at the Franklin Demonstration Farm in Lexington, Illinois.”
Eileen Maxwell (2016) “The relationship between wetland water level and groundwater flow patterns: A case study in McLean County, IL, using temperature modeling.”
Jessica Ludwikowski (2016) “The transport and fate of chloride within the groundwater of a mixed urban and agricultural watershed.”
Zachary Kisfalusi (2016) “The effects of tile-drain input on a low-gradient agricultural stream in central Illinois: Using a thermal end member mixing model and a statistical analysis approach.”
Andrew Francis (2017) “Evaluating lithology as an erosional control on a fluviokarst system in northeastern Kentucky.”
Mahawa-Essa Mabossani “Romeo” Akara (2017) “Using seismic refraction to map the water table within a glacial setting in central Illinois.”
Lucas P. Chabela (2017) “Using 3-D modeling to describe the relationship between peak stage, storm duration and bank storage and the implications along along a meandering stream in central Illinois.”
Joseph Miller (2017) “Diurnal and seasonal variation in nitrate-nitrogen concentrations of groundwater in a saturated buffer zone.”
Claire Harris (2018) “Understanding 1-D vertical flux dynamics in a low-gradient stream: An assessment of stage as a control of vertical hyporheic exchange.”
Hannah Wirth (2019) “Surficial geology of the Gibson City West 7.5 minute quadrangle: Champaign, Ford, and McLean counties, Illinois.”
Jacob Piske (2019) “Nitrate concentrations in streams as a function of crop cover in Midwestern agricultural watershed: Assessing the role of corn and soybeans.”
Andrew Watson (2019) “Surficial geology and aquifer sensitivity of the Gibson City East 7.5 minute quadrangle, Ford and Champaign Counties, Illinois.”
Andrew Oberhelman (2019) “Chloride signature and transport in an urban-agricultural watershed.”
Emmett Spooner (2020) “The Role of Floating Gardens to Alter the Water Quality of the Chicago River.”
Patience Bosompemaa (2020) “Nitrate transport in the unsaturated zone.”
Ethan Conley (2021) “Isolating locations of potential episodes of cave collapse and their relationship to cave level development through major river system incisions.”
Eli Schukow (2021) “Total suspended sediment and phosphorus transport in response to storm events in an agriculturally dominated watershed.”
Abigail Heath (2021) “Natural nitrate removal in shallow subsurface stream flows”
Alhassan Sahad (2022) “Using a tracer test to assess the transport and fate of nitrate in a saturated buffer zone”
Jake Riedel (2022) “Thermal controls on hyporheic flux and streambed flow dynamics”
Last updated July 12, 2022