Catchment hydrology focuses on the movement of water and solutes from landscapes to waterbodies. Our research addresses questions such as: Where is the stream water coming from? How long did it take to get here? What solutes, nutrients, and/or contaminants did the water pick up along the way? Because streams and lakes gather water and solutes, we can learn about the entire watershed by studying stream and lake hydrology and chemistry.

Return to Water or Landscape Science
Our research focuses on many Alaskan landscapes, primarily the Arctic and Boreal regions. Often our research addresses how catchment hydrology is influenced by permafrost presence and thaw. In boreal settings, we also consider the effects of fire. Both fire and thaw can substantially change hydrologic flow paths and subsequently the delivery of water, sediments, and solutes to streams and lakes. These changes in turn, have broad implications for Alaskan ecosystems and wildlife.
Our research is critical for stakeholders and land managers because it can quantitatively describe the processes underlying observed environmental conditions and change, and provides the fundamental understanding necessary for predicting future conditions.
Projects
- Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thaw (HEAT): Hydrology
- Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)
- Arctic Coastal Plain Studies
- Wolverine Glacier Ecosystem Studies
- Nome Creek Experimental Watershed
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough Wetland Modeling
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Arctic Coastal Plain Studies
Wolverine Glacier Ecosystem Studies
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Wetland Modeling
Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)
Nome Creek Experimental Watershed
Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Hydrology
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Descriptions, Depth to Refusal, and Field-Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Soils on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, 2012-2016
Physical, Hydraulic, and Thermal Properties of Soils in the Noatak River Basin, Alaska, 2016
Water Level, Temperature, and Discharge of Headwater Streams in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, 2016 and 2017
Nitrogen biogeochemistry in a boreal headwater stream network in Interior Alaska, 2008 to 2011
Influenza A Virus Persistence Data from an Urban Wetland in Anchorage, Alaska, 2018-2019
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Field-based method for assessing duration of infectivity for influenza A viruses in the environment
Permafrost hydrology drives the assimilation of old carbon by stream food webs in the Arctic
Arctic Rivers Project: Connecting Indigenous knowledge and western science to strengthen collective understanding of the changing Arctic
The Arctic Rivers Project will weave together Indigenous knowledges, monitoring, and the modeling of climate, rivers (flows, temperature, ice), and fish to improve understanding of how Arctic rivers, ice transportation corridors, fish, and communities might be impacted by and adapt to climate change.
- Overview
Catchment hydrology focuses on the movement of water and solutes from landscapes to waterbodies. Our research addresses questions such as: Where is the stream water coming from? How long did it take to get here? What solutes, nutrients, and/or contaminants did the water pick up along the way? Because streams and lakes gather water and solutes, we can learn about the entire watershed by studying stream and lake hydrology and chemistry.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.A conceptual model of effect of permafrost on catchment hydrology – permafrost may restrict deep flow, leading to quick drainage of aquifers. As permafrost thaws, altered flowpaths (from red to blue) affect water residence times and solute loads, with implications for the stream ecosystem.(Credit: Kim Wickland, USGS. Public domain.) Return to Water or Landscape Science
Our research focuses on many Alaskan landscapes, primarily the Arctic and Boreal regions. Often our research addresses how catchment hydrology is influenced by permafrost presence and thaw. In boreal settings, we also consider the effects of fire. Both fire and thaw can substantially change hydrologic flow paths and subsequently the delivery of water, sediments, and solutes to streams and lakes. These changes in turn, have broad implications for Alaskan ecosystems and wildlife.
Our research is critical for stakeholders and land managers because it can quantitatively describe the processes underlying observed environmental conditions and change, and provides the fundamental understanding necessary for predicting future conditions.
Projects
- Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thaw (HEAT): Hydrology
- Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)
- Arctic Coastal Plain Studies
- Wolverine Glacier Ecosystem Studies
- Nome Creek Experimental Watershed
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough Wetland Modeling
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Arctic Coastal Plain Studies
The Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) is a large region of low-lying, lake-rich land on the North Slope of Alaska. This region is underlain by thick ground ice, which is susceptible to erosion and thaw. These physical changes are likely to alter ecosystems by changing the availability of habitats and food resources upon which wildlife depends. Our studies on the ACP aim to understand the link between...Wolverine Glacier Ecosystem Studies
This project is an extension of the long-term Wolverine Glacier Benchmark Glacier project and is improving our understanding of solutes and nutrients in glacier basins, and how they fuel downstream ecosystems.Matanuska-Susitna Borough Wetland Modeling
This project aims to improve our understanding of the role of wetlands in controlling streamflow in southcentral Alaska using a groundwater – surface water flow model that can recreate the dynamic interactions between streams and wetlands.Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)
ABoVE: Vulnerability of inland waters and the aquatic carbon cycle to changing permafrost and climate across boreal northwestern North America. Carbon released from thawing permafrost may fuel terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems or contribute to greenhouse gas emission, leading to a potential warming feedback and further thaw.Nome Creek Experimental Watershed
The Nome Creek Experimental Watershed (NCEW) has been the site of multiple studies focused on understanding hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem changes related to permafrost thaw and fire in the boreal forest.Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Hydrology
The Arctic is warming at higher rates than much of the rest of the world. For Alaska, this results in changes in hydrology and ecosystems – permafrost is thawing, changing landscapes and releasing nutrients to soils and streams. - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Descriptions, Depth to Refusal, and Field-Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Soils on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, 2012-2016
This dataset includes soil data collected from various landscapes adjacent to thaw ponds on the North Slope of Alaska between 2012 and 2018. The landscapes include ice-rich polygonal ground found on basin uplands, as well as bluffs and lake edges. At each site a visual description of soil type and texture was performed, and a permafrost probe was used to determine a 'depth to refusal'. Given thatPhysical, Hydraulic, and Thermal Properties of Soils in the Noatak River Basin, Alaska, 2016
This dataset includes physical, hydraulic, and thermal properties of soils collected in two sub-watersheds in the Noatak River Basin in northwestern Alaska. Physical properties include dry bulk density and porosity. Hydraulic properties include field- and lab-based hydraulic conductivity, soil-water retention data, and parameters used in a common soil-water retention model (van Genuchten model). TWater Level, Temperature, and Discharge of Headwater Streams in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, 2016 and 2017
This data set includes 15-minute interval data on stream temperature, stage, and discharge from low-order streams in the Yukon River Basin in interior Alaska, collected during the summer months. The depth of the water and temperature were determined using a combined pressure transducer and temperature sensor that was deployed through the summer months. Different sensors were used in each stream anNitrogen biogeochemistry in a boreal headwater stream network in Interior Alaska, 2008 to 2011
High latitude, boreal watersheds are nitrogen-limited ecosystems that export large amounts of organic carbon. Key controls on carbon cycling in these environments are the biogeochemical processes affecting the nitrogen cycle. This data release presents results of a 3-year field study from 2008-2011 to document the relation between seasonal and transport-associated changes in carbon and nitrogenInfluenza A Virus Persistence Data from an Urban Wetland in Anchorage, Alaska, 2018-2019
This dataset is three tables with details of samples and aliquots of waterfowl feces deposited in filtered surface water collected from an urban waterbody in Anchorage, Alaska in 2018-2019. Sample vials were submerged underwater in the same waterbody from which the samples were collected and the samples were tested for the presence and viability of influenza A virus. Temperature data and water che - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Field-based method for assessing duration of infectivity for influenza A viruses in the environment
Understanding influenza A virus (IAV) persistence in wetlands is limited by a paucity of field studies relating to the maintenance of infectivity over time. The duration of IAV infectivity in water has been assessed under variable laboratory conditions, but results are difficult to translate to more complex field conditions. We tested a field-based method to assess the viability of IAVs in an AlasAuthorsAndrew B. Reeves, Andrew M. Ramey, Joshua C. Koch, Rebecca L. Poulson, David E. StallknechtPermafrost hydrology drives the assimilation of old carbon by stream food webs in the Arctic
Permafrost thaw in the Arctic is mobilizing old carbon (C) from soils to aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere. Little is known, however, about the assimilation of old C by aquatic food webs in Arctic watersheds. Here, we used C isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C) to quantify C assimilation by biota across 12 streams in arctic Alaska. Streams spanned watersheds with varying permafrost hydrology, from ice-poor bAuthorsJonathon A O'Donnell, Michael P. Carey, Joshua C. Koch, Xiaomei Xu, Brett Poulin, Jennifer Walker, Christian E. Zimmerman - Web Tools
Arctic Rivers Project: Connecting Indigenous knowledge and western science to strengthen collective understanding of the changing Arctic
The Arctic Rivers Project will weave together Indigenous knowledges, monitoring, and the modeling of climate, rivers (flows, temperature, ice), and fish to improve understanding of how Arctic rivers, ice transportation corridors, fish, and communities might be impacted by and adapt to climate change.