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Corey Lawrence

I am a Research Geologist at the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center in Denver, CO. The overarching objectives of my research are to (1) describe and quantify natural biogeochemical processes at the Earth's surface and (2) determine how these processes will respond to climate and/or landuse change.

Many biogeochemical processes are often dominated by exchanges between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. Over long timescales, the flux of matter and energy shapes both the physical structure and chemical composition of the Critical Zone and over shorter timescales, these features determine how the system responds to disturbances. Developing a mechanistic understanding of the processes controlling these fluxes is essential for predicting and managing the function of environmental resources and the sustainability of agricultural systems.

 

Professional Experience

  • Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 2009-2011

  • Postdoctoral Research Affiliate, U.S. Geological Survey, Moab, UT, 2009

  • Research Assistant, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 2004-2009

  • Research Assistant, The Ecosystems Centers, Woods Hole, MA, 2002-2004

  • Undergraduate Researcher, Toolik Lake LTER, Toolik Lake, AK, 2001

  • Research Assistant, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, 2000

  • Research Intern, Atmospheric Science Research Center, Wilmington, NY, 1999

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 2009   

  • B.S., Environmental Science & Policy, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, 2002

  • B.S., Biology, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, 2002

Science and Products

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Drying soil samples in the lab

Regional Assessment of Drought Impacts on Soils (RADIS)

Soils are the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems. They provide critical services including supplying a substrate and the nutrients necessary for plant growth, retaining moisture from precipitation, filtering contaminants from percolating waters, and acting as a sink of carbon. Healthy soils are key to sustaining both human and ecosystem health. However, global- and regional-scale disturbances...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center
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Regional Assessment of Drought Impacts on Soils (RADIS)

Soils are the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems. They provide critical services including supplying a substrate and the nutrients necessary for plant growth, retaining moisture from precipitation, filtering contaminants from percolating waters, and acting as a sink of carbon. Healthy soils are key to sustaining both human and ecosystem health. However, global- and regional-scale disturbances...
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USGS science for a changing world logo

What lies below? Improving quantification and prediction of soil carbon storage, stability, and susceptibility to disturbance.

Soils are a vast reservoir of organic carbon (C), rendering the fate of soil C an important control on the global climate system. Widespread changes in soil C storage capacity present a potentially strong feedback to global change. Yet, a comprehensive understanding of how soil C will respond to climate and/or land use disturbance remains illusive, resulting in major uncertainties in global climat
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John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
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What lies below? Improving quantification and prediction of soil carbon storage, stability, and susceptibility to disturbance.

Soils are a vast reservoir of organic carbon (C), rendering the fate of soil C an important control on the global climate system. Widespread changes in soil C storage capacity present a potentially strong feedback to global change. Yet, a comprehensive understanding of how soil C will respond to climate and/or land use disturbance remains illusive, resulting in major uncertainties in global climat
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Abiotic sorption of glucose, glutamic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, and oxalic acid onto amorphous aluminum hydroxide, feldspar, ferrihydrite, and kaolinite

Abiotic sorption experiments were conducted with four carbon substrates (glucose, glutamic acid, oxalic acid, para-hydroxybenzoic acid) on four clay minerals (kaolinite, feldspar, ferrihydrite, amorphous aluminum hydroxide) after sterilization by gamma irradiation. The adsorption isotherms were carried across a range of substrate carbon concentrations (0, 20, 100, and 500 mg carbon per L) and pH c
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey Soil Sample Archive

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Soil Sample Archive is a database of information describing soil and sediment samples collected in support of USGS science. Samples in the archive have been registered with International Generic Sample Numbers, relabeled with bar-coded sample labels, and repacked in containers for long-term preservation. Details of sample collection location, collection date, asso
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Data from a reactive transport modeling study of cave seepage water chemistry

Karst systems are useful for examining spatial and temporal variability in Critical Zone processes because they provide a window into the subsurface where waters have interacted with vegetation, soils, regolith, and bedrock across a range of length and time scales. The majority of Critical Zone research has emphasized silicate lithologies, which are typified by relatively slow rates of reactivity
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Soil Biogeochemical Data from a Marine Terrace Soil Climo-Chronosequence Comparison

The storage and persistence of soil organic matter (SOM) is of critical importance to soil health, and to the terrestrial carbon cycle with implications for long-term climate change. To better understand the spatio-temporal controls on SOM, we have developed a new dataset spanning two previously described marine terrace soil chronosequences from northern, CA, USA: the Santa Cruz and the Mattole Ri
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

A sequential selective dissolution method to quantify storage and stability of organic carbon associated with Al and Fe hydroxide phases

Stabilization of SOM (soil organic matter) is regulated in part by sorption and desorption reactions happening at mineral surfaces, as well as precipitation and dissolution of organo-metal complexes. Fe and Al hydroxides play a particularly significant role in SOM stabilization in soils due to their ubiquitous distribution and their highly reactive surface properties. Iron and Al hydroxides exist
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Data for Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects

Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading, part
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Batch sorption data, respired CO2, extractable DOC, and Raman spectra collected from an incubation with microbial necromass on feldspar or amorphous aluminum hydroxide

These datasets are from an incubation experiment with a combination of two minerals (feldspar or amorphous aluminum hydroxide), one living species of bacteria (Escherichia coli), and one added form of C (Arthrobacter crystallopoietes necromass). We characterized the sorptive properties of the minerals with batch sorption experiments using four low molecular weight C substrates (glucose, oxalic aci
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
sampling a marine terrace soil chronosequence
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Sampling a Marine Terrace within the Mattole River Soil Chronosequence
USGS field crew group picture
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USGS Field Crew at Mattole Soil Chronosequence
Filter Total Items: 30

Deep root activity overprints weathering of petrogenic organic carbon in shale

The oxidation of organic carbon in sedimentary bedrock (petrogenic OC, OCpetro) is increasingly recognized as a potential source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Recent studies provide evidence for the mobilization and oxidation of OCpetro in sedimentary bedrock during rock weathering. However, the mechanisms and rates remain uncertain, particularly where overlying soils and vegetation drive contemporane
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Alison K. Tune, Jennifer L. Druhan, Corey Lawrence, Daniella M. Rempe
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

The influence of soil development on the depth distribution and structure of soil microbial communities.

Although it has been shown that the interaction of climate and time shape the dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM) storage and preservation in soil, the role of soil microbial communities in this dynamic remains unclear. Microbial communities are present throughout soil profiles and likely play critical roles in SOM and nutrient cycling, however the influence of other factors such as soil develop
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Mary-Catherine Leewis, Corey Lawrence, Marjorie S. Schulz, Malak M. Tfaily, Christian Orlando Ayala-Ortiz, Gilberto E. Flores, Rachel Mackelprang, Jack McFarland
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Mechanisms for retention of low molecular weight organic carbon varies with soil depth at a coastal prairie ecosystem

Though primary sources of carbon (C) to soil are plant inputs (e.g., rhizodeposits), the role of microorganisms as mediators of soil organic carbon (SOC) retention is increasingly recognized. Yet, insufficient knowledge of sub-soil processes complicates attempts to describe microbial-driven C cycling at depth as most studies of microbial-mineral-C interactions focus on surface horizons. We leverag
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Jack McFarland, Corey Lawrence, Courtney Creamer, Marjorie S. Schulz, Christopher H. Conaway, Sara Peek, Mark Waldrop, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Monica Haw
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Volcano Hazards Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Volcano Science Center

Beyond bulk: Density fractions explain heterogeneity in global soil carbon abundance and persistence

Understanding the controls on the amount and persistence of soil organic carbon (C) is essential for predicting its sensitivity to global change. The response may depend on whether C is unprotected, isolated within aggregates, or protected from decomposition by mineral associations. Here, we present a global synthesis of the relative influence of environmental factors on soil organic C partitionin
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Katherine Heckman, Caitlin E. Hicks Pries, Corey Lawrence, Craig Rasmussen, Susan E. Crow, Alison M. Hoyt, Sophie F. von Fromm, Zheng Shi, Shane Stoner, Casey McGrath, Jeffery Beem-Miller, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Joseph C. Blankinship, Marco Keiluweit, Erika Marín-Spiotta, J. Grey Monroe, Alain F. Plante, Joshua Schimel, Carlos A. Sierra, Aaron Thompson, Rota Wagai
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Concentration-discharge relationships of dissolved rhenium in Alpine catchments reveal its use as a tracer of oxidative weathering

Oxidative weathering of sedimentary rocks plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. Rhenium (Re) has been proposed as a tracer of rock organic carbon (OCpetro) oxidation. However, the sources of Re and its mobilization by hydrological processes remain poorly constrained. Here we examine dissolved Re as a function of water discharge, using samples collected from three alpine catchments th
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Robert Hilton, Jens M. Turowski, Matthew Winnick, Mathieu Dellinger, Patrick Schleppi, Kenneth H. Williams, Corey Lawrence, Katharine Maher, Martin West, Amanda Hayton
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

The trajectory of soil development and its relationship to soil carbon dynamics

It has been postulated that the amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) associated with soil minerals exhibits a threshold relationship in response to effective soil moisture (estimated as precipitation less evapotranspiration). To better characterize the role of moisture in influencing mechanisms of SOC storage during pedogenesis, we compare soils from two different chronosequence sites: the Santa Cr
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Corey Lawrence, Marjorie S. Schulz, Caroline Masiello, Oliver A. Chadwick, Jennifer W. Harden
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Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

A reactive transport approach to modeling cave seepage water chemistry II: Elemental signatures

Karst systems are useful for examining spatial and temporal variability in Critical Zone processes because they provide a window into the subsurface where waters have interacted with vegetation, soils, regolith, and bedrock across a range of length and timescales. These hydrologic pathways frequently include the precipitation of speleothems, which provide long-term archives of climate and environm
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Jessica Oster, Aaron Covey, Corey Lawrence, Max Giannetta, Jennifer Druhan
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Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

A reactive transport approach to modeling cave seepage water chemistry I: Carbon isotope transformations

The majority of Critical Zone research has emphasized silicate lithologies, which are typified by relatively slow rates of reactivity and incongruent weathering. However, the relatively simpler weathering of carbonate-dominated lithology can result in secondary mineral deposits, such as speleothems, which provide a long-term archive for Critical Zone processes. In particular, carbon isotopic varia
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Jennifer Druhan, Corey Lawrence, Aaron Covey, Max Giannetta, Jessica Oster
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Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Development of soil radiocarbon profiles in a reactive transport framework

Today, there is a greater appreciation for the importance of the physical protection of carbon (C) through interactions with mineral surfaces, isolation from microbes, and the important role of transport in shaping soil properties and controlling moisture limitations on decomposition. As our paradigm for soil organic carbon (SOC) preservation changes, so too should our representation of the underl
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Jennifer Druhan, Corey Lawrence
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Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Soil respiration response to rainfall modulated by plant phenology in a montane meadow, East River, Colorado, USA

Soil respiration is a primary component of the terrestrial carbon cycle. However, predicting the response of soil respiration to climate change remains a challenge due to the complex interactions between environmental drivers, especially plant phenology, temperature, and soil moisture. In this study, we use a 1‐D diffusion‐reaction model to calculate depth‐resolved CO2 production rates from soil C
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Mathew Winnick, Corey R. Lawrence, Maeve McCormick, Jennifer Druhan, Kate Maher
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Integrating airborne remote sensing and field campaigns for ecology and Earth system science

In recent years, the availability of airborne imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral) data has expanded dramatically. The high spatial and spectral resolution of these data uniquely enable spatially explicit ecological studies including species mapping, assessment of drought mortality and foliar trait distributions. However, we have barely begun to unlock the potential of these data to use direct map
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K. Dana Chadwick, Philip G. Brodrick, Kathleen Grant, Tristan Goulden, Amanda Henderson, Nicola Falco, Haruko Wainwright, Kenneth Williams, Markus Bill, Ian Breckheimer, Eoin Brodie, Heidi Steltzer, C. F. Rick Williams, Benjamin Blonder, Jiancong Chen, Baptiste Dafflon, Joan Damerow, Matt Hancher, Aizah Khurram, Jack Lamb, Corey R. Lawrence, Maeve McCormick, John Musinsky, Samuel Pierce, Alexander Polussa, Maceo Hastings Porro, Andea Scott, Hans Wu Singh, Patrick O. Sorensen, Charuleka Varadharajan, Bizuayehu Whitney, Katharine Maher
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects

Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and thus water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading,
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Raymond F. Kokaly, Seth M. Munson, Peat Solheid, George N. Breit, Corey R. Lawrence, Jeff Derry
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Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Spectroscopy Lab

Non-USGS Publications**

Lawrence, C.R., Neff, J.C., and Farmer, G.L., 2011, The accretion of aeolian dust in soils of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA: Journal of Geophysical Research, 116(F2). doi:10.1029/2010JF001899
Ballantyne, A.P., Brahney, J., Fernandez, D., Lawrence, C.R., Saros, J., and Neff, J.C., 2011, Biogeochemical response of alpine lakes to a recent increase in dust deposition in the Southwestern, US: Biogeosciences, 8, 2689-2706. doi:10.5194/bg-8-2689-2011
Lawrence, C.R., Painter, T.H., Landry, C.C., and Neff, J.C., 2010, Contemporary geochemical composition and flux of aeolian dust to the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, United States: Journal of Geophysical Research, 115, G03007, doi:10.1029/2009JG001077.
Lawrence, C.R. and Neff, J.C., 2009, The contemporary physical and chemical flux of aeolian dust: A synthesis of direct measurements of dust deposition: Chemical Geology 267: 46-63.
Lawrence, C.R., Neff, J.C. and Schimel, J.S., 2009, Does adding microbial mechanisms of decomposition improve soil organic matter models? A comparison of four models using data from a pulsed rewetting experiment: Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 41: 1923-1934.
Neff, J.C., Ballantyne, A.P., Farmer, G.L., Mahowald, N., Conroy, J.L., Landry, C.C., Overpeck, J.T., Painter, T.H., Lawrence, C.R. and Reynolds, R.L., 2008, Increasing eolian dust deposition in the Western United States linked to human activity: Nature Geoscience, 1(3): 189-195.
Painter, T.H., Barrett, A.P., Landry, C.C., Neff, J.C., Cassidy, M.P., Lawrence, C.R., McBride, K.E. and Farmer, G.L., 2007, Impact of disturbed desert soils on duration of mountain snow cover: Geophysical Research Letters, 34(12).

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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