Offices: SEEC N141A, Benson 246C
Lab: SEEL 376
Pronouns: he/him
I am a geomorphologist interested in the evolution of landscapes, with particular emphasis on alpine landscapes.
I focus on processes, including glacial, coastal and fluvial erosion of bedrock. I employ cosmogenic radionuclides to constrain rates and timing in the landscape, field studies to document the specific processes acting, and numerical modeling to knit it all together. My interests include mechanics and timing of landscape evolution: modeling of landform evolution; glaciology; Arctic and alpine landscape evolution; and coastal evolution.
My research focuses on the processes operating at the Earth's surface and the landforms that result. Although I am interested in the entire spectrum of earth-surface processes, my most recent work focuses on the roles of glaciers in modifying large scale landscapes, and on the evolution of hillslopes that acknowledges the roles of climate and of rock type.
In most cases, the research projects involve both field (mapping and instrumentation) and computer modeling exercises. The present power of computing, the sophistication and miniaturization of modern field instrumentation, the increase in the availability of digital topography and of detailed paleoclimate records makes such efforts more likely to succeed now than in any time in the past. In addition, I use cosmogenic radionuclides to document the rates of landscape evolution over long time scales.
Research areas
Future research
I intend to continue work in these areas, in all cases focusing on the application of knowledge of these physical systems to an understanding of both the resultant landforms and the geological record.
Education
- PhD: University of Washington, 1986
- MS: Stanford, 1977
- BS: Williams College, 1974
Awards
- Distinguished Professor, University of Colorado, 2015
- Hazel Barnes Prize, CU-Boulder, 2014
- Fellow, AGU, 2006
- Gladys Cole Award, GSA, 1995
- Presidential Young Investigator Award, NSF, 1991
Teaching
Former postdocs and students
Courses taught
- GEOG 5700: Geomorphology Seminar
- GEOL 5700: Advanced Geomorphology
- GEOL 5700: Modeling Landscapes
- GEOL 5100: Geomechanics
- GEOL/GEOG 4241: Geomorphology
- GEOL 3950: Natural Catastrophes and Geological Hazards
- GEOL 2001: Planet Earth
Talks and guest lectures
Publications
For additional publications, seeÌý.
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