Surface processes and stratigraphy at the University of Delaware

Our group works at the intersection between surface processes, sedimentology, and stratigraphy. We are interested in how surface processes shape the sedimentary record and, in turn, how we can exploit the sedimentary record to understand landscape evolution. To achieve this, we research landscape dynamics in space and time, spanning alluvial fan, fluvial, deltaic, coastal, and nearshore settings. This is crucial to understand how ancient and modern landscapes evolved on Earth and other planets, and to predict landscape response to climate change. 

We tackle questions such as:

1. How did ancient rivers respond to climate change, and what factors determined the magnitude of river response?

2. How does vegetation impact landscape dynamics, and how did Earth's landscapes evolve prior to Paleozoic land plant evolution?

3. How does sediment cohesion impact the morphologies, dynamics, and deposits of fans, rivers, and deltas? Can these insights help us to decipher the origins of landforms on planetary surfaces?

4. Which aspects of discharge variability are most important for driving landscape change? Can we reconstruct hydroclimate from sedimentary deposits?

5. How much sediment-laden ("dirty") sea ice is in the Arctic, and where is the sediment sourced from?

Check out the research page to learn more!