Achievement

Janet Barclay finished developing and parameterizing a watershed-scale hydrologic and denitrification model, simulating removals of nitrogen and production of nitrous oxide, a key greenhouse gas. The model fit well with a range of field observations (push-pull denitrification measurements, stream discharge, soil moisture, and riparian depth to the water table). The model is unique in that it is calibrated against multiple in-situ measurements. She has completed a draft of a first paper describing the model. The next phase is to use the model to project end-of-century climate impacts to better understand how denitrification rates might change. She is currently analyzing this data and anticipates a second paper in the next month. Her analysis to date indicates that climate change will intensify current spatial and temporal patterns and that temperature changes will have a greater effect than precipitation changes. She plan to defend her thesis this summer.