WATERSHED HYDROLOGY
Lauren Giggy, Ph.D. Candidate,
University of California, Santa Cruz
BIO
I am a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Watershed Hydrology Lab. Prior to UCSC, I completed a B.S. in Geology at Fort Lewis College. My research interests encompass physical hydrology, hydrogeology, biogeochemistry, wildfire, and geomorphology. My projects tends to have a strong fieldwork component and have extensive experience managing instrumentation in dynamic river environments. I beleive in the importance of stakeholder engaged science, environmental justice, and producing science that supports the unique needs and interests of each community.
I am eager to chat about all things water resources from micro to km scale and immediate to geologic time scales.
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In my free time, I skateboard, surf, ride bikes, and dabble in film photography. I'm always happy to chat about those too!
MY RESEARCH
When a raindrop falls from the sky, it can take many different routes through soil, rock, and groundwater before re-emerging in a river or stream. My research aims to understand how water moves through our landscapes, which is vital to predicting floods, droughts, and managing water quality in rivers, resevoirs, and oceans.
Lithologic controls on critical zone structure and hydrology of headwater streams
Plain language summary:
Landscapes are made of various rock types. Over millions of years, those rocks create different types of soil and altered rock material through a erosion and weathering. We find that landscapes that have deep soil and highly weathered rocks tend to maintain water in streams for longer periods of time, while regions with shallow soil and limited weathering cannot provide flow for long periods of time after rain. Additionally, the shallow soil and limited weathering may contribute more nitrogen to lakes and oceans, which can lead to harmfal algal blooms and other water quality issues.
Intermittent and ephemeral stream dynamics
Plain language summary:
In many regions of the country, streams and rivers do not have flowing water 100% of the year, rather they only flow during or shortly after rainfall events. We call these types of streams intermittent and ephemeral streams. This work aims to understand what weather patterns and physical traits of a watershed create conditions for streamflow. Understanding where and when water will be present in streams is extremely important to water resources management and aquatic and riparian habitat in future climate scenarios.
Export of carbon, nitrogen, and water from fire-effected headwater streams
Plain language summary:
The 2020 wildfire season impacted our study site at Blue Oak Ranch Reserve providing an opportunity to examine the impacts of the fire on vegetation, soil, and water quality in our Oakwoodland waterhseds. Fires are known to alter soil and vegetation which can alter the way water moves and is stored in the landscape. We found that the vegetation structure at our study site limited the impact of wildfire and thus reduced water quality and flooding concerns. Additionally, we found exciting new results related to black carbon, which is produces during wildfires that allow us to better understand and model black carbon in regional and global carbon models.
Geologic sources of salinity in the Dolores River watershed, SW Colorado
Plain language summary:
Southwestern Colorado has a very unique geologic history that causes modern issues with high salinity in several major rivers. This work aimed to build on previous research in the region to pin point different geologic sources of salt along a section of the Dolores River, a tributary to the Colorado River. Results provide insight to whether changes in anthropogenic water use or climate change could further impact salinity in Dolores River.
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