WETLANDS
Wetlands store flood waters and act as buffers during storm surges; during Hurricane Sandy, wetlands reduced property damages by 22% and protected over 2000 km of roadways. However, over 50% of US wetlands have been destroyed since European settlement and replacement of these valuable ecosystems is critical. Constructed wetlands, built to replace lost natural wetlands, often fail to meet their design objectives because of incorrect water depth. To improve the success of wetland restoration, I've been working with faculty in the department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science at Virginia Tech, in cooperation with faculty at Old Dominion University and the University of Kentucky, to develop WetBud, a wetland water budget model that greatly improves current design techniques. |