About the lab
|
The Hydrology and Geochemistry Research Lab, led by Dr. Hasenmueller, has a variety of research projects in both natural and impacted systems. Our research focuses on (1) identifying the origin and transport of contaminants in surface waters and groundwaters, (2) understanding spatial and temporal variations in hydrology and geochemistry to identify anthropogenic influences on water budgets, and (3) determining the influence of critical zone soil biogeochemistry on weathering processes. The lab combines a ground-truth approach with a broad array of advanced analytical tools to address issues of environmental concern. Thus, most of our studies involve field observations of water quality and flow dynamics coupled with lab-based analyses of tracers (i.e., stable isotopes, major ions, and trace elements). To learn more about specific projects in the lab and research opportunities, check out the Research tab.
|
|
Lab news
August 17, 2017: Dr. Hasenmueller receives another grant to continue monitoring work at Deer Creek from the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (a part of the Missouri Botanical Garden).
May 31, 2017: Rising senior Michael Abegg joins the lab. Welcome Michael!
May 26, 2017: Heather's paper "Transport of salt contamination in karst aquifers and soils over multiple timescales" was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment! Check it out on the Publications tab.
May 20, 2017: Congratulations to Heather, Camille, and Emily on graduating! Camille will continue on in the lab as research staff and Emily will be continuing on as a masters student in the lab.
May 1, 2017: Congratulations to Heather for successfully defending her PhD thesis! Heather will be with us for a few more weeks, then she is heading to the NGA to begin a position as Geodetic Earth Scientist. Great job, Heather!
April 11, 2017: Congratulations to Andrew for receiving the James D. Collins Award! This award is given to by the college to one student per department for excellence in student academic achievement. Andrew also received the ACS Undergraduate in Physical Chemistry Award and the St. Louis Rubber Group Scholarship this semester. Great work, Andrew!
April 6, 2017: Kayla received a graduate student grant from the Geological Society of America. She also received special recognition from the Hydrogeology Division of GSA, receiving an outstanding Hydrogeology Graduate Research Grant proposal. Congrats, Kayla!
March 31, 2017: Kayla presents her poster at the SLU Graduate Research Symposium. Heather presented a poster, while Alex did an oral presentation. Congratulations to Alex for coming in second place in the Physical Science division paper presentation!
March 19, 2017: Dr. Hasenmueller's paper "Weathering of rock to regolith: The activity of deep roots in bedrock fractures" was accepted for publication in Geoderma! Check it out on the Publications tab.
January 25, 2017: NOAA's Marine Debris Program has posted our project profile online; check it out!
January 20, 2017: Heather's paper "Soil as a reservoir for road salt retention leading to its gradual release to groundwater" was accepted for publication in Applied Geochemistry! Check it out on the Publications tab.
January 19, 2017: Heather begins part time at the NGA. She will continue to work in the lab to finish up her PhD this semester, then transition full time to the NGA.
December 25, 2016: Lab alum Alex Pearce's paper "Characterizing nutrient distributions and fluxes in a eutrophic reservoir, Midwestern United States" was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment! Check it out on the Publications tab.
December 16, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller and Andrew's paper "Stream hydrology and geochemistry along a rural to urban land use gradient" was accepted for publication in Applied Geochemistry! Check it out on the Publications tab.
December 9, 2016: Congratulations to Armahni on graduating!
November 8 and 22, 2016: Camille begins sampling the Mississippi River (right) and Missouri River (left) for microplastics.
May 31, 2017: Rising senior Michael Abegg joins the lab. Welcome Michael!
May 26, 2017: Heather's paper "Transport of salt contamination in karst aquifers and soils over multiple timescales" was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment! Check it out on the Publications tab.
May 20, 2017: Congratulations to Heather, Camille, and Emily on graduating! Camille will continue on in the lab as research staff and Emily will be continuing on as a masters student in the lab.
May 1, 2017: Congratulations to Heather for successfully defending her PhD thesis! Heather will be with us for a few more weeks, then she is heading to the NGA to begin a position as Geodetic Earth Scientist. Great job, Heather!
April 11, 2017: Congratulations to Andrew for receiving the James D. Collins Award! This award is given to by the college to one student per department for excellence in student academic achievement. Andrew also received the ACS Undergraduate in Physical Chemistry Award and the St. Louis Rubber Group Scholarship this semester. Great work, Andrew!
April 6, 2017: Kayla received a graduate student grant from the Geological Society of America. She also received special recognition from the Hydrogeology Division of GSA, receiving an outstanding Hydrogeology Graduate Research Grant proposal. Congrats, Kayla!
March 31, 2017: Kayla presents her poster at the SLU Graduate Research Symposium. Heather presented a poster, while Alex did an oral presentation. Congratulations to Alex for coming in second place in the Physical Science division paper presentation!
March 19, 2017: Dr. Hasenmueller's paper "Weathering of rock to regolith: The activity of deep roots in bedrock fractures" was accepted for publication in Geoderma! Check it out on the Publications tab.
January 25, 2017: NOAA's Marine Debris Program has posted our project profile online; check it out!
January 20, 2017: Heather's paper "Soil as a reservoir for road salt retention leading to its gradual release to groundwater" was accepted for publication in Applied Geochemistry! Check it out on the Publications tab.
January 19, 2017: Heather begins part time at the NGA. She will continue to work in the lab to finish up her PhD this semester, then transition full time to the NGA.
December 25, 2016: Lab alum Alex Pearce's paper "Characterizing nutrient distributions and fluxes in a eutrophic reservoir, Midwestern United States" was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment! Check it out on the Publications tab.
December 16, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller and Andrew's paper "Stream hydrology and geochemistry along a rural to urban land use gradient" was accepted for publication in Applied Geochemistry! Check it out on the Publications tab.
December 9, 2016: Congratulations to Armahni on graduating!
November 8 and 22, 2016: Camille begins sampling the Mississippi River (right) and Missouri River (left) for microplastics.
|
|
November 8, 2016: Congratulations to Kayla for receiving the Graduate/Undergraduate Research Collaboration grant for her work on the impact of municipal waters on urban streams!
October 28, 2016: Andrew collects samples for his study on iron in lake sediments at Carlyle Lake.
October 28, 2016: Andrew collects samples for his study on iron in lake sediments at Carlyle Lake.
|
|
September 23, 2016: Heather has successfully passed her PhD oral exam. Congratulations, Heather!
September 13, 2016: Senior Camille Buckley joins the lab. Welcome Camille!
August 23, 2016: Heather has successfully passed her PhD written exam. Congratulations, Heather!
August 1-2, 2016: Aneesh finishes up his summer internship in the lab and presents his findings at the NGRREC student research symposium. Great work this summer, Aneesh!
July 11, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller, in collaboration with colleagues in Chemistry and Biology, receives funding for an ICP-OES from NSF's Major Research Instrumentation Program. Check out the news release here.
July 5, 2016: New masters student Kayla Lockmiller starts at SLU. Welcome Kayla!
July 1, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller receives another grant to continue monitoring work at Deer Creek from the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (a part of the Missouri Botanical Garden).
June 17, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller's collaborative project study microplastic debris in the Mississippi River was funded by NOAA.
June 1, 2016: National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) intern Aneesh Venkata begins in the lab for the summer. Welcome Aneesh!
May 14, 2016: Congratulations to Alex, Mary, Maggie, and Te on graduating!
May 4, 2016: Congratulations to Alex for successfully defending her master thesis! Alex will be with us for the summer, then she will head off to begin her PhD at New Mexico Tech. Great job, Alex!
September 13, 2016: Senior Camille Buckley joins the lab. Welcome Camille!
August 23, 2016: Heather has successfully passed her PhD written exam. Congratulations, Heather!
August 1-2, 2016: Aneesh finishes up his summer internship in the lab and presents his findings at the NGRREC student research symposium. Great work this summer, Aneesh!
July 11, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller, in collaboration with colleagues in Chemistry and Biology, receives funding for an ICP-OES from NSF's Major Research Instrumentation Program. Check out the news release here.
July 5, 2016: New masters student Kayla Lockmiller starts at SLU. Welcome Kayla!
July 1, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller receives another grant to continue monitoring work at Deer Creek from the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (a part of the Missouri Botanical Garden).
June 17, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller's collaborative project study microplastic debris in the Mississippi River was funded by NOAA.
June 1, 2016: National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) intern Aneesh Venkata begins in the lab for the summer. Welcome Aneesh!
May 14, 2016: Congratulations to Alex, Mary, Maggie, and Te on graduating!
May 4, 2016: Congratulations to Alex for successfully defending her master thesis! Alex will be with us for the summer, then she will head off to begin her PhD at New Mexico Tech. Great job, Alex!
April 28, 2016: Dr. Hasenmueller receives both a Faculty Excellence Award and the Cura Personalis Award from the college. Thanks to the lab group for the nominations!
April 22, 2016: Heather and Alex present their work again at SLU Graduate Research Symposium. Heather presented a poster, while Alex did an oral presentation. Congratulations to Alex for coming in second place in the Physical Science division paper presentation!
April 19, 2016: Alex and Heather attend the regional GSA meeting in Urbana-Champaign, IL. Alex presented her nutrient distribution and flux work from Carlyle Lake, while Heather presented her work on road salt retention in soils.
April 22, 2016: Heather and Alex present their work again at SLU Graduate Research Symposium. Heather presented a poster, while Alex did an oral presentation. Congratulations to Alex for coming in second place in the Physical Science division paper presentation!
April 19, 2016: Alex and Heather attend the regional GSA meeting in Urbana-Champaign, IL. Alex presented her nutrient distribution and flux work from Carlyle Lake, while Heather presented her work on road salt retention in soils.
|
|
April 15, 2016: Congratulations to Maggie for receiving the Brill Award, which goes to the outstanding senior in Geosciences! Good work, Maggie!
April 12, 2016: Congratulations to Mary for receiving the James D. Collins Award! This award is given to by the college to one student per department for excellence in student academic achievement. Great work, Mary!
April 1, 2016: Congratulations to Andrew for being accepted into NOAA's Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program!
March 28, 2016: Mary has been accepted to the University of Illinois to pursue a masters degree in soil science in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Illinois. She's also an Odell Fellow. Congrats, Mary!
January 8, 2016: The lab is finally all moved over from Macelwane Hall to Ritter Hall! We're settling into the new space.
November 16, 2015: Heather (with help from the lab group) successfully catches another storm series at Rockwoods and Blackburn Springs. Below is an example of the changes in flow that occur in Blackburn Spring during these events.
April 12, 2016: Congratulations to Mary for receiving the James D. Collins Award! This award is given to by the college to one student per department for excellence in student academic achievement. Great work, Mary!
April 1, 2016: Congratulations to Andrew for being accepted into NOAA's Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program!
March 28, 2016: Mary has been accepted to the University of Illinois to pursue a masters degree in soil science in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Illinois. She's also an Odell Fellow. Congrats, Mary!
January 8, 2016: The lab is finally all moved over from Macelwane Hall to Ritter Hall! We're settling into the new space.
November 16, 2015: Heather (with help from the lab group) successfully catches another storm series at Rockwoods and Blackburn Springs. Below is an example of the changes in flow that occur in Blackburn Spring during these events.
|
|
November 2, 2015: Heather presents her poster "Transport and residence of chloride from road salt in shallow groundwaters, east-central Missouri, USA" at the national GSA meeting in Baltimore, MD.
September 12, 2015: Heather collects a second round of soil cores from the Rockwoods Reservation and Blackburn Park for her core study.
|
|
August 28, 2015: Alex completes her intensive study of nutrient fluxes from her sediment cores - just in time for the semester to start!
July 30, 2015: Alex collects sediment cores from Carlyle Lake for her mesocosm study, in which she will look at advective versus diffusive phosphorus fluxes from sediments into the water column. Heather was not disappointed to stay in the water all day!
July 30, 2015: Alex collects sediment cores from Carlyle Lake for her mesocosm study, in which she will look at advective versus diffusive phosphorus fluxes from sediments into the water column. Heather was not disappointed to stay in the water all day!
|
|
|
July 17, 2015: Heather collects soil cores for her chloride residence study!
|
|
|
July 14, 2015: Dr. Hasenmueller's paper "Topographic controls on the depth distribution of soil CO2 in a small temperate watershed" was accepted for publication in Applied Geochemistry! Check it out on the Publications tab.
July 2, 2015: Andrew and Emily catch a storm series at Deer Creek! They observed an increase in E. coli levels as the flood progressed, which is likely the result of combine sewer overflow discharge.
June 23, 2015: A large storm hits the St. Louis area causing flash flooding around the city. Graduate student Heather (with help from the rest of the lab) was able to capture a series of flood water samples at both her rural and urban spring sites. Heather found that her urban site, Blackburn Spring, lived up to its flashy reputation! The left and middle pictures below show Blackburn during low flow, while the right photo shows Blackburn during the June 23 flood event - the entire valley was filled with flood water! Flood response samples like these help Heather determine transport mechanisms of chloride from road salting.
July 2, 2015: Andrew and Emily catch a storm series at Deer Creek! They observed an increase in E. coli levels as the flood progressed, which is likely the result of combine sewer overflow discharge.
June 23, 2015: A large storm hits the St. Louis area causing flash flooding around the city. Graduate student Heather (with help from the rest of the lab) was able to capture a series of flood water samples at both her rural and urban spring sites. Heather found that her urban site, Blackburn Spring, lived up to its flashy reputation! The left and middle pictures below show Blackburn during low flow, while the right photo shows Blackburn during the June 23 flood event - the entire valley was filled with flood water! Flood response samples like these help Heather determine transport mechanisms of chloride from road salting.
|
|
|
June 22, 2015: Undergraduates Andrew and Emily install the field monitoring equipment at Litzsinger Road Ecology Center and data collection begins!
June 9, 2015: More sampling at Carlyle! The water level was up at the lake, so we were able to reach the shallower, northern portion of the lake. An algal bloom was occurring while we were there - see the greenish coloration in the sample vial in the middle photo below.
|
|
|
June 2, 2015: Dr. Hasenmueller and undergraduate students Andrew and Emily evaluate potential field sites at the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center for installing monitoring equipment in Deer Creek. Andrew and Emily will examine water quality and hyporheic flow in this urban stream. As we found out, urban streams still host a lot of wildlife!
|
|
|
May 13-20, 2015: Dr. Hasenmueller co-leads the Earth and Atmospheric Science Departments' spring field trip to the Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and more! Representing the lab are graduate students Alex and Heather and undergraduate student Emily.
|
|
|
May 4-6, 2015: We had a successful trip to Carlyle Lake to sample water and sediments for graduate student Alex Pearce's thesis on phosphorus dynamics in reservoirs.
|
|
|
May 5, 2015: Dr. Hasenmueller and graduate student Heather Robinson's paper "Hyporheic zone flow disruption from channel linings: implications for the hydrology and geochemistry of an urban stream, St. Louis, Missouri, USA" was accepted for publication in the Journal of Earth Science! Check it out on the Publications tab.
April 24, 2015: Congratulations to Heather Robinson for successfully presenting her research poster "Hydrologic transport of chloride contamination from road salt application in karst springs of east-central Missouri" at the Saint Louis University Graduate Student Association Research Symposium.
April 7, 2015: Heather Robinson receives a graduate student grant from the Geological Society of America. Congrats, Heather!
March 18, 2015: Sophomore Emily Deeba joins the lab!
March 2, 2015: Junior Armahni Fearn and freshman Andrew Shaughnessy join the lab!
December 18, 2014: Rongxi Wu graduates and has been accepted to the environmental engineering program at Colorado State University. Congratulations Rongxi!
December 5, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller's Picarro has arrived - time to run some isotopes!
September 12, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller joins the Chambers Lab to help conduct soil and water sampling on Lake Shelbyville. Check out pictures on Dr. Chamber's page!
July 8, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller's coauthored paper "The CO2 consumption potential during gray shale weathering: Insights from the evolution of carbon isotopes in the Susquehanna Shale Hills critical zone observatory" was accepted for publication in Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta! Check it out on the Publications tab.
May 14-20: Dr. Hasenmueller co-leads the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department's spring field trip to Puerto Rico!
March 28, 2014: Undergraduate senior, Rongxi Wu, joins the lab!
January 1, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller started as an Assistant Professor in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department here at SLU. Graduate student, Heather Robinson, officially begins her masters degree!
April 24, 2015: Congratulations to Heather Robinson for successfully presenting her research poster "Hydrologic transport of chloride contamination from road salt application in karst springs of east-central Missouri" at the Saint Louis University Graduate Student Association Research Symposium.
April 7, 2015: Heather Robinson receives a graduate student grant from the Geological Society of America. Congrats, Heather!
March 18, 2015: Sophomore Emily Deeba joins the lab!
March 2, 2015: Junior Armahni Fearn and freshman Andrew Shaughnessy join the lab!
December 18, 2014: Rongxi Wu graduates and has been accepted to the environmental engineering program at Colorado State University. Congratulations Rongxi!
December 5, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller's Picarro has arrived - time to run some isotopes!
September 12, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller joins the Chambers Lab to help conduct soil and water sampling on Lake Shelbyville. Check out pictures on Dr. Chamber's page!
July 8, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller's coauthored paper "The CO2 consumption potential during gray shale weathering: Insights from the evolution of carbon isotopes in the Susquehanna Shale Hills critical zone observatory" was accepted for publication in Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta! Check it out on the Publications tab.
May 14-20: Dr. Hasenmueller co-leads the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department's spring field trip to Puerto Rico!
March 28, 2014: Undergraduate senior, Rongxi Wu, joins the lab!
January 1, 2014: Dr. Hasenmueller started as an Assistant Professor in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department here at SLU. Graduate student, Heather Robinson, officially begins her masters degree!
|
|