Sam Pierce
My research interests are in mountainous floodplain hydrology and biogeochemistry in snow-dominated headwater catchments. I specifically look at the impacts of beaver damming on groundwater hydrology and downstream water quality. By building dams and burrowing canals, beavers can drastically change the way water flows through watersheds and the biogeochemical cycling of redox-active metals and nutrients within floodplains. I seek to understand the ways in which floodplain modification by beavers (and low-tech process- based restoration techniques mimicking beaver structures) drives the repartitioning of metals to better understand the source-sink properties of beaver-impacted river systems. My fieldwork is based out of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Crested Butte, CO where I am the principal investigator on my own research project investigating water quality dynamics in natural beaver wetlands and floodplain restoration sites. When not in the lab or appreciating the masterful work of nature’s engineers, I’m usually out riding one of my many bikes on our local trails or backpacking somewhere fun!
Funding:
United States Department of Energy
Publications:
Manuscripts Under Review:
4. L. Wang, T. Babey, Z. Perzan, S. Pierce , M. Briggs, K. Boye and K. Maher. Quantifying groundwater response and uncertainty in beaver-influenced mountainous floodplains using machine learning-based model calibration.
Journal Articles:
3. T. Babey, Z. Perzan, S. Pierce, D.B. Rodgers, L. Wang, R. Carroll, J.R. Bargar, K. Boye and K. Maher (2024). Mountainous floodplain connectivity in response to hydrological transitions, Water Resources Research, 60(7), e2024WR037162. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037162.
2. Engel, M., Noël, V., Pierce, S., Kovarik, L., Kukkadapu, R. K., Pacheco, J. S. L., Qafoku, O., Runyon, J. R., Chorover, J., Zhou, W., Cliff, J., Boye, K., & Bargar, J. R. (2023). Structure and composition of natural ferrihydrite nano-colloids in anoxic groundwater. Water Research, 238, 119990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.119990.
1. Chadwick, K. D., Brodrick, P. G., Grant, K., … Pierce, S., ... Maher, K. (2020). Integrating airborne remote sensing and field campaigns for ecology and Earth system science. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11(11), 1492–1508. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13463.