Environmental Biogeochemistry

In the Biogeochemistry Section of the Patrick Center of Environmental Research, our mission is driven by a commitment to innovation, expertise, and collaboration. We are dedicated to advancing the understanding of the complex interplay between organisms and chemical dynamics within aquatic ecosystems from the watershed perspective. Our work is organized around three core research areas: Watershed Biogeochemistry, Urban Ecology, and Advanced Analytical Methods.

Watershed Biogeochemistry: This core area explores the biogeochemical processes within watersheds, with a particular emphasis on the cycling of bioactive elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, alongside the dynamics of cations, anions, and silica. We study the factors that influence the sources, fate, and transport of these elements, as well as their interactions with organic contaminants, especially per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Urban Ecology: We investigate the ecological dynamics of urban water systems, focusing on the anthropogenic impacts to aquatic ecosystems and water quality. Our research extends to studying climate change resilience, examining how adaptive urban planning and green infrastructure can mitigate the effects of climate change on urban communities and enhance their resilience. Additionally, we work on projects involving microplastics, analyzing their presence and impact within tissues, water, and sediment to understand their ecological and health implications in urban settings. This work aims to mitigate the environmental stressors on urban areas and enhance the biodiversity and ecosystem services of urban water bodies.

Advanced Analytical Methods: Central to our research is the use and development of cutting-edge analytical techniques. These methods enable us to accurately measure chemical constituents and trace their movement and transformation within aquatic environments, supporting our research across all core areas.

Our approach is inherently collaborative, involving partnerships with other sections within the Patrick Center for Environmental Research and the Academy's extensive collections to tackle environmental challenges. Our projects span from fundamental research to applied monitoring and environmental assessments. Through our interdisciplinary research, we aim to shed light on the ecological effects of landscape restoration, the impacts of sea-level rise on nutrient cycling, the dynamics of contaminant uptake in food webs, and the implications of stormwater runoff on aquatic systems. Our goal is to contribute to the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems by enhancing our understanding of both historical and contemporary environmental changes and their broad ecological impacts.

We welcome collaboration and invite researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in co-generating projects or exploring partnerships to reach out to us at biogeochemistry@ansp.org.

Capabilities

• Fate and transport of major and trace elements and environmental contaminants (i.e., PFAS, microplastics) in aquatic systems.
• Nutrient cycling in rivers, tidal wetlands and estuaries.
• Non-point sources of anthropogenic chemicals in aquatic systems.
• Food chain transfers of organic compounds and contaminants.
• Mass balance modeling of trace elements and bioactive elements.
• Whole stream metabolism and related metrics of ecosystem function in stream and river systems.
• Reactive and conservative solute transport in stream systems.
• Stable isotope biogeochemistry of organic carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen.
• Stable isotope biogeochemistry of inorganic carbon and oxygen.

Facilities

Facilities	Parameters
Elementar Americas Isoprime100 coupled with a Pyrocube	total or organic carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen stable isotope analysis in solid samples
Elementar Americas Isoprime100 coupled with a Multiflow	inorganic carbon and oxygen stable isotope analysis in solid or aqueous samples
ThermoFinnigan Delta Plus Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer coupled with a Conflo111 and Carlo Erba NA 1500 Elemental Analyzer	total or organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis in solid samples
Flash 1112 Elemental Analyzer	total or organic carbon and nitrogen elemental concentration in solid samples
O I Analytical Aurora 1030 Wet Oxidation TOC Analyzer	organic and/or inorganic carbon in aqueous samples
SmartChem 200 (Discrete Analyzer) and SEAL AA500 (Autoanalyzer)	dissolved nutrients (including but not limited to NH4+, NO3-, PO43+, SiO2)
Agilent 8800 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS	major and trace elements in aqueous and solid samples
Dionex ICS-300 Ion Chromatography	anion analysis in aqueous and solid samples
GC-Electron Capture Detector	chlorinated hydrocarbons in aqueous, sediment or tissue samples
Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances	sample preparation and extraction
Microplastics	sample digestion and counting
UV-Vis spectrophotometer
Turner Fluorometer	chlorophyll a in aqueous, suspended, and sediment samples
Water Quality	aqueous samples are processed for alkalinity, chloride, hardness, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, biological/chemical oxygen demand
SonTek FlowTracker and River Surveyor	discharge measurements, bathymetry
Numerous in-situ water quality meters	pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity/conductivity, and turbidity

 

Selected Projects

• Delaware River Watershed Initiative. Funder: William Penn Foundation. 
• Uptake and Bioaccumulation/Biomagnification of Subsurface-Derived PFASs by Lotic, Warm Water Food Webs. PIs: M.J. Kurz, C.M. Sales (Drexel U.), E.R. McKenzie (Temple U.), D.E. Spooner (Lock Haven U.), and C.J. Blakeslee (USGS Northern Appalachian Research Lab). Funder: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). Project Webpage
• Evaluating Ecosystem Respiration in Urban Streams Using Reactive Tracer and Dissolved Oxygen Loggers. PIs: M.J. Kurz and S. Ledford (Temple University). Funder: National Science Foundation.
• Nutrient and Carbon Fluxes to Barnegat Bay from Marginal Saline Wetlands. PI: D. Velinsky. Funder: NJ DEP, joint with NJ USGS.
• Environmental change: Habitat changes and nitrogen removal in a tidal freshwater marsh. PIs: J. Mead and D. Velinsky. Funder: PA Sea Grant.
• Nutrient and Ecological Histories in Barnegat Bay, NJ. PIs: D. Velinsky, D. Charles and Chris Sommerfield (UDel.). Funder: NJ DEP.
• Sabine River Monitoring. Funder: Eastman Chemical Company.
• Bioaccumulation of Organic Contaminants in the Delaware River Estuary: Role of Tidal Freshwater Marshes. PIs: D.Velinsky and J. Ashley (Philadelphia University). Funder: NOAA Sea Grant.
• Impact of Sea Level Rise on the Cycling of Carbon and Phosphorus in Tidal Freshwater Marshes. PIs: Dr. Melanie Vile (Villanova Univ.), David Velinsky, and Scott Neubaur (Univ. South Carolina). Funder: US EPA STAR Program.
• Distribution of Sediment Contaminant History in the tidal freshwater Potomac River; Washington, DC. PIs: D. Velinsky, G. Riedel (SERC) and J. Ashley. Funder: District of Columbia.
• Historical Changes in Sedimentation and Chemical Loading in Tidal Marshes of the Delaware Estuary. PIs: Chris Sommerfield (UDEL) and D. Velinsky. Funder: Delaware River Basin Commission. 

Environmental Research