Author: Ouimet, William

Check out our group’s two recent CATENA publications on relict charcoal hearths in CT!

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Donovan*, S., Ignatiadis*, M., Ouimet, W., Dethier, D. and Hren, M., Gradients of geochemical change in relic charcoal hearth soils, Northwestern Connecticut, USA. CATENA, 197, p.104991. LINK

*Sally and Mary (first two authors listed), were undergraduates in the 2015-2016 Keck Geology Consortium Project: HOLOCENE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND HUMAN IMPACTS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.  For a summary of that project, click here and to check more student projects, click here.

Bonhage, A., Hirsch, F., Raab, T., Schneider, A., Raab, A. and Ouimet, W., 2020. Characteristics of small anthropogenic landforms resulting from historical charcoal production in western Connecticut, USA. CATENA, 195, p.104896. LINK

Congrats to Sam Dow on her recent publication in ESPL!

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Dow, S., Snyder, N.P., Ouimet, W.B., Martini, A.M., Yellen, B., Woodruff, J.D., Newton, R.M., Merritts, D.J. and Walter, R.C., 2020. Estimating the timescale of fluvial response to anthropogenic disturbance using two generations of dams on the South River, Massachusetts, USA. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 45(10), pp.2380-2393.

Check it out: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/esp.4886

Highlights from NEGSA in Albany, NY, March 21-23, 2016

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Another successful conference in the books – Geological Society of America’s Northeastern Section meeting in Albany, NY, March 21-23, 2016.

  • Will Ouimet (with co-chair Noah Snyder, Boston College) organized and led the successful session: “T26. PLEISTOCENE TO ANTHROPOCENE LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION IN THE NORTHEASTERN U.S.”, which contained the following presentations by group members:
    • “CHARACTERIZING LATE PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE FLOOD DEPOSITS IN EASTERN CONNECTICUT”, by Thomas Schenck (co-authors Will Ouimet and Anjali Fernandes)…see Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 2; doi: 10.1130/abs/2016NE-272715
    • “CHARCOAL REMAINS IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY CONNECTICUT RECORD WIDESPREAD HILLSLOPE DISTURBANCE IN THE IRON CORRIDOR FROM MID-18TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURIES AND PRESENT DAY CARBON STORAGE”, by 2015-2016 Keck Connecticut undergrad student Mary Ignatiadis of Williams College (co-authors Will Ouimet, Kate Johnson and David Dethier)…see Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 2; doi: 10.1130/abs/2016NE-272818
    • “STUDYING ANTHROPOCENE SEDIMENTATION BEHIND A 19TH-20TH CENTURY DAM IN WESTERN CONNECTICUT”, by 2015-2016 Keck Connecticut undergrad student Jia Kelleher of Mount Holyoke (co-authors Will Ouimet and Al Werner)…see Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 2; doi: 10.1130/abs/2016NE-272164
    • “THE AFFECT OF LAND USE CHANGE ON STABLE ISOTOPE (δ13C AND δ15N) VALUES IN CONNECTICUT WETLANDS DURING THE HOLOCENE”, by 2015-2016 Keck Connecticut undergrad student Caitlin McManimon of Union College (co-authors David Gillikan, Will Ouimet, Michael Hren and Don Rodbell)…see  Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 2; doi: 10.1130/abs/2016NE-272294
  • 2015-2016 Keck Connecticut and UConn Geosciences undergrad thesis student Chad Fagan (with co-authors Michael Hren and Will Ouimet) presented “AN ORGANIC MOLECULAR RECORD OF POST-GLACIAL CLIMATE AND FIRE OCCURRENCE IN A SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND WETLAND CORE” in session ‘T28. Records of Environmental Change from Lacustrine Archives’…see Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 2; doi: 10.1130/abs/2016NE-272539
  • UConn Geosciences undergrad thesis student Nate Corcoran (with co-authors Will Ouimet and Matte Thomas) presented “ASSESSING COASTAL EROSION HAZARD VULNERABILITY IN CONNECTICUT” in session ‘T5. Marine and Terrestrial Coastal Mapping: Data, Discovery, and Science’…see Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 2; doi: 10.1130/abs/2016NE-272078

 

Highlights from GSA in Baltimore, MD, Nov. 1-4, 2015

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Our group had a successful showing recently at the Geological Society of America (GSA) National Meeting in Baltimore, MD.

  • Will Ouimet (with co-authors David Dethier, Kate Johnson, Maneh Kotikan and Will Wicherski) presented “QUANTIFYING 18TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY HUMAN IMPACTS ON HILLSLOPES AND SEDIMENT MOBILIZATION IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND COLORADO FRONT RANGE” in session ‘T9: Developing Proxies for Human Impact on Soil and Sediment Mass Transfer throughout the Holocene’
  • UConn PhD student Kate Johnson (with co-author Will Ouimet) presented “IMPACTS OF TERRAIN ROUGHNESS ON 18TH-20TH CENTURY LAND USE DISTRIBUTION AND SEDIMENT MASS TRANSFER IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND” in session ‘T9: Developing Proxies for Human Impact on Soil and Sediment Mass Transfer throughout the Holocene’
  • Williams College and Colorado Research colleague David Dethier (with co-authors Will Ouimet and Neil Shea) presented “FROM ROCK TO DUST: DENSITY CHANGES DURING THE TRANSFORMATION OF FRONT RANGE GRANITE TO SAPROLITE AND SOIL” in session ‘T57: Soil to Sediment—From Geologic to Modern Time Scales: A Session to Honor the Work of Milan Pavich’
  • 2014-2015 Colorado Keck student Will Wicherksi (with co-authors Will Ouimet, David Dethier and James Kaste) presented “FIRE AND FLOOD IN FOURMILE CANYON, COLORADO —ANALYZING THE GEOMORPHIC EFFECTS OF CATASTROPHIC EVENTS USING LIDAR AND FIELD STUDIES” in session ‘T54: Geomorphology and Hydrology of Wildland Fires’
  • 2014-2015 Colorado Keck student Greg Harris (with co-authors Mike Hren, Will Ouimet and David Dethier) presented “INVESTIGATING THE USE OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) AS A PROXY FOR HOLOCENE FOREST FIRES ON THE COLORADO FRONT RANGE” in session ‘T54: Geomorphology and Hydrology of Wildland Fires (posters)’
  • Oberlin College and Eastern Tibet research colleague Amanda Schmidt (with co-authors Tom Neilson, Paul Bierman, Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez, Dylan Rood and Will Ouimet) presented “EFFECTS OF GRAIN SIZE AND MINERALOGY ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF FALLOUT RADIONUCLIDES 7BE, 10BE, 137CS, AND 210PB IN SEDIMENT” in session ‘T9: Developing Proxies for Human Impact on Soil and Sediment Mass Transfer throughout the Holocene’
  • UConn Geosciences colleague Robert Thorson (with co-authors Lisa Park-Boush, Patrick Getty and Will Ouimet) presented “FIVE PATHWAYS TO INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE AT UCONN: A NEW MODEL” in session ‘T84: Practical Faculty-Related Issues & Trans-Disciplinary Pedagogical Strategies Associated with Classroom Transformation’

 

AAG 2016 Symposium on Physical Geography: Challenges of the “Anthropocene”

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Group members Megan Hill and Katharine Johnson are on the organizing committee for the upcoming Symposium on Physical Geography entitled Challenges of the “Anthropocene” at AAG 2016 in San Francisco. Posters may be submitted after registering for AAG; the deadline is October 29, 2015.

http://www.aag.org/cs/cfp/symposium-on-physical-geography

In 2016, the International Commission on Stratigraphy will consider a proposal from the “Anthropocene” Working Group to formalize the “Anthropocene” as a geological unit within the Geological Time Scale. This designation recognizes a new time interval in which human activities have significantly altered Earth’s conditions and processes. Regardless of whether the Commission will ultimately declare a new geologic time frame, the changes that have occurred (and are continuing) in our climate, land surfaces, vegetation, and waters have profound effects on and implications for human society. Understanding human-induced alterations in the past and present is critical to our ability to anticipate, mitigate, and adapt to changes in the future.

The AAG 2016 Symposium on Physical Geography will explore recent advances relevant to our understanding of the concept of the “Anthropocene” and the problems it poses as humanity interacts with the Earth system. We seek contributions relating to past and contemporary environmental processes and change. Of particular interest are posters in the following areas:

  1. The Early “Anthropocene”: When Did the “Anthropocene” Really Start?
  2. Evidence of Large-scale Human Impacts and Quantifying Recent, Current and Future Anthropogenic Impacts
  3. Couplings and Societal Responses to Human-induced Environmental Change
  4. Measuring Risk and Planning Sustainability in an “Anthropocene” 21st Century

AAG Vice President Glen MacDonald will kick off the Symposium with an opening address, followed by Symposium Plenary Speaker William Ruddiman and other featured keynote speakers and discussants throughout the Symposium. Panel discussions will also explore how geographers are integrating the “Anthropocene” into their work, and how we can better facilitate and foster research and teaching related to this expanding “Anthropocene” concept.

To submit an abstract to this Symposium:

  • Register for the conference at http://www.aag.org/cs/annualmeeting/register
  • During abstract submission: select “Poster” as the abstract type
  • Select “Anthropocene” as the Primary Topic
  • In the space for “Special Request” add a note that the abstract submitted is intended for the Symposium on Physical Geography: Challenges of the “Anthropocene.”

The abstract deadline for posters submitted to this symposium is October 29, 2015

Organizing Committee: Anne Chin (Chair), Timothy Beach, AAG Former President Carol Harden, Charles Lafon, AAG Vice President Glen MacDonald, Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach, Katharine Johnson, Megan McCusker Hill, William Solecki, AAG Former President Julie Winkler.

For Further Information: Anne Chin, ANNE.CHIN@ucdenver.edu

Successful Anthropocene session by group members at AAG 2015 Chicago

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Group members Kate Johnson and Megan Hill attended the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers which was held this year in Chicago, and which had an attendance of around 9,000 people. In addition to attending a number of fantastic talks, Kate and Megan organized a session called The View from the Anthropocene: Measuring the Historic Human Impact on the Environment and Landscape. The session was co-sponsored by the Geomorphology, Historical Geography and Landscape specialty groups.

The session consisted of theoretical papers and a number of case studies focusing on quantifying the past human impacts on (and interactions with) the landscape, and how these could contribute to a broader understanding of the Anthropocene. The session discussant, Anne Chin (UC Denver, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Anthropocene) synthesized these contributions and provided stimulating questions and themes for discussion of all those who attended the session.

We are grateful to the session presenters and to Anne for their participation!

Session participants and titles:

  • Kathryn A. Catlin, “Archaeology and the Anthropocene: Soil and Scale in the Settlement of Iceland”
  • Katharine Johnson, “Quantifying the Anthropocene: the Physical and Cultural Controls on Stone Wall Construction in Southern New England”
  • Timothy Beach, “The ‘Mayacene’: Maya Mirror for the Americas”
  • Charles W. Martin, “Trace metal storage in recent floodplain sediments along the Dill River, central Germany”
  • Megan McCusker Hill, “Gullies as Markers of Holocene and Anthropocene Environmental Change in southern New England”
  • Suzanne Elizabeth Pilaar Birch, “Reconstructing human-mediated environmental change at the Pleistocene-‘Anthropocene’ transition”
  • Trisha Jackson, “Geochemical Imprints of Society in the Brazilian Amazon”
  • Simon Goring, “Shifts in ecotones position and composition throughout the upper Midwestern United States since EuroAmerican settlement”
  • Discussant: Anne Chin

Check out some recent publications from the group!

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*graduate student author; ^undergraduate student author

Hellmer^, M.C., Rios^, B.A., Ouimet, W.B., and Sibley^, T.R. (2015). Ice storms, tree throw, and hillslope sediment transport in northern hardwood forests. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3690 LINK

Foster*, M.A., Anderson, R.S., Wyshnytzky^, C.E., Ouimet, W.B., and Dethier, D.P. (2015). Hillslope lowering rates and mobile-regolith residence times from in situ and meteoric 10Be analysis, Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory, Colorado. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 127; no. 5/6; p. 862–878; doi: 10.1130/B31115.1 LINK

Ouimet, W., Dethier, D., Bierman, P., Wyshnytzky^, C., Shea*, N., and Rood, D.H. (2015). Spatial and temporal variations in meteoric 10 Be inventories and long-term deposition rates, Colorado Front Range. Quaternary Science Reviews, 109, 1-12. LINK

Wyshnytzky^, C.E., Ouimet, W.B., McCarthy^, J., Dethier, D.P., Shroba, R.R., Bierman, P.R., and Rood, D.H. (2015). Meteoric 10 Be, clay, and extractable iron depth profiles in the Colorado Front Range: Implications for understanding soil mixing and erosion. CATENA, 127, 32-45. LINK

Rosenberg, R. ^, Kirby, E., Aslan, A., Karlstrom, K., Heizler, M. and Ouimet, W. (2015), Late Miocene erosion and evolution of topography along the western slope of the Colorado Rockies, GeoSphere Geosphere; August 2014; v. 10; no. 4, doi:10.1130/GES00989.1
 LINK

Enjoy!

Highlights from 2015 NEGSA in Bretton Woods, NH

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Our group had a successful showing recently at the 2015 GSA Northeastern Section Meeting in Bretton Woods, NH!

Will Ouimet co-chaired a session “T12: Pleistocene to Anthropocene Landscape Evolution
in the Northeastern U.S.” with colleague Noah Snyder (Boston College), and students were involved in 4 talks:

  • Johnson, K., Ouimet, W. Raslan, Z., (2015), GEOSPATIAL AND LIDAR­BASED ANALYSIS OF 18TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY TIMBER HARVESTING AND CHARCOAL PRODUCTION IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting. Breton Woods, NH
  • McCusker Hill, M. and Ouimet, W., (2015), SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF GULLY EROSION IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting. Breton Woods, NH
  • Nicoulin, A. and Ouimet, W., (2015), BEDROCK KNICKPOINTS, RIVER TERRACES AND POST­GLACIAL INCISION IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting. Breton Woods, NH
  • Wicherski, W., Dethier, D. and Ouimet, W. (2015). Geomorphic Effects of the September 2013 Flood in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado, Using Lidar and Field Studies. Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting. Breton Woods, NH

…and one poster:

  • Belliveau, L. and Ouimet, W., (2015), SUSPENDED SEDIMENT LOADS IN THE TAIWAN STRAIT AND THE PHILIPPINE SEA IN RELATION TO TYPHOON ACTIVITY. Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting. Breton Woods, NH

Great job everybody!