Project Info

Water quality impacts of ecosytem disruption

Jonathan Sharp | jsharp@mines.edu

Our goal is to better understand the water quality implications of large scale forest disruption – specifically bark beetle tree mortality – on water quality as it relates to carcinogenic disinfection byproduct formation. It is both a local and global problem and investigates a water quality implication associated with climate change.

More Information

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3. Mikkelson, Brouillard, Bokman, Sharp. (2017) Ecosystem resilience and limitations revealed by soil bacterial community dynamics in a bark beetle-impacted forest. MBio 8:6 e01305-17. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01305-17.
4. Brouillard, Bokman, Mikkelson, Sharp. (2017) Extent of tree mortality influences compensatory biogeochemical responses in bark beetle infested mountain pine forests. Soil Biol Biogeochem 114:309-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.06.016
11. Brouillard B, Dickenson ERV, Mikkelson KM, Sharp JO (2016) Water quality following extensive beetle-induced tree mortality: Interplay of aromatic carbon loading, disinfection byproducts, and hydrologic drivers. Sci Total Environ. 572 649-59 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.106
27. Mikkelson KM, Bearup LA, Maxwell RM, Stednick JD, McCray JE, Sharp JO. (2013) Bark beetle infestation impacts on nutrient cycling, water quality and interdependent hydrological effects. Biogeochemistry 115: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9875-8
32. Mikkelson K, Dickenson E, McCray J, Maxwell R, Sharp JO (2013) Adverse water quality impacts from climate-induced forest die-off. Nature Clim Change. 3: 218–222. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1724

Grand Engineering Challenge: Provide access to clean water