Ryan E. Emanuel

We study a wide range of problems and systems related to climate and land-use change with special attention to water and biogeochemical cycles in the southeastern United States. Our recent projects include hydrologic studies of salinization in low-lying, freshwater-dependent coastal landscapes, modeling studies of land-use and climate change impacts on culturally-important streams and floodplains, post-hurricane date quality studies in Tribal communities, and case studies related to environmental justice and decision-making around fossil fuel projects. In terms of field methods, our group has led tower-based and chamber-based studies of ecosystem carbon fluxes, we have conducted synoptic water quality sampling, and we have worked extensively with ambient monitoring systems (e.g., stream gages, weather stations, shallow monitoring wells). We often use remote sensing data from satellites (e.g., MODIS, Landsat, WorldView), and we also take advantage of Lidar data, including datasets collected by NCALM and state agencies. We aim to develop new research projects in close collaboration with Indigenous communities, focusing mainly on Native American Tribes in North Carolina, where our group is located. North Carolina is home to eight recognized Tribes (1 federally recognized, 1 with partial federal recognition, and 6 with state recognition) and has the largest Native American population of any state east of Oklahoma. We look to prioritize projects that advance environmental justice, strengthen Tribal sovereignty, and address community concerns about culture and the environment - including loss of cultural connections to the environment through climate change.