PROJECT DESCRIPTION

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Results of NSF Funding (Publications funded by each grant are listed below)
Co-I, NSF EAR -- 9004252, Earth Surface Processes, "Multiple Methods Of Age Determination"
July, 15 1990 -- June 30, 1993 ($87,827) with Gillespie and Caffee
We used NSF funding to understand more about the systematics of cosmogenic isotope
production and the stability of granitic landforms including pediments, inselbergs, and debris fans.
Two seasons were spent collecting over 120 samples and mapping surficial geology on granitic
landscapes in Owens Valley (CA), Llano Uplift (TX), and Stone Mountain (GA). Samples were
collected from exposed surfaces for determining erosion rates and from shielded sites for determining
isotopic backgrounds. In many samples, we determined the abundance of multiple isotopes in order to
learn more about isotope systematics. We have built, tested and are using a laboratory and procedure
for extracting Cl, Al, and Be from rocks. Over 300 measurements of 36Cl,10Be and 26Al indicate that
most bedrock surfaces exposed on granitic landforms are eroding at rates between 2 and 20 m/My.
NSF funding supported Bierman’s doctoral dissertation and the undergraduate thesis of Ms. Jill Turner
at the University of Washington.
Gillespie, A. R. and Bierman, P. (1995). Precision of terrestrial exposure ages and erosion rates from analysis of in-situ
produced cosmogenic isotopes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 100, B12, 24637-24649.
Bierman, P., Gillespie, A., and Caffee, M. (1995). Cosmogenic Ages for Earthquake Recurrence Intervals and DebrisFlow Fan Deposition, Owens Valley, CA. Science, 270, 447-450.
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Bierman, P., Gillespie, A., Caffee, M. and Elmore, D. (1995). Estimating erosion rates and exposure ages with Cl
produced by neutron activation. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59, 3779-3798.
Bierman, P., 1993, Cosmogenic isotopes and the evolution of granitic landforms, Doctoral Dissertation, University of
Washington.
Turner, J. 1993, Occurrence of alpha emitters in quartz mineral separates, BS thesis, University of Washington.
Bierman, P., & Kuehner, S. (1992). Accurate and precise measurement of rock varnish chemistry using SEM/EDS.
Chemical Geology, v. 95, 283-297.
Bierman, P., & Gillespie, A. (1991). Range fires: A significant factor in exposure-age determination and geomorphic
surface evolution. Geology, 19, 641-644.
Bierman, P., & Gillespie, A. (1991). Accuracy of rock varnish chemical analyses: implications for cation ratio dating.
Geology, 19, 196-199.
Also, seven abstracts and a field trip guidebook resulted from this grant.
PI, NSF EAR -- 9219487, Hydrologic Sciences, "Using Cosmogenic Isotopes to Determine Basin-scale
Rates of Erosion", August 1, 1993 -- April 1, 1996 ($98,988) with Gillespie and Dunne
We are using NSF funding to test the hypothesis that the abundance in sediment of 10Be and
26Al produced in situ reflects the erosion rate of the basin from which the sediment was derived.
During the past 3 years, we have collected over 130 sediment, saprolite and rock samples from a
variety of geomorphic environments including Australia, central Texas, Georgia, and the Oregon
Coast Range. We have submitted two extensive publications to report our isotopic measurements one
of which considers the implications of these measurements for the model we set out to test (Bierman
and Steig, 1996). Funding from this grant has also been used to support several studies of production
rates and isotope production systematics including a MS thesis at UVM (Patrick Larsen), and the
beginning of a dissertation at UVM (Erik Clapp), and an extensive study of Australian bedrock erosion
rates that demonstrates both exceptional stability and a relationship between mean annual precipitation
and rock erosion rate.
Bierman, P., Gillespie, A. and Dunne, T. (in revision) Basin-scale rates of erosion estimated using 10Be and 26Al in
sediments. Geological Society of America Bulletin.
Bierman, P. & Caffee, M. (in review). Cosmogenic exposure and erosion history of ancient Australian bedrock
landforms. Geological Society of America Bulletin.
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Larsen. P., Bierman, P., Caffee, M. and Stone, B. (in review). In situ production rates of cosmogenic 10 Be and 26Al
over the past 21.5 ky from the terminal moraine of the Laurentide ice sheet, north-central New Jersey. Geological
Society of America Bulletin.
Bierman, P. & Steig, E. (1996). Estimating rates of denudation and sediment transport using cosmogenic isotope
abundances in sediment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 21, 125-139.
Bierman, P. and Turner, J. (1995). 10 Be and 26Al evidence for exceptionally low rates of bedrock erosion and the
likely existence of pre-Pleistocene landforms. Quaternary Research. 44, 378-382
Clark, D., Bierman, P. and Larsen, P. (1995). Improving cosmogenic chronometers. Quaternary Research, 44, 366376.
Bierman, P. R. (1994) Using in situ cosmogenic isotopes to estimate rates of landscape evolution: A review from the
geomorphic perspective. Journal of Geophysical Research, 99, 13885-13896.
Larsen, P. (1995) In situ production rates of cosmogenic 10 Be and 26Al over the past 21.5 ky from the terminal
moraine of the Laurentide ice sheet, north-central New Jersey, Master’s Thesis, University of Vermont.
Also, eleven abstracts and a set of Geological Society of America short-course notes resulted from
this grant.
Co-I, NSF EAR -- OPP-93-21733, Polar Programs, "Geologic Test for extent of Wisconsinan
Glaciation on Southern Baffin Island", July 1, 1994 -- June 30, 1997 ($50,000 subcontract from P. T.
Davis, Bentley College)
We have been funded to use the cosmogenic nuclides 10Be and 26Al to determine when
portions of Baffin Island were last glaciated. Two summers of field work have resulted in the
collection of nearly 170 samples. P. T. Davis (PI) spent three weeks in Baffin Island during the
summer of 1994 collecting about 30 samples for analysis, and Kim Marsella, the Masters student
supported by this grant, co-led a field party of eight in the collection of 140 samples and the mapping
of moraines during the summer of 1995. The >300 isotopic analyses made so far show excellent
correlation of model 10Be and 26Al ages and suggest that portions of Pangnirtung fjord previously
believed to be ice free since the mid-Wisconsinan were likely occupied by ice as recently as the early
Holocene. We have completed processing and analysis of all samples and will present the full data set
at national GSA (1996), in Ms. Marsella’s MS thesis, and in a series of manuscripts during 1997. NSF
funding has supported Ms. Kim Marsella’s MS thesis as well as the independent field research, in
Baffin Island, of two UVM undergraduates and one Bentley College undergraduate.
Bierman, P. R., K. A. Marsella, P. T. Davis, and M. W. Caffee, 1996, Old arctic Bedrock surfaces have complex
exposure burial and cosmogenic exposure histories: EOS (abs).
Davis, P. T., K. A. Marsella, P. R. Bierman, and M. W. Caffee, 1996, Paired glacial boulder and bedrock
cosmogenic analyses: EOS (abs).
Davis, P. T., K. A. Marsella, P. R. Bierman, and M. Caffee, 1996, Deglacial dynamics of Baffin Island by
cosmogenic exposure dating: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 27, p. A-434.
Marsella, K. A., P. R. Bierman, P. T. Davis, and M. Caffee, 1996, Stage II big ice on Baffin Island: Geological Society
of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 27, p. A-433.
Marsella, K. and Bierman, P. (1995). “Timing and extent of glaciation on southern Baffin Island, NWT, Canada
determined using in situ produced cosmogenic isotopes 10-Be and 26-Al.” Terra Nostra INQUA (Berlin, 26)
179.
Marsella, K., Davis, P. T. and Bierman, P. (1995). “Geologic test of weathering zone concept and nunatak hypothesis
using cosmogenic isotope dating in Pangnirtung fjord area, Baffin Island, Nunavat Territory, Canada. Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs 27 (6): A-59.
Davis, P. T., Marsella, K. A., Bierman, P. R., Finkel, R. C., Caffee, M., Southon, J. and Koning, J. (1995). Timing
and extent of glaciation on southern Baffin Island, Nunavat Territory, arctic Canada, using in situ cosmogenic
isotopes. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 27 (6) A-60.
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Scientific Philosophy
I am a curious person. Curiosity led me to a career in research and education and curiosity
challenges me to investigate problems for which answers are unknown, elusive, unanticipated. My
science is driven by data and observations, holistic in its approach, and opportunistic in its use of
evolving technologies. I am a tinkerer, too, one who enjoys developing new and better ways of
doing things in the laboratory, one who pushes techniques to their limit in order to understand
better how both natural and analytical systems function.
It is my strongest belief that education and research, at both graduate and undergraduate
levels, are deeply and mutually interdependent. As an educator, I have seen directly the value of
maintaining a research program that is at the same time local, national, and international in scope.
My lectures are enriched and my students intrigued by my experiences doing fieldwork in
Australia, Baffin Island, and southern California; yet, these same students live day to day in
Vermont. Every year and in every class, I find that it is my New England research that truly
changes the way in which my students look at and understand the landscape around them.
Integrating my research and that of my students into both my Geomorphology and Geohydrology
classes has generated dramatic results both educationally and scientifically. My classes are full
and my students are doing science, the quality of which has taken them to GSA and AGU
meetings, spawned papers for publication, and bolstered several MS and undergraduate theses.
In the long term, I see my research and that of my students furthering our understanding of
the rate at which Earth’s surface responds to changes and differences in climate, lithology, and
tectonic regime. I am particularly interested in learning how landscapes respond to human impact
and in quantifying the resulting rates of landscape change. My research is both applied and basic,
providing data useful for land management while at the same time addressing fundamental
questions about the origin and age of landforms that make up our global environment.
Objectives and Significance of Integrated Research and Education Activities
Objectives of Proposed Activities
How do we best decipher complex geologic records of past interactions between hillslopes
and extreme hydrologic events caused by major storms or clearcutting? What is the spatial and
temporal distribution of hydrologically-induced, landscape-modifying events in the Holocene such
as hillslope erosion, pond sedimentation, alluvial fan aggradation? How can we involve students
at many levels in research that is not only of societal relevance but lets students discover
fundamental principals of our discipline? Answering these questions requires the integration of
both a process- and product-oriented approach to doing and teaching science.
In the process of addressing these broad questions, my students and I will gather data
sufficient to address these four specific objectives:
1. Ascertain how rates of hillslope erosion and sediment delivery to 15-20 northeastern
alluvial fans have changed since deglaciation. We will accomplish this by
surveying, trenching, and radiocarbon dating alluvial fan sediments.
2. Determine the post-glacial history of terrestrial sediment delivery (accumulation
rates of organic and inorganic materials) to 15-20 northeastern ponds and lakes
near the fans that we investigate. We will accomplish this by making high
resolution δ13C and loss on ignition (LOI) measurements in radiocarbon-dated
sediment cores.
3. Integrate these data to test the hypothesis that there are locally and regionally
correlative sedimentation events that reflect the hydrologic influence of extreme
storms and colonial land-use changes.
4. Incorporate the process and results of data gathering and analysis into hands-on,
field, classroom, and electronic curricula for both K-12 and university-level
students.
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Significance of Proposed Research and Educational Activity
The proposed research will generate a unique, integrated data set unlike any that currently
exists. Our technical findings will have significance for and be of interest to individuals in a wide
range of fields including Hydrology, Geomorphology, Quaternary chronology, Stratigraphy,
Sedimentology, Isotope Geochemistry, Paleoclimatology, and Environmental Geology. Our
approach to on-going, Web-based data presentation and the concurrent development of age
specific learning modules for K-16 students will carry our historical and hydrologic findings into
the broader community. Our new field and laboratory data will further the understanding of postglacial landscape response to rare hydrologic events and provide important information for
environmental management. Specifically, our data will constrain the recurrence intervals of major
erosion events (most likely large storms) and evaluate the landscape response to colonial land
clearance as an analog for contemporary deforestation in other regions. In addition to the overall
significance of our integrated findings, our activities will advance the “state of the art” in these
sub-fields.
1. Humid Region Alluvial Fans -- Our on-going work is the first detailed chronologic,
stratigraphic, and morphologic study of humid region fans in glaciated terrain. The data that
we continue to collect will provide the framework for understanding the distribution,
depositional history, and hydrologic processes active on these subtle but common landforms.
Fans have the potential to provide a more direct record of hillslope activity than other
terrestrial archives such as fluvial terraces and overbank deposits (Brackenridge et al., 1988).
This study will produce the first direct Holocene record of hillslope denudation rates in the
densely populated Northeast.
2. Lacustrine Sediments -- This will be the first large-scale, high-resolution LOI and stable
carbon isotopic study of Holocene lacustrine sediments in the Northeast. Detailed
sedimentological analysis and LOI time series will allow us to constrain sediment influx over
time and identify periods of hillslope stability and instability for direct comparison with
alluvial fan data. Radiocarbon dating of organic-rich sediments and macrofossils from lake
cores will provide numerous limiting ages for deglaciation and the onset of primary
productivity in areas of New England where such chronology is poorly constrained at present.
Data already collected from two Vermont ponds suggest that most of our cores will include
sediments deposited during Younger Dryas time and may indicate whether or not this climate
reversal affected sedimentation rates in western New England (e.g., Thompson et al., 1996;
Weddle et al., 1994).
3. Integrated Landscape Response -- Our study will integrate a variety of data gathered from
two geologic archives in order to determine the degree of correlation between hillslope activity
(fans and lake sediments), climate change13(pollen records), and terrestrial carbon input and
primary productivity in lakes (LOI and δ C in lake cores). Data collected during this study,
when considered along with existing data, should for the first time allow holistic examination
of post-glacial landscape response to hydrologic events and allow predictions to be made of the
impact of extreme storms, as well as climate and land-use changes.
4. Education and Community Awareness -- Hands-on, Web-based learning modules and
museum displays will expose the broader community, both lay and scientific, to our research.
Our primary data will be rapidly available on the Web for use by other researchers. The data
will catalyze both Web and field-based follow-up activities that allow K-16 students and
teachers elsewhere to master hydrologic principles and discover both the geologic history
buried in their backyards and the effect of human interactions with the New England
landscape.
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Surface Process research in glaciated regions, such as the Northeast, has been primarily
directed toward understanding the pattern of deglaciation and the distribution of glacial sediments.
The proposed work differs from much of that done previously and will be some of the first to
provide quantitative constraints on the rates and patterns of Holocene landscape development and
paleohydrology since deglaciation. Our methodology should have wide application to other onceglaciated terrains throughout the world.
Relationship to Bierman and UVM’s Ongoing Research and Long-term Goals
The proposed research and education plan is a logical extension of my current interests,
activities, and skills. It is an integral part of the UVM Geology Department’s overall move toward
hands-on, inquiry-based, and computer-facilitated learning. I have spent the past six years using
cosmogenic nuclides to determine rates of denudation; the proposed research compliments that
work, which I will continue to pursue. I have a strong background in Surface Processes gained
during my training at the University of Washington, and significant experience mapping surficial
deposits in New England. The project is an integral part of my long-term research goal to
understand better the development of humid region landscapes, in particular, changes occurring
since deglaciation.
There is now a "critical mass" of Surface Process and Hydrology graduate students (10)
and faculty (4) within the Geology Department at UVM. Specifically, Drs. Bierman, Lini, Young,
and Drake, along with their students, are actively approaching problems in deglacial chronology
(Baffin Island and the Laurentide margin), surface processes and landscape modeling (sediment
generation in the Oregon Coast Range, southern Appalachians, and Australia), isostatic response to
deglaciation (Champlain Basin, Vermont), groundwater flow and isotopic characterization (Mt.
Mansfield, Vermont), wetland and coastal dynamics (Florida, Belize, Vermont, and New
Hampshire), and Holocene climate change (pollen records from Vermont bogs). Students funded
by this project will benefit from working within the context of a larger group striving to understand
landscape and environmental dynamics.
Current State of Affairs
Surface Process and Hydrology Education
The surface processes research group that I have developed at UVM is crucial to the
success of my educational program at all levels. It is from this research group that I draw teaching
assistants for my classes and for the K-12 summer Earth Science programs in which I am involved.
The graduate and undergraduate students in my research group interact extensively with each other
and with students in my undergraduate classes, leading field exercises, training students in the use
of equipment, and critiquing each other’s research. I view student-student interaction as an
extremely valuable part of the academic maturation process for all involved, something that is not
possible for students working alone. I take my responsibility as a mentor seriously and spend
much of my time facilitating student research and introducing each student to the culture and
expectations of the Geoscience community. My Web page illustrates and reflects this philosophy
(http://beluga.uvm.edu/geowww/paulbierman.html).
Students in my classes do science, hands-on. For example, in my Geomorphology class,
eight of the ten laboratories are outdoor, data-gathering activities. Each week, the students and I
leave the building at noon and spend six hours in the field, digging soil pits, surveying flood levels,
logging fan trenches, measuring stream flow, and climbing Mt. Mansfield, at 4393', the highest
point in Vermont; in many cases, these field trips are co-led by my undergraduate and graduate
students, those doing locally-based research. Students in Geomorphology learn early on that other
students are doing research and so can they. Over the course of the semester, these students work
in pairs on structured, independent field-based research projects collecting and analyzing their own
data and on the last afternoon of class, making GSA-style presentations to their peers. For many
students, Geomorphology is their first introduction to doing, rather than hearing about, science.
Geohydrology is designed to build on the fundamentals learned in Geomorphology. It is
not a typical groundwater class; rather, Geohydrology is a 20 student, upper-level surface
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processes class that uses fieldwork followed by computer-intensive laboratory sessions to
emphasize the interaction of water with Earth materials. I teach this class through a series of four
weekend field projects (winter limnology, snow hydrology, groundwater resources, and landslides)
during which students collect field data and prepare 5-page reports making pertinent calculations
and interpreting the data gathered by the group. One project evolved into a publication authored
by my TA (Clapp et al, 1996). In Geohydrology, group cooperation is central; the projects
succeed because each student uses the data collected by 20. For example, during the snow
hydrology project, we climb Mt. Mansfield on snowshoes carrying snow-tubes to measure water
equivalents as a function of elevation and dig snow pits to document snow stratigraphy, observe
snow metamorphism, and predict avalanche potential. Back in the lab, Geohydrology students use
hundreds of snowpack measurements to model runoff generation and snowpack survival during a
February thaw. Although almost every student in Vermont is a skier, for most, this is their first
winter science experience.
My involvement in education will continue to go beyond the University walls. During the
past two summers, I helped to develop and then taught in a state-wide, week-long, residential
summer Earth Science program for high-school students. This year we expanded the program to
middle school grades and I will continue to play an important role motivating the next generation of
Vermont scientists. The Geology Department is now home to three K-12 summer science programs
for students and teachers. The intellectual and programmatic infrastructure exists for incorporation
of our paleohydrologic research at the K-12 level in Vermont.
I enjoy teaching at a professional level and will continue offering short courses and field
trips as I have done for GSA and others. This year, I will again host evening graduate seminars in
my home, including visiting seminar speakers whenever possible. I realize how much of my own
interest in science was fostered by knowing faculty members as people outside of the classroom and
I strive to give my students the same experience. Lastly, I will continue to do what I have done
since I first started teaching many years ago. I will share with every one of my students, the
curiosity, wonder, and excitement I feel for the world in which we all live.
Episodic Holocene Sedimentation
There are few data that can be used to calculate Holocene rates of hillslope denudation
directly or determine whether such denudation was temporally related to changing climate or land
use in the northeastern United States. If analogies to other areas are correct, hillslope processes
were most active during and immediately after deglaciation when vegetation cover was absent (the
"paraglacial" period of Ryder, 1971a and Church and Ryder, 1972). As slopes relaxed and forests
spread over the region, basin-scale erosion rates declined as indicated, for example, by decreasing
late Pleistocene and early Holocene sedimentation rates in the Champlain Basin (Freeman-Lynd et
al., 1980).
Palynological data, including those of Lin Li (1996), a recent UVM MS graduate, indicate
a continuous but evolving forest cover from 11-12 14C ka (Davis and Jacobson, 1985) until
historical times and are consistent with global circulation models suggesting that the period 9 to 6
14C ka may have been warmer, less moisture effective, and stormier in New England
(Brackenridge et al., 1988; Kutzback, 1987; Watts, 1979; Webb et al., 1987). Some workers
suggest that the pollen spectra reflecting this change indicate increased fire frequency (Jacobsen et
al., 1987) but little charcoal is found in New England lake sediment cores and foresters often refer
to the lowland vegetation of New England as “asbestos forests” (J. Clark, pers. comm.). Between
2 14C ka and the present, the increase of spruce and pine pollen suggests that the climate of eastern
North America was cooler and moister than it was in the preceding several thousand years
(Brackenridge et al., 1988; Watts, 1979). Until the late 1700's, much of New England remained
forested, although the forests may have been open woodlands with understory vegetation kept in
check by frequent Native American firing (Pyne, 1982).
Humid-region alluvial fans -- New England alluvial fans have never been studied in detail, but
elsewhere several workers have investigated the morphology, stratigraphy, and depositional
processes of humid-region fans, including: the non-glaciated southern Appalachians (Kochel,
1990; Mills, 1982; Mills, 1983; Kochel and Johnson 1984), the glaciated Coast Range of British
Columbia (Ryder, 1971b; Church and Ryder, 1972), and the British Isles (Wells and Harvey,
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1987). Various hillslope process are responsible for generating sediment deposited on these fans.
Paraglacial sedimentation is indicated for fans that are graded to now-dry glacial lakes (DeSimone
and Dethier, 1992). During the Holocene, gully erosion as a source of fan sediments would
require loss of anchoring vegetation and the permeable duff layer, perhaps the result of intense fire
followed by heavy rains, or colonial land clearance for agriculture (Pierson, 1980). Landsliding
requires an increase in pore pressure (heavy rainfall) or a decrease in the apparent cohesion
provided by tree roots (fire or disease). Importantly, southern Appalachian landslides and debris
flows that deposited material on fans down slope, were generated under heavy forest cover by
massive rainfalls from hurricanes and tropical storms (Kochel, 1987; Neary et al., 1986; Williams
and Guy, 1973). Because hurricanes and other moisture-laden storms of tropical and/or Atlantic
origin do influence interior New England (Coch, 1994), it is likely that discrete storms are directly
responsible, if Kochel's model is correct, for most of the deposition on Vermont fans. Dethier et
al. (1992) report a rainfall-induced landslide and debris flow in the mountains of western
Massachusetts and Kochel (1990) presents a number of examples from the northeast, including one
each from Vermont (Ratte and Rhodes, 1977), New York (Bogucki, 1977), and New Hampshire
(Flaccus, 1958).
Kochel and Johnson (1984) and Kochel (1987) used radiocarbon dating of soil organic
matter and dispersed charcoal to constrain the age of deposition on southern Appalachian fans.
Their data indicate that most fans began to aggrade about 11.0 14C ka (Kochel and Johnson, 1984;
Kochel, 1987) and that these fans have aggraded episodically (at least three events) during the
Holocene. Kochel (1987) interprets radiocarbon ages of basal fan deposits as indicative of the
time at which the polar front had retreated far enough north so that warm, moist tropical air masses
(and the potential for very heavy rainfall) could again reach the southern Appalachians. He
predicts that basal ages of fans should decrease northward reflecting retreat of Laurentide ice and
consequently the polar front. The basal ages of the first two fans we have studied extensively in
Vermont are 7.8 and 8.5 14C ky BP, consistent with Kochel's prediction that fans reflect largescale, post-glacial environmental change.
Lacustrine sediments -- Sediment in lakes is organic and inorganic; it is derived both from
terrestrial sources and from primary lacustrine productivity. Lake sediments provide a temporal
record of the physical and chemical state of a lake and the surrounding watershed over time. In
particular, lake sediments preserve a datable and decipherable record of terrestrial sediment input
events. Such events are characterized by an increased abundance of inorganic sediment and by the
nature of organic material delivered to the lake and incorporated in the sedimentary record.
The relative amount of organic and inorganic sediment can be estimated by simple and
economical loss-on-ignition (LOI) which approximates total organic carbon. Although LOI has
been performed on cores collected for dozens of pollen studies in New England, the resolution is
typically less than that required to identify specific depositional events and pollen cores are
typically collected from lake basins chosen to minimize rather than maximize terrestrial inputs.
Recent research in Maine (C. Dorion, pers. comm.) has demonstrated the utility of LOI in dating
lacustrine sedimentation events which appear to be triggered by the Younger Dryas climatic
oscillation. (Weddle et al., 1994; Thompson et al., 1996).
Stable carbon isotope geochemistry provides a tool for distinguishing the two primary
sources of organic matter (OM) incorporated into lake sediments because allochthonous detrital
OM from the surrounding watershed is in general less depleted in 13C than autochthonous OM
produced in the lake by aquatic organisms such as macrophytes and phytoplankton. Thus, the
carbon isotope signature recorded in the organic fraction of the lake sediments allows us to
determine how the loading of terrestrial versus lacustrine organic carbon changed over time (e.g.,
Stuiver, 1975; Håkansson, 1985). The integration of the isotope data with LOI and sediment grain
size and mineralogy, allows one to quantify, through time, the input of terrestrial (allocthonous)
versus lacustrine (autochthonus) carbon and sediment (Lini et al., 1995).
Human Impact -- Colonial settlers cleared trees from over 85% of Vermont prior to the Civil War
(Severson, 1991) and used the deforested hillslopes for farming and grazing livestock. Data from
the mid-Atlantic states show that hillslopes there eroded rapidly in response to similar land-use
changes (Costa, 1975). We have found no similar hillslope data for glaciated regions (except those
that we have gathered to date) but several investigators have noted marked historical aggradation
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on flood plains of New England’s major rivers (P. Thomas, pers. comm. and Brackenridge et al.,
1988). This overbank sediment, rich in cultural debris, could have several sources. It may have
been eroded directly from the hillslopes denuded by agriculture or its source could be incision and
reworking of alluvial sediment stored in deposits on lower order tributaries. The transitory
expansion, during the mid 1800's, of major river deltas built into Lake Champlain, testifies to the
amount of sediment rapidly mobilized as a result of colonial deforestation (Severson, 1991).
Historical Storms -- The last major hurricane to impact New England directly was the 1938
cyclone that made landfall across Long Island as a category 3 storm (Coch, 1994). Damage from
the storm was extensive and significant deforestation occurred over much of its track through
Massachusetts and New Hampshire (Coch, pers. comm.). Newspaper articles from the period
indicate that precipitation-induced landslides did occur in Vermont. Conversely, a smaller
convective storm in November, 1927 generated the “flood of record” for much of northwestern
Vermont and is estimated to have caused the highest river stages since at least 1830 (Toppin et al.,
1992).
Initial Data
My students, collaborators, and I have already gathered a variety of data that strongly
suggest that the project we propose will succeed. Our research so far has been concentrated in
northwestern Vermont. We propose to expand our field area to all of New England and the eastern
and northern parts of New York because we seek to establish regional patterns and the features we
seek to study are well developed in this region. Working within a day’s drive of Burlington
minimizes travel costs, is conducive to long and productive field days, and expedites the training
of MS and undergraduate students. Below we describe briefly the data we have collected.
Humid-region alluvial fans -- Our initial work (Church and Bierman, 1994, 1995; Baldwin et al.,
1995; Zehfuss and Bierman, 1996) suggests that small, post-glacial alluvial fans preserve a datable
sequence of deposits and paleosols, the volume and age of which can be used to calculate
minimum rates of hillslope denudation, identify discrete periods of increased hillslope erosion, and
constrain periods of relative hillslope stability when soil formation occurred on the fan surfaces.
Extensive mapping by an undergraduate thesis student (Zehfuss) has shown that fans are most
frequently found on fluvial terraces below terrace risers or hillslopes thinly covered by till or
glaciolacustrine sediments.
Every backhoe trench cut into a fan has revealed abundant, datable organic material,
including wood, charcoal, and leaf mats preserved within a distinct stratigraphy of silts, sands,
gravel, and cobbles (Fig. 1). Most beds are massive or very poorly stratified, although there are
occasional thin (≈ 10 cm) beds of well sorted, clast-supported gravel scattered throughout many
sections, as well as organic-rich (>15% organic C) laminae that may represent decomposed leaf
mats or concentrations of finely disseminated charcoal. We have radiocarbon dated 14 samples of
wood and charcoal from five alluvial fans (Church and Bierman, 1994, 1995; Zehfuss and
Bierman, 1996). On one fan, we have sufficient radiocarbon and stratigraphic data to constrain
minimum sediment accumulation rates over much of the Holocene (Fig 2.). Basal ages of 7800
and 8500 14C years BP from this and another fan suggest that deposition was rapid during the
early Holocene, a period for which New England pollen data suggest a less moisture-effective
climate and greater storm frequency (Jacobsen et al., 1987). Deposition rates declined during the
mid-Holocene, a period where the increase of spruce in the pollen record suggests a cool, moist
climate, but rates increased dramatically during historic times. In this and all other fans, we have
identified a well-developed, buried paleosol, a dark, organic-rich A horizon overlying a reddened
B horizon (Fig. 1). In four trenches on different fans, we have obtained radiocarbon dates of wood
and charcoal just above this prominent paleosol; all of these ages were “modern”, indicating that a
period of landscape stability sufficient for soil development was followed by rapid deposition of
between 1 m and 4 m of historic sediment, almost certainly related to land clearance and
agricultural practices.
Fans in Vermont are smaller than humid fans reported elsewhere, are not topographically
constrained, and do not have through-going drainages at their toe. The last two observations
suggest that Vermont fans are less prone to reworking by subsequent flows than those in the
8
southern Appalachians. The 22 fans we have examined so far in Vermont are less coarse, better
sorted, and far more intricately stratified than those in the southern Appalachians. Every Vermont
fan we have trenched so far contains abundant wood and charcoal in most strata allowing us to
produce a detailed and reliable chronology of deposition.
Stable carbon isotopes and Loss-on-ignition (LOI) in lacustrine sediments -Detailed stable carbon isotope analysis and cm-by-cm LOI have been performed on core
samples we have collected from two Ponds, Ritterbush and Sterling (Lini et al., 1995). Sterling
has a small (0.25 km2), low relief (40 m) drainage basin and is predominately spring fed.
Ritterbush has a larger (2 km2), higher relief (>200 m) drainage basin and is fed by several
streams. Both ponds are located in metamorphic, virtually carbonate-free bedrock, at elevations
of 317 and 917 m, respectively. Cores from these lakes, collected during the winter of 1994-95
were used for a palynological project characterizing the post-glacial revegetation history of
northern Vermont (Lin et al., 1995, 1996).
Sediment from Ritterbush pond shows episodic shifts in LOI and δ13C (Fig. 3 ).
The Corg-poor sands at the bottom of the core have TOC δ13C values fluctuating between 24 and -26‰, indicative of terrestrial carbon carried in from the watershed. The 14C age of
the bottom sediments is >12 ky. A remarkable negative shift (over 10‰) in the δ13C
values correlates with the first appearance of organic carbon-rich layers interpreted as the
beginning of lacustrine primary productivity. In the rest of the core, the pattern of δ13C
fluctuations reflects the alternating lithology, i.e. more negative δ13C values (-30 to -34‰)
are found in the Corg-rich gytja and less negative δ13C values (-26 to -28‰) in silty and
sandy layers. Although terrestrial plants are known to have carbon isotope compositions as
low as -32‰ (their average δ13C is -27‰), the correlation between lithology and δ13C
suggests that the observed major variations in δ13C are related to the changing ratio of
lacustrine (autochthonous) to terrestrial (allochthonous) OM in the sediment. The 10‰
shift towards very negative TOC δ13C in the lower part of the core implies that primary
productivity was not a significant contributor of sedimentary OM in Ritterbush Pond until
12,000 14C y BP. The LOI and δ13C records are, in general, well correlated, increasing our
confidence that together they can be used to indicate episodic and unusually large inputs of
terrestrial sediment to the lake. Furthermore, because macrofossils are usually absent in
the lower sections of cores, we can use δ13C as a screening tool to ensure that we are 14Cdating OM resulting from primary lacustrine productivity, rather than reworked
disseminated, possibly older, carbon. The Sterling Pond record shows much smaller δ13C
shifts during the Holocene than Ritterbush Pond, consistent with the absence of significant
LOI variations and the small, low relief nature of the drainage basin (Lini et al., 1995).
Our initial results show that the isotopic composition of sedimentary carbon can be used
to reconstruct past changes in the relative contributions of terrestrial and lacustrine organic
matter to lacustrine sediments. Thus, δ13C analyses along with radiocarbon dating and LOI
measurements, will allow us to determine the occurrence and timing of terrestrially derived
sediment horizons in lake sediment cores as well as to date the onset of significant post-glacial
lacustrine primary productivity as a function of location and elevation.
Comparison of Fan and Pond Data -Within the limited resolution of our initial dating, fan and lake deposition are broadly
synchronous (Table 1). Four of the five alluvial fans we have studied show 30 to 50% of fan
aggradation occurred during a short time after fan deposition began, 8530-8060 14C y BP, 7835 to
7360 14C y BP, 1850-1900 14C y BP, and at 2500 14C y BP. The fifth fan aggraded over 4 m since
100 14C y BP (historic).
The age of terrestrial deposition in Ritterbush Pond is less certain because we do not yet
have sufficient 14C dating control to chose between different models for age/depth relationships.
Five, first-order excursions are present in the LOI record, four of which are reflected in the δ13C
measurements. A sixth excursion is present in the δ13C which is not shown by the LOI. Numerous
lower amplitude excursions are also present in the LOI record. To establish firmly the age of LOI
and δ13C excursions (sedimentation events), we would need to have dated organic material from
directly above and below each sedimentation event. We are requesting sufficient funds to develop
such high resolution, event-based chronologies.
9
Never-the-less, existing 14C data demonstrate that significant deposition occurred on fans
ALD 4 and 5 during the Late Holocene (1850 to 2500 14C y BP), coincident with the period during
which Ritterbush sedimentation events IV and V occurred (1800 to 2700 14C y). High rates of
sedimentation on the Moultrop and Audubon fans (7360 to 8530 14C y BP), are coincident with the
time during which sedimentation events II and III occurred at Ritterbush (6490 to 9500 14C y BP).
It is also striking that we have documented no fan aggradation events during the period 6500 to
2500 14C y when sedimentation events are absent from the Ritterbush core (340 to 170 cm). As
mentioned earlier, pollen data have been used to suggest that the Early Holocene was stormy and
that the Late Holocene was wet in New England. It appears that our sediment deposition records
are consistent with other researcher’s, pollen-based, interpretation of mid-Holocene cliamte
stability for New England.
Existing Linkages Between Research and Education
Students, both in classes and as independent researchers, have been an integral part of the
pond and fan research completed so far. Alluvial fans were the focus of theses by Paul Zefhuss
(BS) and Amy Church (MS). Working with Tim Whalen (MS) and Chris Valin (BS) who are
studying Holocene River terraces and Kristine Bryan (BS) who used glacial sediments to
reconstruct ice retreat patterns, these students have gathered the primary data upon that much of
our future work will build. Not only has each of these students collected data and made GSA
presentations, they have all brought my classes into their field areas, trenches, and gravel pits. My
Geomorphology class dug and described large shovel trenches into fans and terraces where we
could not use backhoes. My Geohydrology class gathered the bathymetric data that guided our
coring at Ritterbush Pond. I have attempted to make many of my labs and class exercises relate
directly to work my students and I are currently doing. I have started a Web page that is updated
regularly and builds these links; it is a required reference for the Geomorphology class and a
means by which they learn what their peers are doing
(http://beluga.uvm.edu/geowww/geomorph.html).
Plan of Work
Fieldwork for this project will take place in the mountainous regions of northern New York
and New England so that students can realistically and cost-effectively be involved in all facets of
the research. We plan four years of investigation including summers of trenching and isotopic
analyses, falls and springs of mapping and surveying, and winters of core collection, laboratory
analyses, and data reduction. Over the course of the project, at least three graduate students will be
supported to complete Masters theses and at least three undergraduates will receive support to do
independent research. Bierman will directly oversee much of the field work and sediment core
processing. Isotope lab director, Andrea Lini, will oversee δ13C analyses. Bruce Watson (retired
Vermont state soil scientist) and Peter Thomas (director, UVM Consulting Archeology program)
will provide soil science and trench logging assistance. Tom Davis (Bentley College) will assist
with sediment core collection. We anticipate continued collaboration with Lucinda McWeeney
(Yale) and Ray Spear (SUNY Geneseo) to whom we have currently offered our dated cores to
establish macrofossil and pollen records, respectively.
Site Selection -- Our study sites will be selected to represent regions of significant topography
throughout New England. We anticipate sampling fans and lakes in the Adirondacks (NY), the
Green Mountains (VT), the Berkshires (MA), western Connecticut, the White Mountains (NH) and
western and central Maine. We will attempt to distribute our sample sites as widely as possible
and will attempt to contact and work with colleagues in these areas to assist with site selection.
We anticipate that several weeks of field checking will be required to verify sites selected on the
basis of map-based initial screening.
Alluvial Fans-- Bierman, along with undergraduates and graduate students, will characterize the
distribution, morphometry, and volume of post-glacial fans and their source basins in selected
areas of northern New England using topographic maps, low-level aerial photography, field
mapping, and Total Station surveying. Using soil augers and shovel pits, we will continue to
10
document the subsurface stratigraphy of numerous fans before selecting 15-20 fans for detailed
study using backhoe trenches. The selection of these fans will be based on their location near a
lake we plan to sample, our ability to trench through the fan, and landowner permission. Fan
trenches will be logged and samples of wood and charcoal will be collected for radiocarbon
analyses. We will characterize grain-size distributions on samples from each trench in order to
understand better the processes of deposition using the grain size distribution - facies relationships
of Wells and Harvey (1987).
Lake Sediment Cores -- Bierman, Davis, and Lini, along with undergraduates and graduate
students, will select 15-20 lakes and ponds for coring, in addition to the two investigated thus far
(Ritterbush and Sterling). We will select water bodies with steep, sizable drainage basins in order
to increase the chance of basin erosion during heavy rains and consequently, the deposition of
terrestrial material in the ponds. A pair of overlapping sediment cores will be collected from the
deepest part of each lake using a modified Livingstone coring system during the winter when lake
surfaces are frozen. Lake bathymetry, where it has not already been measured, will be determined
by soundings through the ice. The cores, which we expect to be 5-7 m long, will be extruded in
the lab and sampled continuously for LOI and at 5 to 10 cm intervals for stable carbon isotope
analyses. Samples for radiocarbon dating will be collected above and below event horizons in
order to constrain better their ages. Event horizons will be sampled for stable carbon isotope
analysis.
Isotopic analyses will be performed on cryogenically purified CO2 gas produced by the
combustion of acidified, filtered samples in sealed quartz tubes containing CuO and Cu (modified
Dumas combustion). Detailed sedimentological characterization of the cores will be performed
including the analysis of grain size distribution in detrital beds, a proxy for the magnitude of
detrital input and a test for graded bedding that would imply bed deposition in a single hydrologic
event. Radiocarbon dating of organic matter from the cores will be performed by AMS at
Lawrence Livermore. If we find macrofossils by sieving, they will be dated in preference to gytja.
Samples will be provided upon request to Ray Spear and Lucinda McWeeney for pollen and
macrofossil analysis, respectively, although funding for such work is not included in this proposal.
In selected cores, we will count charcoal abundance in order to estimate fire frequency.
Data Interpretation and Integration-- Data reduction and interpretation will be done by faculty,
and by students under direct faculty supervision. The project will support 5 or 6 theses, each of
which will have an individual focus appropriate for the students involved. However, the
successful completion of the proposed research demands that the data sets are carefully and
thoroughly integrated. This integration will be done initially by the students in both informal
settings and in the context of seminars led by Bierman. Overall integration and the preparation of
a summary publication will be done by Bierman and collaborators, in particular Lini and Davis,
after the student projects are completed.
As primary data are being gathered, we will compare the various records generated and
adjust our sampling strategy to emphasize different locations if necessary. Specifically:
For each studied fan, stratigraphy, radiocarbon ages, and fan volume will be used to date
specific depositional events and estimate rates of fan deposition over time. Aggradation curves
(volume/time) for different fans will be compared and a normalized curve representing
deposition on all fans will be generated for the northeastern United States. Frequency analysis
will be used to determine whether the group of radiocarbon ages we measured has specific
modes possibly indicative of discrete periods of increased deposition (c.f., in a different
climate regime, Meyer et al., 1992). Maps will be made showing the spatial distribution of
depositional activity on fans in the northeastern United States as a function of time.
For each lake sediment core collected, we will use radiocarbon ages, δ13C, and LOI-based
inorganic sediment accumulation rates to determine the timing of sediment input events.
Similar to the fan data, we will generate a normalized curve for sediment deposition events in
northeastern ponds. Frequency analysis will again be used to determine whether the group of
event ages measured has specific modes indicative of discrete periods of increased
sedimentation, regionally. By mapping the distribution of sedimentation events as a function
11
of time, we have the potential to detect regional and subregional patterns of lacustrine
sedimentation and by extension, hillslope erosion.
We will compare fan and pond data in several ways. We will select sites so that for every
sampled pond, we sample a fan as close as possible to the pond. A site by site, pair-wise
comparison of these data will suggest whether these two different archives, when affected by
the same local hydrologic conditions, preserve similar records, or whether one is a more
sensitive indicator than the other. We will make a similar pair-wise comparison of the
normalized, aggregate event records for fans and ponds, to determine whether they reflect
similar responses, regionally. Comparing regionalized records will indicate whether the most
significant events affect both fans and ponds and will illustrate the differing sensitivity of these
two systems to regional and local events.
By mapping the distribution of events recorded in both archives as a function of time, we hope
to identify the paths of major storms. For example, my 1996 Geohydrology class used flow
data they downloaded from the Web to estimate the recurrence interval of floods generated
from the 1938 hurricane, the last major hurricane to strike New England. The hydrologic data
they compiled reproduce the storm track well. We plan to take the same approach with the
event data gathered during this study. Temporally coherent depositional events in lakes
separated by 10s to 100s of kilometers would indicate regional-scale controls on hillslope
stability and potentially allow us to identify the tracks of large storms such as hurricanes or
nor’easters. Non-regional events would reflect local thunderstorms or changes in vegetation
and have little spatial or temporal coherence. We will use our spatial and temporal data to
calculate the recurrence interval of any storm capable of causing disturbance sufficient to result
in pond or fan sedimentation.
Dissemination of results -- I, along with students and collaborators, will disseminate results rapidly
to the geologic community at such traditional forums as GSA and AGU national and regional
meetings. We will publish findings, on a timely basis, in peer-reviewed journals with national and
international circulation.
Over the course of the study, we will develop an interactive Web site that will include all
data we gather as soon as results become available. This will be done so that our data are
accessible to other researchers, several of us working on the project can easily share data, and the
data can be used by others for teaching. For example, core photographs will be posted to the Web
as soon as each core is processed. Later, as measurements are completed, downloadable files for
LOI and δ13C will be added. Alluvial fan stratigraphic logs will be juxtaposed with trench
photographs and presented alongside topographic surveys and cross-sections. As the project
evolves, we will develop animations showing episodic fan development and the progression of
landslide-generated turbidites across ponds. General site location maps will be linked with a click
to photographs, descriptions and data from each of our sample sites. We envision this Web site as
a dynamic data source and archive for many other scientists and educators inside and outside of
UVM.
The Web site will also contain a variety of learning modules geared toward students of
different ages and based in large part on the data collected. These sites will be interactive and will
attempt to present broad concepts about which the students will be encouraged to develop
questions that they will go on to answer using our data as well as data they collect themselves. For
example, we could state that settlers influenced the Vermont landscape and direct the students to
come up with specific research questions related to determining the magnitude and type of the
impact. The Web site will contain some of the data needed to answer these questions, but
additional data might come from students’ local historical societies, town offices, and
grandparents. Our learning modules will hint at such directions as well as provide archival
photographs, interesting quotations and anecdotal information that can make human interaction
with the landscapes, water, and severe storms much more tangible and interesting at any level.
Bringing my classroom to the field -- My classes will be involved in this Career proposal.
Graduate seminars will spend significant time on the problems raised by this research. Fan
12
trenches in Vermont will be scheduled so that Geomorphology students have the opportunity to log
them as they have the past two years. Geohydrology students will gather bathymetric data from
ponds that we will core and assist in coring, as they have done before. Students in both of these
classes will use data on the Web site as the basis for assigned calculations. In the summer, high
school teachers and students involved in UVM Geology-sponsored programs will visit the fans,
dig shovel pits, and use the Web site to see for themselves the dramatic impact of deforestation on
the Vermont landscape.
13
Research and Teaching Accomplishments
The University of Vermont provides an exceptional intellectual and physical setting where the
full spectrum of educational and research activities are encouraged and rewarded. UVM is large
enough to contain a stimulating diversity of faculty and small enough to encourage intensive
collaboration. For geologists, Burlington is the center of a magnificent outdoor laboratory in which I
and others in our department unabashedly integrate field-based education and research.
UVM has provided an environment in which my students and I have thrived. My research
accomplishments and potential have been recognized by the Geological Society of America, which
this year selected me as the recipient of the Donath Medal for Young Scientists. One of my students,
Amy Church, received the GSA Mackin award, two of my students were nominated as outstanding
speakers at GSA northeastern, and two others have been asked by GSA to prepare press releases
about their research.
I have received several grants that have supported six MS students, a doctoral student, a
technician, and the operation of my laboratory. Funding from these grants has been used to prepare
samples, make > 800 accelerator analyses, and provide the data for 33 abstracts and 12 papers. Work
done under grants I wrote at the University of Washington resulted in 10 abstracts and 5 papers.
US ARO, 1995-1997, Numerical Validation Of Isotopic Methods For Determining Erosion
Rates, $44,000, supporting UVM Ph.D. candidate (Clapp) in Natural Resources,
producing public domain isotope calibration and hillslope models: 1 paper, 4 abstracts.
USGS, 1995-1997, Characterizing Ground Water Flow in a Vermont Upland Basin, $47,000,
supporting two UVM Geology MS students (Abbott and Autrey), weekly precipitation
and groundwater sampling for δ18O, groundwater model development: 3 abstracts.
NSF Polar Programs, 1994-1997, Deglacial History of Baffin Island through 26Al and 10Be,
$50,000, supporting UVM Geology MS student (Marsella) and 2 undergraduates,
collection and processing of 170 samples: 8 abstracts.
NSF Hydrologic Science, 1993-1995, Estimating Basin-Scale Erosion Rates Using Cosmogenic
Isotopes, $98,988, supported technician and UVM Geology MS student, processing and
analysis of > 150 samples: MS thesis (Larsen), 9 papers, 11 abstracts.
Lintilhac Foundation, 1994-1996, Processes and Timing of Vermont Deglaciation, $32,500
and UVM Committee on Research and Scholarship, 1994, Chronology of Vermont
Deglaciation, $4,000: supported UVM Geology MS student (Lin), 6 abstracts.
University of Vermont and Lintilhac Foundation, 1994-1997, Graphical Computing Facility,
$12,800 and Geology Computing Facility for Interactive Learning, $40,000.
NSF Surface Processes (CoI), 1990-1992, Exposure Age Determination Using Cosmogenic
Isotopes, $88,000: my Ph.D., senior honors thesis (Jill Turner, UW), 6 papers, 6 abstracts.
USGS NEHRP (CoI), 1989-1992, Neotectonic Activity on the Lone Pine Fault, $57,000: my
MS, 6 papers, 6 abstracts.
In the three years I have been at UVM, I have developed an undergraduate (ug) and graduate
(gr) curriculum in surface processes where none previously existed. I have taught or co-taught the
following courses, all of that have been repeatedly at or near their enrollment limits.
Geomorphology (30 students) Broad mix of process and landscape history (ug)
Geohydrology (20 students) Intensive, field-based, water and geologic processes (ug+gr)
Environmental Geology Seminar (15 students) Readings, student-lead discussion (gr)
Surface Processes and Quaternary Seminar (15 students) Readings, student-lead discussion (gr)
Regional Geology (30 students) 3 week field classes, California and Washington (ug)
Introduction to Graduate Studies (7 students) required of new graduate students (gr)
14
Departmental Endorsement
On behalf of the faculty of the Department of Geology at the University of Vermont
(UVM), I have the pleasure of endorsing Dr. Paul R. Bierman’s proposal for a NSF Faculty Early
Career Development (CAREER) Award. To do so, acknowledges the very strong partnership of
the department and the institution in the research and education development plan outlined in the
proposal.
Dr. Bierman's research centers on the fundamental problem of establishing rates of
geomorphic processes. In his effort, he employs both traditional field observations and new
analytical techniques. The breadth of questions that contributes to this focus, and the range of
methods he uses, makes his research accessible to students at all levels. He has set new standards
at UVM for integration of his research into classroom activities and involvement of students in
scientific inquiry. At the same time, through his work with new analytical approaches, he has
assumed a position of leadership in the external research community. His work was formally
acknowledged this year by the Geological Society of America which awarded him the Donath
Medal for Research by a Young Scientist.
The CAREER program is in keeping with Dr. Bierman’s initiative to establish a broadbased study of post-glacial landscape evolution in New England. The proximity of UVM to field
sites throughout New England allows students at all levels to participate in the work. The local
work also opens opportunities for outreach to Vermont constituencies, especially K-12 education
which has long been given high priority by the Department. The Department’s leadership in the
Governor’s Institute for Science Learning and participation in the state-wide education initiative,
Vermont Institute of Science Math and Technology (VISMT), are two examples. Our Perkins
Geology Museum and Web site, supported by department funds, will serve as an established base
to disseminate research generated by this CAREER plan to the public and other research groups.
The department has committed substantial support for research activities for both
undergraduate and graduate students in a number of ways. Some of the support is financial, in
allocation of resources for students to present research at regional and national meetings; we
continue the support of new laboratory space, computer facilities, web page development and
flexible curricular opportunities which are very much related to the success of Dr. Bierman’s
student-based research and teaching activities. Indeed, we are presently restructuring our
undergraduate curricula, especially the second year experience, based in part on Dr. Bierman’s
leadership and success in involving students early and fully with field based societally important
questions.
Institutional support has also come from a variety of sources. Some is infrastructure
support in allocation and renovation of space associated with the laboratory facilities in the
Geology Department necessary to continue work with cosmogenic radionuclides. Department and
institutional support is also evident in giving Dr. Bierman the Spring, 1997 semester off from all
teaching duties in order to complete several manuscripts in preparation for a tenure decision in
1998. In addition, he has recently been enthusiastically supported by the University President to
represent UVM as its nominee for the 1996 NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowship.
Dr. Bierman is a prime example of an individual who can maintain active and significant
research activities at an institution whose dual mission is undergraduate education and graduate
research. The “fit” of Dr. Bierman for UVM’s program is superb. He has enjoyed the full support
and close mentoring of both myself and the previous chair, Professor Judy Hannah, both of whom
have followed his career path closely. He has the full support of the department and institution to
conduct his research and teaching activities and there is every indication that this support will
continue.
First Appointment date: 9/1/93
I have read and endorse this Career Development Plan.
15
Dr. Barry Doolan, Chairperson
October 15, 1996
16
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REFERENCES CITED
Baldwin, L., Bierman, P., Schwartz, A., Church, A. and Larsen, P. (1995) The effects of colonial
disturbance and subsequent reforestation on the Vermont landscape: Geological Society of
America Abstracts with Programs, 27(1), A28.
Bogucki, D. J., 1977, Debris slide hazards in the Adirondack province of New York State:
Environmental Geology, 12, 317-328.
Brackenridge, G. R., Thomas, P. A., Conkey, L. E. and Schiferle, J. C., 1988, Fluvial
sedimentation in response to postglacial uplift and environmental change, Missisquoi
River, Vermont: Quaternary Research, 30, 190-203.
Church, A. and Bierman, P. R., 1994, Post-Glacial Landscape Change In Northern Vermont:
Erosion And Sedimentation In The Winooski Basin: Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs, 26, A-301.
Clapp, E., Bierman, P. R., Church, A. B., Larsen, P. L., Schuck, R. A., and Hanzas, J. P., 1996,
Teaching Geohydrology through analysis of groundwater resources and glacial geology,
northwestern Vermont: Journal of Geologic Education, v. 44, no. 45-51.
Church, A. and Bierman, P., 1995, Episodic fan aggradation in the Winooski drainage basin,
northwestern Vermont. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 27(1),
A36.
Church, M. and Ryder, J. M., 1972, Paraglacial sedimentation: a consideration of fluvial processes
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Clark, J. S., 1988, Stratigraphic charcoal analysis on petrographic thin sections: Application to fire
history in northwestern Minnesota: Quaternary Research, 30, 81-91.
Coch, N. K., 1994, Geologic effects of hurricanes: in M. Morisawa, Geomorphology and natural
hazards, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 37-64.
Costa, J. E., 1975, Effects of agriculture on erosion and sedimentation in the Piedmont province,
Maryland: Geological Society of America Bulletin, 86, 1281-1286.
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DeSimone, D. J. and Dethier, D. P., 1992, Ice retreat, stagnation and the extent of Lake Bascom in
Pownal, Vermont: Northeastern Geology, 14, 145-155.
Dethier, D. P., Longstreth, B., Maxwell, K., McMillin, S., Scott, J., Small, E. and Weng, K., 1992,
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origin and distribution of subbottom sediment in southern Lake Champlain: Quaternary
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Håkansson, S., 1985, A review of various factors influencing the stable carbon isotope ratio of
organic lake sediments by the change from glacial to post-glacial environmental
conditions: Quaternary Science Reviews, 4, 135-146.
Jacobsen, G. L., Webb, T. and Grimm, E. C., 1987, Patterns and rates of vegetation change during
the deglaciation of eastern north America: in W. F. Ruddiman and H. E. Wright, North
America and adjacent oceans during the last deglaciation, Geological Society of America,
Boulder, K-3, 277-288.
19
Kochel, R. C., 1987, Holocene debris flows in central Virginia: Geological Society of America
Reviews in Engineering Geology, 7, 139-155.
Kochel, R. C., 1990, Humid Fans of the Appalachian Mountains: in A. H. Rachocki and M.
Church, Alluvial Fans: A Field Approach, John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 109-129.
Kochel, R. C., and Johnson, R. A., 1984, Geomorphology and sedimentology of humid-temperate
alluvial fans, central Virginia: Sedimentology of gravels and conglomerates: Canadian
Society of Petroleum Geologists Memoirs, 10, 109-122.
Kutzback, J. E., 1987, Model simulations of the climatic patterns during the deglaciation of North
America: in W. F. Ruddiman and H. E. Wright, North America and adjacent oceans during
the last deglaciation, Geological Society of America, Boulder, K-3, 425-446.
Lin, L., Bierman, P.R., Lini, A., and Spear, R., 1995, New AMS 14-C ages and pollen analyses
constrain timing of deglaciation and history of revegetation in northern New England: GSA
Abstracts, 27, 6, 58.
Lin, L., 1996, Quaternary environmental changes inferred from pollen analysis in ponds, Green
Mountains, Vermont, MS thesis, University of Vermont.
Lini, A., Bierman, P. R., Lin, L., and Davis, T. P., 1995, Stable carbon isotopes in post-glacial lake
sediments: A technique for timing the onset of primary productivity and verifying AMS
14-C dates: GSA Abstracts, 27, 6, 58.
Meyer, G., Wells, S. G., Balling, R. C. and Jull, A. J., 1992, Response of alluvial systems to fire
and climate change in Yellowstone National Park: Nature, 357, 147-150.
Mills, H. H., 1982, Long-term episodic deposition on mountain foot slopes in the Blue Ridge
Province of North Carolina; Evidence from relative-age dating: Southeastern Geology, 23,
123-128.
Mills, H. H., 1983, Piedmont evolution at Roan Mountain, North Carolina: Geografiska Annaler,
65A, 111-126.
Neary, D. G., Swift, L. W., Jr., Manning, D., and Burns, R. G., 1986, Debris avalanching in the
Southern Appalachians; An influence on forest soil formation: Soil Science Society of
American Journal, 50, 465-471.
Pierson, T. C., 1980, Erosion and deposition by debris flows at Mt. Thomas, New Zealand: Earth
Surface Processes, 5, 227-247.
Pyne, S. J., 1982, Fire in America: Princeton University Press, Princeton, 654.
Ratte, C. A., and Rhodes, D. D., 1977, Hurricane-induced landslides on Dorset Mountain,
Vermont: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program, 9, 311.
Ryder, J. M., 1971a, Some aspects of the morphometry of paraglacial alluvial fans in south central
British Columbia: Canadian Journal of Earth Science, 8, 1254-1264.
Ryder, J. M., 1971b, The stratigraphy and morphology of paraglacial alluvial fans in south-central
British Columbia: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 8, 279-298.
Severson, J. P., 1991, Patterns and causes of 19th and 20th century shoreline changes of the
Winooski Delta: University of Vermont, Field Naturalist Program, MS.
Stuiver, M., 1975, Climate versus changes in 13C content of the organic component of lake
sediments during the Late Quaternary: Quaternary Research, 5, 251-262.
Stuiver, M. and Reimer, P. J., 1993, Extended 14C database and revised CALIB radiocarbon
calibration program: Radiocarbon, 35, 215-230.
Toppin, K. W., K. E. McKenna, J. E. Cotton, and S. M. Flanagan, 1992, Water resources data,
New Hampshire and Vermont, water year 1992: USGS Water data report, v. NH-VT-92-1.
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Thompson, W. B., Fowler, B.K, Flanagan, S.M., Dorion, C.C., 1996, recession of the late
Wisconsinan ice sheet from the northwestern White Mountains, New Hampshire, in Van
Baalen, M.. (ed.), Guidebook to Field Trips in northern New Hampshire and adjacent
regions of Maine and Vermont, NEIGC, 88th Annual Meeting, Mount Washington, New
Hampshire, p. 203-234.
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coastal plain: Ecological Monographs, 49, 427-469.
Webb, T., Bartlein, P. and Kutzbach, J. E., 1987, Climatic change in eastern North America during
the past 18,000 years; comparisons of pollen data with model results: in W. F. Ruddiman
and H. E. Wright, North America and adjacent oceans during the last deglaciation,
Geological Society of America, Boulder, K-3, 447-462.
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alluvial fans, Howgill Fells, northwest England: Geological Society of America Bulletin,
98, 182-198.
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Virginia 1969: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 804, 80.
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Biographical Sketch -- Paul R. Bierman -- Assistant Professor of Geology
Department of Geology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405
Research and Teaching Interests
Geomorphology, Isotope and Low-temperature Geochemistry, Geohydrology, Environmental
Geology, Glacial Geology, Human Impact on the Landscape
Academic Training
Ph.D., 1993, Geology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA with A. Gillespie
"Cosmogenic Isotopes and the Evolution of Granitic Landforms"
MS, 1990, Geology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA with A. Gillespie
"Accuracy and Precision of Rock Varnish Cation Ratio Dating"
BA, 1985, Geology and Environmental Studies, Williams College, Williamstown, MA
"Deglaciation of Northwestern Massachusetts," (cum laude and senior thesis)
Professional Experience
1993-present Assistant Professor University of Vermont
1992-1993
Lecturer University of Washington
1989-1992
Research Assistant University of Washington
1987-1989
Teaching Assistant University of Washington
1985-1987
Hydrogeologist and Project Manager Alliance Technologies, Bedford, MA
1985-1987
Instructor Museum of Science, Boston
1984-1985
Teaching Assistant Williams College, Williamstown, MA
Honors and Accomplishments
Donath Medal for Research by Young Scientist, Geological Society of America, 1996
Faculty Fellowship, University of Washington, 1992
Fuller Fellowship, University of Washington, 1991
Honorable Mention, NSF Graduate Fellowship, 1987 and 1988
Other Training and Skills
Designed, set-up and manage cosmogenic isotope extraction laboratory and technician
Experienced operator, scanning electron microscope, electron microprobe, AMS, and ICP
Global Positioning Systems, GSA Short Course, 1996
Ground Water Flow and Contaminant Transport, GSA Short Course, 1986
Geology Field Camp, University of Montana, Bozeman, 1983
Williams College -- Mystic Seaport Program in Maritime Studies, 1982
Professional Service
Panelist, National Science Foundation, Water and Watersheds competition, 1995
Session Chair, Geological Society of America National Meeting, 1994
Instructor, Geological Society of America National Meeting, Cosmogenic Isotopes and
Geomorphology Short-course, 1994 and 1995
Leader and Organizer, Geological Society of America Fieldtrip, Owens Valley, 1991
Leader, NAGT Fieldtrip, Williamstown Glacial Geology, 1986
Manuscript and Book Reviews for GEOLOGY, Geological Society of America Bulletin,
American Antiquity, Quaternary Research, Quaternary International, SCIENCE, GSA
Today, Chemical Geology
Personal Information
Born October 24, 1961; raised in Baltimore, Maryland; married 1994
Enjoy hiking, running, cross-country skiing, photography, home renovation
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Relevant Publications
Bierman, P. & Steig, E. (1996). Estimating rates of denudation and sediment transport using
cosmogenic isotope abundances in sediment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms,
21, 125-139.
Lin, L., Bierman, P. R., Lini, A. and Spear, R. (1995). New AMS 14C ages and pollen analyses
constrain timing of deglaciation and history of revegetation in northern New England.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 27(6) A-58 (National)
Whalen, T. N. and Bierman, P. R. (1995). River terraces as recorders of isostatic rebound in the
Champlain Basin, northwestern Vermont. Geological Society of America Abstracts with
Programs. 27(6) A-57 (National)
Church, A. and Bierman, P. (1995) Episodic fan aggradation in the Winooski drainage basin,
northwestern Vermont. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 27(1),
A36 ( Northeastern)
Baldwin, L., Bierman, P., Schwartz, A., Church, A. and Larsen, P. (1995) The effects of
colonial disturbance and subsequent reforestation on the Vermont landscape: Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 27(1), A28. (Northeastern)
Significant Publications
Bierman, P., Gillespie, A., Caffee, M. (1995). Cosmogenic Ages for Earthquake Recurrence
Intervals and Debris-Flow Fan Deposition, Owens Valley, CA. Science, 270, 447-450.
Bierman, P. and Turner, J. (1995). 10Be and 26Al evidence for exceptionally low rates of
bedrock erosion and the likely existence of pre-Pleistocene landforms. Quaternary
Research, 44, 378-381.
Bierman, P., Gillespie, A., Caffee, M. and Elmore, D. (1995). Estimating erosion rates and
exposure ages with 36Cl produced by neutron activation. Geochimica et Cosmochimica
Acta, 59, 3779-3798.
Bierman, P. (1994). Using in situ cosmogenic isotopes to estimate rates of landscape evolution:
A review from the geomorphic perspective. Journal of Geophysical Research (special
issue on Tectonics and Topography), 99, B-7, 13,885-13,896.
Bierman, P. & Gillespie, A. (1991). Range fires: A significant factor in exposure-age
determination and geomorphic surface evolution. Geology, 19, 641-644 and subsequent
comment and reply, Geology, 20, 283-285.
Graduate and Undergraduate Thesis Students
Erik Clapp, Natural Resources Ph.D., Models of land surface evolution using 10Be and 26Al
Mike Abbott, Geology MS, Isotopic characterization of groundwater on Mt. Mansfield
Sarah Brown, Geology MS, Episodic Holocene sedimentation from extreme storms
Amy Church, Geology MS, Holocene rates of surface change in northern Vermont
Kim Marsella, Geology MS, Deglacial chronology of Baffin Island
Timothy Whalen, Geology MS, Post-glacial geomorphic response of the Champlain Basin
Chris Valin, Geology BS, Winooski River terrace chronology
Nilah Mazza, Geology BS, Landslides in Virginia from heavy rains
David Shaw, Geology BS, River/Groundwater interaction
Lin Li, Geology MS, Vermont deglacial and Holocene history deduced from lake cores, 1996
Patrick Larsen, Geology MS, 10Be and 26Al production rates from Laurentide moraines, 1995
Parker Hackett, Geology BS, Weathering rates of Baffin Island moraine boulders, 1996
Paul Zehfuss, Geology BS, Vermont alluvial fan morphology and stratigraphy, 1996
Erin Golec, Geology BS, Impact of urbanization on stream water quality, 1995
Kristine Bryant, Geology BS w/honors, Glacial lake levels in the Winooski Basin, 1995
List of Collaborators and Advisors
Alan Gillespie, David Dethier, Douglas Clark, P. Thompson Davis, Minze Stuiver, Bruce
Nelson, David Elmore, Marc Caffee, Scott Kuehner, Eric Steig, John Southon
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BUDGET JUSTIFICATION
Salary -- The PI, Bierman, will be supported for four weeks during three summers of the project; he
requests no summer salary during the first summer of the project as he has outstanding commitments to
other research projects. During the summer and academic year, Bierman will assist the graduate and
undergraduate thesis students in mapping fans and collecting lake sediment cores as well as participate on a
daily basis in trench-logging, sample collection, and student supervision to ensure that stratigraphic logs
and sedimentologic interpretations are accurate. Bierman will use his last year of summer support to
coordinate interpretation and dissemination of results.
Graduate and Undergraduate Student Support -- Funding in this proposal will support student research and
training at the University of Vermont. During the first summer of the project, Bierman’s graduate student,
Sarah Brown, and an undergraduate will be supported to analyze sediment cores that we will collect during
winter (1996-1997). During the second summer of the project, two new graduate students and two
undergraduates will be supported to gather field data and make laboratory analyses. During the third
summer of the project, these graduate students will be supported to complete field mapping, reduce their
data, and complete their theses. During the academic year, one graduate student will be supported with a
research assistantship during the semester when he/she is doing fieldwork. Undergraduate and graduate
students will be employed to develop the interactive Web site with Bierman’s assistance. If possible, a
student will be recruited to complete a Masters in Teaching which will incorporate development of the
educational web-site in consultation with the Education Department and Computing Services at UVM.
Nearly one third of the project budget provides student support.
Travel -- Travel funds are included to send Bierman and students to scientific meetings for the purpose of
rapidly disseminating results and so that students can interact with other professionals. I view attendance at
professional meetings as a necessary part of students’ professional development. In the past several years, I
have supported both my graduate and undergraduate students so that they could present numerous abstracts
at regional and national meetings. Funding is requested for two trips each year by students to Livermore
National Laboratory to participate in AMS radiocarbon analyses. This arrangement gives rapid turn around
(< 1 week if trenching is timed to match the accelerator schedule), saves $200/sample, and allows students
to interact with laboratory personnel, participating in the analysis of their own samples. We also seek
funding for hotels in the winter when we are coring ponds in locations away from Burlington, as well as
camping fees for the summer when we are studying alluvial fans in other parts of the Northeast. We use
departmental vans for transportation and do not seek per diem for fieldwork. Mileage is requested for travel
of collaborators to field sites.
Contract Services and Supplies -- We seek funding for 60 AMS radiocarbon analyses for each of three
years; this amounts to about 6-8 analyses per trench and 8-10 analyses per lake sediment core. We realize
that these analyses represent a significant cost but argue that a large number of accurate and precise
radiocarbon analyses are fundamental to the successful completion of this project because such analyses
form the chronological framework upon which our geomorphic and hydrologic interpretations will be
based. The detailed and unique chronological investigation of hillslope and lacustrine activity that we
propose is possible only because of the frequency with which charcoal, wood, and macrofossils are
preserved in Vermont fans and lacustrine sediments. The cost of $300/sample is particularly reasonable in
light of Livermore's willingness to turn samples around quickly enough that our trenches can remain open
until radiocarbon dating is completed. A total of $9458 is sought for supplies and expendables necessary to
make stable isotopic analyses in the UVM laboratory. Our experience suggests that this amount should
cover materials and maintenance costs for 1000-1200 analyses, about 100 analyses per core. A small
amount of funding is also sought for film processing, meeting registrations (for Bierman and students), the
preparation of poster sessions, back hoe time, and consumables such as field notebooks, maps, aerial
photographs, glass sample vials, and film. Page charges are included for publication of our results.
Equipment -- We request $3000 for a Macintosh computer and 17” monitor, which will be installed
permanently (and securely) in the Perkins Geology Museum, on the first floor of our department. This
computer will be a dedicated, public, museum connection to the Internet and is an integral part of the
interactive display we plan for our findings. It will allow public access to our data. A three-inch diameter
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modified Livingstone corer will allow us to retrieve about 50% greater volume of sediment per core than
presently possible with the two inch diameter core we own.
EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES
The project we propose will make a significant contribution to the infrastructure of science by
training young scientists. Three graduate students and three undergraduates will be supported by this
project. The graduate students will have the opportunity not only to do research of a national caliber but, by
presenting their findings at national and regional scientific meetings, they also will be able to share their
findings and interact with other interested professionals. By analyzing their own samples at Livermore
Laboratory, they will learn, under the close supervision of Livermore staff scientists, how to use a state-ofthe-art analytical facility. We believe that the students will benefit greatly from interacting with
professionals in a non-academic setting. Undergraduates associated with the project will work directly with
faculty and graduate students in the field and the laboratory. UVM has a long history of independent
undergraduate research and we expect that the undergraduates involved in the project will use the data they
help gather to complete undergraduate theses. Involvement in this project will expose the students to a
variety of both field and analytical techniques and demand that they integrate these data. Because the
interactive Web site will function as growing and “real time” data repository, each of the students will
become proficient in site authoring and refining important computer presentation skills.
UNIVERSITY FACULTY, FACILITIES, AND OTHER RESOURCES
The University of Vermont Department of Geology has the facilities needed to complete the
proposed study successfully. For grain-size analyses, there are wet and dry sieve facilities, including
shakers and settling tubes; Prof. Robert Young is building an automated grain size analysis system that will
be available for our use. I have recently acquired a research-grade mirror stereoscope for air photo analysis
and a Pentax total station with data logging capabilities. We have a modified Livingstone coring system
and three department vans that will be used for field transport.
In addition to over 25 older, general use Macintosh computers, we have a Power PC/Pentium-based
graphics laboratory that includes a large digitizing tablet, slide maker, 11x17 laser printer, scanner, and four
computers. This lab will be used extensively for project-related graphics and is connected to the campuswide network allowing us to access and utilize GIS software and a variety of printers. Recent funding I
have acquired from UVM and a private foundation is allowing us to increase significantly our computing
capability. Next summer, Andrea Lini and I will oversee the construction and set-up of a new computer lab
dedicated to computer-assisted undergraduate learning.
The University of Vermont Stable Isotope laboratory is housed in the Geology Department. The
laboratory is equipped with a computer controlled SIRA II mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer is
able to analyze stable isotope ratios of C, O, N, and S. There is a multi-purpose gas extraction line that was
originally designed for the production of SO2 gas from sulfates and sulfides, and CO2 gas from carbonates.
The same extraction line is now extensively used for the preparation of gas samples needed for the isotopic
analysis of organic materials (CO2, N2) and natural waters (CO2). An additional extraction line is dedicated
exclusively to the processing of organic materials. We are also building a line for the preparation of small
organic samples and graphite for AMS dating at Livermore. The laboratory is climate controlled, equipped
with a refrigerated water recirculator, two fume hoods, a muffle furnace and a drying oven.
There are several other UVM faculty and scientists who will collaborate as needed. Peter Thomas
(UVM, Consulting Archeology Program and Anthropology) is an archeologist with a strong interest in soils
and Holocene surface processes; he has spent more than a decade logging trenches in Vermont, has helped us
log trenches in the past, and will continue to collaborate with us. Bruce Watson has extensive experience as a
soil scientist including 14 years as the USDA SCS state soil scientist for Vermont; he has and will assist us
describing soils in our fan trenches. Alan Cassell (UVM Natural Resources) is a fluvial hydrologist who we
will consult concerning run-off and sediment transport processes. Robert Young (UVM Geology) is a coastal
and wetlands geologist who will assist with core logging and sediment analysis. P. T. Davis (Bentley
College) has more than two decades of lake coring experience and will continue to assist us in core
collection. Andrea Lini runs the UVM Geology stable isotope mass spectrometry lab and will oversee
isotopic analyses and sample preparation.
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