Biography
Dr. John Gardner joined the Department of Geology and Environmental Science as an Assistant Professor in 2020. John was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow with Tamlin Pavelsky in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of North Carolina from 2018-2020. He received his Ph.D. in 2018 with Martin Doyle in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and his M.S. in 2014 with Thomas Fisher in the Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Science Program at the University of Maryland (Horn Point Laboratory).
- Research
- Recent Publications
- Publications
- Laboratory Members
Our lab studies how rivers, lakes, and their landscapes move, store, and transform water, sediment, and elements across continents. We aim to understand links between physical and ecological processes as well as the impacts of human activities on inland waters. We draw from disciplines such as hydrology, ecosystem ecology, and geomorphology, with particular interest in data-driven spatial approaches that combine in-situ sensors, satellite remote sensing, and data synthesis. Current research activities focus on human impacts on sediment delivery from continents to coasts, deciphering ecosystem processes from spatial patterns in water quality, and developing databases of inland water quality using satellite remote sensing.
Research Areas
Fox R, Fisher T, Gustafson A, Koontz E, Lepori-Bui M, Kvalnes K, Bunnell-Young D, Gardner J, Lewis J, Winsten J, Fisher K. (2021). An evaluation of the Chesapeake Bay management strategy to improve water quality in small agricultural watersheds. (Accepted in Journal of Environmental Management)
Topp S, Dugan H, Yang X, Gardner J, Ross M, Pavelsky T. (2021). Shifting patterns of summer lake color
phenology in over 26,000 US lakes. Water Resources Research. 57, e2020WR029123. 10.1029/2020WR029123
Gardner J, Ross M, Topp S, Yang X, Alteneau E, Pavelsky T. (2021). The color of rivers. Geophysical Research Letters. 48, e2020GL088946. 10.1029/2020GL088946. (covered by >150 media outlets including Associated Press, The Guardian, Salon, Nature, The Weather Channel, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, NASA Observer)
Gerson J, Topp S, Vega C, Gardner J, Yang X, Fernandez L, Bernhardt E, Pavelsky T. Artificial lake expansion amplifies mercury pollution from gold mining. (2020). Science Advances. 6:48. 10.1126/sciadv.abd4953. (covered by 9 media outlets such as AAAS EurekAlert and phys.org)
Allen G, Yang X, Gardner J, Holliman J, David C, Ross M. (2020). Timing of Landsat overpasses effectively captures river flow conditions of large rivers. Remote Sensing. 12:9. 10.3390/rs12091510
Gardner J, Ensign S, Houser J, Doyle M. Light exposure along particle flowpaths in large rivers. (2020). Limnology and Oceanography. 65:1, 128-142. 10.1002/lno.11256
Gardner J, Doyle M, Pavelsky T. The abundance, size, and spacing of lakes and reservoirs connected to river networks. (2019). Geophysical Research Letters. 46:5, 2592-2601. 10.1029/2018GL08084. (Top 10% most downloaded paper in GRL 2019)
Pivato M, Carniello L, Gardner J, Silvestri S, Marani M. (2018). Water and sediment temperature dynamics in shallow tidal environments: the role of the heat flux at the sediment-water interface. Advances in Water Research. 113, 126–140. 10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.01.009
Knee K, Gardner J, Brenner D, Fox R, Gustafson A, Fisher T, Jordan T. (2018). Measuring diel and spatial variation in biogenic N2 delivery, production and loss with natural tracers: Application to watershed-scale estimation of denitrification. Limnology and Oceanography Methods. 16, 10.1002/lom3.10266
Gardner J, Doyle M. (2018). Sediment-water surface area along rivers: water column vs. benthic. Ecosystems. 21, 1505-1520. 10.1007/s10021-018-0236-2
Ensign S, Doyle M, Gardner J. (2017). New strategies for measuring rates of environmental process in rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Freshwater Science. 36:3, 453-465.10.1086/692998
Gardner J, Fisher T, Jordan T, Knee K. (2016). Balancing watershed nitrogen budgets: accounting for biogenic gases in streams. Biogeochemistry.127:2, 231-253. 10.1007/s10533-015-0177-1
Fox R, Fisher T, Gustafson A, Koontz E, Lepori-Bui M, Kvalnes K, Bunnell-Young D, Gardner J, Lewis J, Winsten J, Fisher K. (2021). An evaluation of the Chesapeake Bay management strategy to improve water quality in small agricultural watersheds. (Accepted in Journal of Environmental Management)
Topp S, Dugan H, Yang X, Gardner J, Ross M, Pavelsky T. (2021). Shifting patterns of summer lake color phenology in over 26,000 US lakes. Water Resources Research. 57, e2020WR029123. 10.1029/2020WR029123
Gardner J, Ross M, Topp S, Yang X, Alteneau E, Pavelsky T. (2021). The color of rivers. Geophysical Research Letters. 48, e2020GL088946. 10.1029/2020GL088946. (covered by >150 media outlets including Associated Press, The Guardian, Salon, Nature, The Weather Channel, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, NASA Observer)
Gerson J, Topp S, Vega C, Gardner J, Yang X, Fernandez L, Bernhardt E, Pavelsky T. Artificial lake expansion amplifies mercury pollution from gold mining. (2020). Science Advances. 6:48. 10.1126/sciadv.abd4953. (covered by 9 media outlets such as AAAS EurekAlert and phys.org)
Allen G, Yang X, Gardner J, Holliman J, David C, Ross M. (2020). Timing of Landsat overpasses effectively captures river flow conditions of large rivers. Remote Sensing. 12:9. 10.3390/rs12091510
Gardner J, Ensign S, Houser J, Doyle M. Light exposure along particle flowpaths in large rivers. (2020). Limnology and Oceanography. 65:1, 128-142. 10.1002/lno.11256
Gardner J, Doyle M, Pavelsky T. The abundance, size, and spacing of lakes and reservoirs connected to river networks. (2019). Geophysical Research Letters. 46:5, 2592-2601. 10.1029/2018GL08084. (Top 10% most downloaded paper in GRL 2019)
Pivato M, Carniello L, Gardner J, Silvestri S, Marani M. (2018). Water and sediment temperature dynamics in shallow tidal environments: the role of the heat flux at the sediment-water interface. Advances in Water Research. 113, 126–140. 10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.01.009
Knee K, Gardner J, Brenner D, Fox R, Gustafson A, Fisher T, Jordan T. (2018). Measuring diel and spatial variation in biogenic N2 delivery, production and loss with natural tracers: Application to watershed-scale estimation of denitrification. Limnology and Oceanography Methods. 16, 10.1002/lom3.10266
Gardner J, Doyle M. (2018). Sediment-water surface area along rivers: water column vs. benthic. Ecosystems. 21, 1505-1520. 10.1007/s10021-018-0236-2
Ensign S, Doyle M, Gardner J. (2017). New strategies for measuring rates of environmental process in rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Freshwater Science. 36:3, 453-465.10.1086/692998
Gardner J, Fisher T, Jordan T, Knee K. (2016). Balancing watershed nitrogen budgets: accounting for biogenic gases in streams. Biogeochemistry.127:2, 231-253. 10.1007/s10533-015-0177-1