Active Research Projects

Paleoenvironments of Sudan

This work is a continuation of my doctoral research studying paleoenvironments in arid settings today. Much of my work is focused on identifying what areas surrounding the Nile River in central Sudan were like during a time of increased rainfall over the Sahara known as the African Humid Period which lasted in east Africa from 11,700 years ago to 4,200 years ago. This period saw the rise of water tables and the creation of groundwater supported lakes across the southern area of what is today the Sahara, but comparatively little work has been done on the areas closer to the Nile. I have argued for a similar precipitation drive rise in water tables near the river which would have created extensive wetlands bordering the Nile. Future work is intended to further expand evidence for these paleowetlands and to identify the degree of soil development (pedogenesis) on landscapes above the influence of groundwater which could have supported scrub and grassland environments.

I work in conjunction with Lenka Varadzinová and Ladislav Varadzin, archaeologists with the Czech Institute of Egyptology who are the directors of an archaeological project based at Sabaloka and another slated to begin in 2021 at Shaqadud. Currently, it is not possible for students to actually join me for fieldwork in Sudan, but any students who may be interested in working with me on this project are encourage to come talk with me about possibilities!

This relict soil dating to the African Humid Period is really exciting! (for some ...)
This as yet undated river terrace shows the vertical accretion of the floodplain over time. The river later incised leaving the former floodplain high and dry.
The shrink-swell cracks seen in the soil indicate that this was once a wetter environment. They extend down into the saprolite beneath.
This striking red soil was easily spotted when surveying the landscape. It ended up dating to well before the AHP, 33,900 +/- 7,500 years.


Grand Kankakee Marsh Project

Started in 2019, this project is aimed at developing a comprehensive study of a wetland estimated to have once been 1,500 sq miles in size bordering the Kankakee River known as the Grand Kankakee Marsh (it was actually a swamp, but names stick). This area had been referred to as the "Everglades of the North" and was major stop-over point for migratory birds. In order to develop the land for agriculture a large number of drainage ditches were excavated across the landscape and the river was both dredged and straightened to speed the removal of water from the flat terrain and ultimately lower the water table. Unfortunately, draining a wetland means that all the dead plant remains (organic matter) that had accumulated there will begin to decay. The end result is the carbon once stored in the wetland's organic matter is released to the atmosphere and a contributor to climate change.

This project was specifically started with the aim of student involvement. Students involved on the project are able to gain experience with field collection of soil samples and soil/sediment cores, laboratory processing of material and analysis, data analysis and interpretation, and confidence in the presentation of findings to their peers and academic community through the presentation of a poster at an academic conference. Any students who may be interested in working on this project are encourage to come talk with me about possibilities!

Current project goals include:

  • Determining the likely former extent of the wetland using existing soils data and historical maps

  • Measuring the volume of carbon stored today in the soils of the former GKM

  • Estimating the volume of carbon added to the atmosphere as a result of draining the GKM and the decay of soil organic matter

  • Assess the stability of remaining carbon within the soils of the former GKM to determine if the area has reached a carbon equilibrium

Sometimes we get to work in nice, dry areas...
Sometimes they're not so dry ...
Collecting cores for soil comparisons. This area is on a southern portion of the moraine right next to a former glacial outwash channel that was an extension of the GKM before it was drained.
The cores collected in fall 2019 were from a wide range of environments. They've been opened and dried, but several analyses remain to be run!