Research Laboratories

The Coastal & Estuarine Ecology Lab and the Microbial Aquatic Ecology Lab based out of the WSU-Vancouver campus. Our research is broadly concerned with the ecology of marine and estuarine zooplankton and fish, and spans the sub-disciplines of behavior, population biology, community ecology and ecosystem dynamics.

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Creating a nexus of science and local knowledge through which problems and solutions may be discussed is essential for finding sustainable, consensus-based solutions to environmental problems. The Collaborative Modeling Lab uses of a variety of systems thinking processes and system dynamics modeling techniques to explore endangered species management, ecosystem services, ground and surface water management.

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We are a group of ecologists and geomorphologists interested in ecosystem processes and community dynamics. We primarily focus on river ecosystems, but are generally interested in wide range of ecosystems.

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Research in the Endangered Species Lab emphasizes the ecology, behavior, and population dynamic processes that affect the conservation of biological diversity, especially for threatened and endangered species.

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The Environmental Hydrodynamics Laboratory at WSU Vancouver examines the physics governing natural water flows, mixing, and sediment transport. To study these topics we take a variety of approaches, ranging from extensive field measurements to computer simulations and original theoretical models. In the long run, an improved understanding of Environmental Hydrodynamics might help managers to plan for such problems as coastal pollution, flooding, and erosion, and might help engineers to design better coastal structures (such as jetties and breakwaters).

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The Hydrology, Ecohydrology, and Landscape Dynamics research group takes an interdisciplinary view of the linked roles of groundwater, surface water, plant-water interactions, and human water use in the spatially and temporally variable physical, chemical, and biological cycles of the Earth System. Our research addresses key coupled sets of interactions including: Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions; Plant-Water Interactions; Land-Atmosphere Interactions; Land-Ocean Interactions; Human-Water-Environment Interactions

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Research in the Dr. Dan Thornton lab integrates field work, ecological theory, and spatial and statistical analyses to address questions concerning: 1) ecology and management of species in fragmented or human-dominated landscapes, 2) influence of climate change and deforestation on populations, 3) large-scale distribution patterns and range dynamics, and 4) the influence of scale on response of species to environmental drivers.

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Current and past projects focus on regional nutrient and greenhouse gas dynamics in Mexico’s Yaqui Valley, California’s Central Valley, and in watersheds of the Pacific Northwest.

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