Jay P Zarnetske

Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Location: 308 Natural Science Bldg
Profile photo of  Jay P Zarnetske
Photo of: Jay P Zarnetske

Bio

Jay Zarnetske is an environmental hydrologist who is exploring the hydrogeomorphic template of catchment ecosystems and groundwater – surface water exchange environments. His research group is interested in how hydrologic processes and aquatic ecosystems responds to climate and land use change. They focus on how hydrologic processes can control complex aquatic ecosystem patterns and processes. Most of their research deals with:

* Ground Water - Surface Water Interactions in Rivers (Riparian and Hyporheic Zones)
* Emergent Patterns in Environmental Biogeochemistry and Stream Ecosystems
* Nitrogen and Carbon Export & Retention in Stream Networks (Ecological Flow Regimes)
* Arctic and Permafrost Influenced Stream Ecosystems

They approach these interests in terms of how catchment hydrology and groundwater - surface water interactions affect aquatic ecosystems through solute generation, fate, and transport. Our methods involve a range of characterization techniques (e.g., tracers, isotopes, and geophysics, statistical data mining) and modeling that couples hydraulic and ecosystem processes (e.g., reactive nutrient transport).

Jay is an alumnus of Oregon State University (Ph.D.), Utah State University (M.S.), Colby College (B.A.). He was a Gaylord Donnelly Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University before joining MSU. He has held multiple visiting scholar positions in Australia, New Zealand, and France and was a consulting hydrologist for multiple years.