Anne Lightbody
Associate Professor/Affiliate Associate Professor
Earth Sciences
University of New Hampshire
Friday, April 17, 2026, 3:10pm
Chase 105
Abstract
River systems play an important role in attenuating loads of dissolved nutrients and pollutants to downstream receiving waters including coastal areas. Uptake rates are particularly high in hyporheic zones and in-channel wetlands, which both increase residence times and create favorable biogeochemical environments. In this talk, I will summarize several previous studies examining transient storage and uptake of solutes in wetlands and hyporheic zones in New England river networks, highlighting the potential role of high-resolution remote sensing and machine learning in advancing our understanding of the complex dynamics of solute movement and uptake in river systems, thus informing stream restoration projects, pollution control strategies, and water resource management.
Bios
Anne Lightbody's research focuses on flow and transport within surface water systems, including rivers, streams, lakes, fresh-water wetlands, and salt-water marshes. She is particularly interested in coupling improved understanding of small-scale physical processes pertaining to turbulent boundary layers and aquatic canopies to larger scale modeling and prediction. This work is fundamental yet also has clear applications, reaching into real-world management issues including stream restoration, constructed treatment wetland design, aquaculture, and suspended sediment pollution control. In addition, it is at the interface of hydrology and a wide variety of other disciplines, including fluid mechanics, geomorphology, ecology, water resources, and oceanography.
