We are interested in understanding the links between aquatic ecosystems and society.

Based out of Arizona State University's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and School of Sustainability, the Wetland Ecosystem Ecology lab conducts research in the areas of wetland ecosystem ecology, urban ecology, sustainability science, biogeochemistry, urban ecohydrology, and ecosystems theory. We are affiliated with the National Science Foundation-funded Central Arizona Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CAP LTER).

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Our Projects

Our students, faculty and staff conduct research at wetland and urban sites across the metropolitan Phoenix area. Our projects and study areas include the following:

1. Studying the City of Phoenix Tres Rios Constructed Treatment Wetland to improve our understanding of the treatment dynamics of constructed wetlands, or turquoise infrastructure, in arid environments.
2. Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Urban Wetlands
3. Defining the pollution processing capabilities and diversity of microbial communities inhabiting urban trees in Phoenix. 
4. Understanding the ecology of wetlands in desert streams and the responses of these ecosystems to flood disturbances.

5.   ​Exploring the role of soil characteristics and plant traits as drivers denitrification in “accidental” urban wetlands in Phoenix, Arizona