Deon Knights
Vassar College
Host: Anastasia Piliouras
This research aims to improve nutrient load assessment in challenging coastal delta systems. Nitrate removal across a sub-tropical delta is estimated based on environmental indicators, and findings reveal that heavily vegetated, submerged levees are hotspots for processing. Complementary numerical simulations in synthetic deltas suggest nitrate removal may be intrinsically limited to a small fraction of the incoming load. Removal increases with delta topset gradient, and from a management standpoint, removal efficiency can be improved by designing river diversions to build steeper deltas. In the Arctic, deltas are least efficient at processing nitrate during spring, coinciding with high loading due to spring freshets. Policy that addresses the nitrate load upstream is necessary to further reduce coastal nitrate loading.
Bio: Deon Knights is a hydrologist who investigates water quality issues in coastal zones. Deon uses a combination of field experiments, laboratory analyses, and models to understand water transport and solute behavior in complicated coastal systems, including Arctic deltas, tidal freshwater rivers, and coastal aquifers. His research examines how hydrodynamics control the transport, storage, and cycling of inorganic nutrients and contaminants using reactive transport models. Deon teaches courses in the Department of Earth Science and Geography and the Environmental Studies Program that focus on the interface between hydrology, geology, climate change, sustainability, and lived human experiences of water resources.
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