Research group: https://lireactivewater.wixsite.com/group
BlueSky: @LiReactiveWater.bsky.social
Research Summary
The Li Reactive Water group is interested in questions regarding how the structure of Critical Zone—Earth’s living skin from the tree tops to the bottom of groundwater (the zone that supports life)—regulates its functioning and response to climate change and human perturbations. We are particularly interested in the interactions of water with soils, rocks, roots, and microbes along its flow paths to rivers and streams and how such interactions regulate water quantity, chemistry, and quality.
In the News
Research Keywords
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Projects
Recent Publications
Grassland woody encroachment alters subsurface mineral weathering and groundwater composition in a carbonate system
Anhold, C., Hatley, C., Alcantar-Velasquez, E., Keen, R. M., Sadayappan, K., Jarecke, K. M., Sullivan, P. L., Nippert, J. B., Li, L., Macpherson, G. L. & Kirk, M. F., Feb 5 2025, In: Chemical Geology. 673, 122522.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Defining stream riparian zones across multidimensional environmental gradients
Dodds, W. K., Barmuta, L. A., Bernal, S., Corman, J., Harms, T. K., Johnson, S. L., Li, L., Fernandes Cunha, D. G., Olden, J. D., Riis, T., Silva, L. C. R., Stella, J. C., Sullivan, P. & Wohl, E., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Environmental Quality.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Advancing the science of headwater streamflow for global water protection
Golden, H. E., Christensen, J. R., McMillan, H. K., Kelleher, C. A., Lane, C. R., Husic, A., Li, L., Ward, A. S., Hammond, J., Seybold, E. C., Jaeger, K. L., Zimmer, M., Sando, R., Jones, C. N., Segura, C., Mahoney, D. T., Price, A. N. & Cheng, F., Jan 2025, In: Nature Water. 3, 1, p. 16-26 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Deep Root Loss and Regeneration in the Anthropocene Drive Continental-Scale Changes in Deep Soil Structure
Guthrie, A., Hirmas, D., Sullivan, P. L., Li, L., Ajami, H., Singha, K., Flores, A. N., Wen, H., Rudick, A. & Billings, S., Sep 2025, In: Earth's Future. 13, 9, e2025EF006326.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Predicting Soil Interpedal Macroporosity and Hydraulic Conductivity Dynamics: A Model for Integrating Laser-Scanned Profile Imagery With Soil Moisture Sensor Data
Hirmas, D. R., Ajami, H., Sena, M. G., Zhang, X., Cao, X., Li, B., Jarecke, K. M., Billings, S. A., Pachon, J. C., Li, L., Nippert, J. B., Souza, L. F. T., Flores, A. N. & Sullivan, P. L., Sep 2025, In: Water Resources Research. 61, 9, e2024WR039836.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Hidden Features: How Subsurface and Landscape Heterogeneity Govern Hydrologic Connectivity and Stream Chemistry in a Montane Watershed
Johnson, K., Williams, K. H., Christensen, J. N., Carroll, R. W. H., Li, L., Beutler, C., Bird, K. S., Dong, W. & Sullivan, P. L., Mar 2025, In: Hydrological Processes. 39, 3, e70085.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Controls From Above and Below: Snow, Soil, and Steepness Drive Diverging Trends of Subsurface Water and Streamflow Dynamics
Kerins, D., Knapp, A. S., Liu, F. S., Smykalov, V. D., Berzonsky, M. P., Vierbicher, A., Sadayappan, K., Stewart, B., Andrews, E. M., Sullivan, P. L., Barnard, H. R., Seibert, J., McPhillips, L. E., Singha, K. & Li, L., Apr 2025, In: Hydrological Processes. 39, 4, e70120.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Ancient carbon released through modern rivers
Li, L., Jun 5 2025, In: Nature. 642, 8066, p. 41-42 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
Riverine heat waves on the rise, outpacing air heat waves
Sadayappan, K. & Li, L., Sep 30 2025, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 122, 39, e2503160122.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Reviews and syntheses: Variable inundation across Earth's terrestrial ecosystems
Stegen, J., Burgin, A. J., Busch, M. H., Fisher, J. B., Ladau, J., Abrahamson, J., Kinsman-Costello, L., Li, L., Chen, X., Datry, T., Mcdowell, N., Tatariw, C., Braswell, A., Deines, J. M., Guimond, J. A., Regier, P., Rod, K., Bam, E. K. P., Fluet-Chouinard, E. & Forbrich, I. & 20 others, , Feb 24 2025, In: Biogeosciences. 22, 4, p. 995-1034 40 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Mechanisms Underlying Near-Universal Export Patterns of Dissolved Carbon From Land to Rivers
Stewart, B. & Li, L., Aug 2025, In: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 39, 8, e2024GB008361.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Forest Recovery Reduces Production and Rising Aridity Diminishes Export of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Wang, B., Wen, H., Stewart, B., Li, L., Chen, X. & Li, S. L., Sep 2025, In: Water Resources Research. 61, 9, e2025WR040200.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Knots in the Strings: Do Small-Scale River Features Shape Catchment-Scale Fluxes?
Wohl, E., Clark, M., Li, L., Soulsby, C. & Tetzlaff, D., Sep 1 2025, In: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water. 12, 5, e70036.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Topographic correction of visible near-infrared reflectance spectra for horizon-scale soil organic carbon mapping
Duro, A. M., Hirmas, D. R., Ajami, H., Billings, S. A., Zhang, X., Li, L., Flores, A., Moreno, V., Cao, X., Guilinger, J., Oleghe, E., Giménez, D., Gray, A. & Sullivan, P. L., Mar 1 2024, In: Soil Science Society of America Journal. 88, 2, p. 207-223 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Solute export patterns across the contiguous USA
Kincaid, D. W., Underwood, K. L., Hamshaw, S. D., Li, L., Seybold, E. C., Stewart, B., Rizzo, D. M., Haq, I. U. & Perdrial, J. N., Jun 2024, In: Hydrological Processes. 38, 6, e15197.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review