Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science
Program in Ecology Evolution & Conservation Biology (Affiliate)
Institute for Sustainability, Energy & Environment (Affiliate)
Dr. Cienciala's interdisciplinary research examines interactions between geomorphic and biological processes which shape landscapes and define habitats and ecosystems in mountainous rivers & their watersheds. He is interested in the natural dynamics of such bio-physical systems, their response to environmental change (e.g. land use and climate), as well as scientific basis for their management, conservation, and restoration. To study these topics, Dr. Cienciala and his research team combine fieldwork, remote sensing (aerial and terrestrial LiDAR, drone-based multi-view photogrammetry), and geospatial analysis.
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His research group (River & Landscape Systems) currently pursues a number of projects, primarily in the Pacific Northwest
Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science
Department of Geology, Jack and Richard Threet Professor in Sedimentary Geology
Professor Jim Best's research interests center around the quantitative study of Earth surface processes and interpretation of ancient sedimentary environments. His research has examined river, lake, estuarine and volcanic environments, with his recent work focusing on the dynamics of some of the World’s largest rivers (Amazon, Mekong, Brahmaputra) as well as glacio-lacustrine sedimentation in the Pacific Northwest. Much of this modern environment study has relied on use of some of the latest field techniques, such as acoustic Doppler current profiling, multibeam echo sounding, drone-based structure for motion photogrammetry and ground penetrating radar. Much of the modern processes-based research is examining the response of earth surface environments to natural and anthropogenic environmental change.