Appalachian Laboratory

Western Maryland principal honored with environmental stewardship award

Gear up for Earth Day at Appalachian Laboratory Open House - April 21

Mid-Atlantic suburbs can expect an early spring thanks to the heat of the city

Climate change effects on ecosystems: It's all in the timing

Why did the raccoon cross under the road? To get the other side, of course

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The Appalachian Laboratory is dedicated to the study of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. We seek to better understand the effects of natural and human-induced changes on organisms, landscapes, and biogeochemical and hydrological cycles. We then apply scientific results to unravel the consequences of environmental change, manage natural resources, restore ecosystems, and foster ecological literacy.

Directed by Professor Robert Gardner, the Appalachian Laboratory is the headquarters and administrative lead of the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CW CESU), a partnership among 22 university/research institutions and 9 federal agencies whose members strive to understand and protect the natural and cultural resources of the region.

The Appalachian Laboratory is located in the mountains of western Maryland, the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. directions

For more information about the Appalachian Laboratory, please visit the "About AL" page.

Graduate Student Highlights

   Chris Moore, a MEES student working with Dr. Mark Castro, defended his dissertation on June 1, 2011 entitled "Factors Influencing Surface Atmosphere Exchange of Gaseous Elemental Mercury in Western Maryland."  Chris accepted a 2 year post doctoral position with the Desert Research Institute in Reno, NV working with Dr. Daniel Obrist on projects concerning atmospheric mercury speciation with data obtained at the Storm Peak Lab in Steamboat Springs, CO.  He will also be assisting in the design of a new cavity ring down laser technique for high speed measurements of gaseous elemental mercury.

   Roy Weitzell, a MEES student working with Dr. Andrew Elmore, was recently awarded an EPA STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship.  Administered within EPA by the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), the STAR Fellowship Program promotes research to protect human health and the environment.  Roy’s research focuses on the effects of stream burial on network connectivity and biodiversity in headwater stream ecosystems.  Roy will attempt to combine innovative remote sensing and connectivity modeling methods to form a novel statistical approach for quantifying the effects of stream burial within the Potomac River Basin.