Projects
Analysis of Litter Reports and City Trash and Recycling Services in Suffolk County, MA
In order to better understand where and why people litter, I analyzed reports of littering and how those reports corresponded to reports of overflowing trash bins, missed trash and recycling pickups, and location of public waste receptacles in the Greater Boston Area. I utilized R, Excel, and ArcGIS in this analysis. By understanding the connection in location between littering, waste services and waste receptacles, we can better understand how to improve those services and change behaviors.
Full report:
Effects of Climate Change Across Seasons on Litterfall Mass and Chemistry in a Northern Hardwood Forest
As I completed my Master of Science degree in Biology, I worked as a Research Assistant in the Templer lab at Boston University. In that role I investigated the effects of warmer growing season soil and a reduced winter snowpack on northern hardwood tree species' ability to process and store carbon and nitrogen.
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Northern hardwood forests are expected to experience an increase in mean annual air temperatures, and a decrease in winter snowpack and greater frequency of soil freeze/thaw cycles (FTCs) by the end of the century. As a result of these anticipated changes, northern hardwood forests in the northeastern U.S. will also have warmer soil temperatures in the growing season and colder soils in winter.
This research included field and lab work to collect and process leaf litter samples from the Climate Change Across Seasons Experiment (CCASE) at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, USA. I then completed data analysis and visualization for the leaf litter mass, and chemistry (%C, %N and C:N) for each tree species in our plots.
We found that litterfall mass and chemistry were not significantly affected by changes in soil temperature; however, there was a trend of higher total litterfall mass and litter N mass from plots where soils were warmed in the growing season, but this increase disappeared with the addition of freeze thaw cycles in winter. These results indicate that while rates of NPP and the total mass of N could be increased with with rising soil temperatures over the next century in northern hardwood forests, the combination of warmer soils in the growing season and colder soils in winter may ultimately have little to no impact on litter mass or chemistry.
Town of Wenham Open Space and Trail Mapping Survey
During my time as the Conservation and Open Space Coordinator for the Town of Wenham, I worked with the Wenham Open Space and Recreation Committee to conduct a Town Wide Trail Survey. I managed the project from conception, to funding, to implementation.
I drafted an application for Community Preservation Act funding to complete the project which was approved in 2019. The Center for Community GIS was hired as a consultant with these funds to help us implement the project.
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We trained volunteers on a mapping app and collected critical infrastructure and maintenance data points on all of the public trails in Town. I mapped the baseline trails for those trails for which we did not have prior maps.
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In addition to the public trail map that resulted from this project, we also developed an Infrastructure and Maintenance Map that will be used internally for trail planning and upkeep.
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*Final Maps created by CCGIS*
Wenham Open Space and Recreation Committee
Wenham Public Trail Map
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