UC Davis Professor Studying Effects of Wildfires on Water Quality and Soil Biogeochemistry
"This past year, California experienced record-breaking amounts of rain, easing some of the effects of drought. These effects could be beneficial during the upcoming summer season when wildfires pose a threat to watersheds and communities across the state.
As wildfire season rapidly approaches, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Jasquelin Peña is working with collaborators to study the effects of wildfire on water and soil resources.
Peña has a background in environmental geochemistry. In particular, she focuses on processes that regulate the concentrations and speciation of nutrients, contaminants and carbon in natural and engineered systems. Much of her effort is geared towards the molecular-scale study of manganese and iron oxide minerals. These minerals are highly reactive given their nanoscale structures and thus are particularly important for managing the removal of contaminants in the environment."