Urbanization and Its Effects on Stream Chemistry and Ecology

Joel Moore: I’m a geochemist and he’s an ecotoxicologist. When he came to [TU], I started thinking, What are some interesting intersections of our research?

One of the big issues in water quality—drinking water and ecology—are the effects of road salt. A lot of what's tied Chris and I together has been this interest in urbanization and the effects on stream chemistry and stream ecology.

Chris Salice: When I interviewed for the position of director of environmental science and studies, Joel was on my hiring committee. We had shared interests in programming within Fisher [College of Science and Mathematics], and, generally, geochemists and biologists make good research partners. We’ve also served on each other’s master’s students thesis committees.

Moore: We're working to figure out the effects of human activity in Maryland and the mid-Atlantic—including road salt and other components that come off the urban landscape—and how it affects stream ecology. How does that affect our drinking water quality? How does that affect the organisms in the streams? Does it affect the safety of those streams for recreational use? 

Salice: Streams are the lifeblood of the Chesapeake Bay. If we can better manage the streams, we can cause what's called ecological uplift, improving the ecological health of those streams, and that has benefits to the bay. All these things are critical to Marylanders. 

Moore: The lab was founded in 2005, and it’s used by faculty members from biology, chemistry and geosciences. The scope has expanded to include a wide range of research, from study of disinfection by-products to the earth’s evolution to how magmas are produced.

The two main instruments Chris and I have used in our collaborative research are an ion chromatograph, which lets you measure the positively charged ions, sodium, calcium and negatively chloride sulfate ions in liquid samples. We use that to characterize streams along a gradient from forested to urbanized. We've also used the carbon nitrogen analyzer. That helps give information about nutrient status and the biogeochemical conditions the organisms in the stream are working in.

Moore: They're essential—neither of us would be able to do what we do without our students. Students are in all aspects of our research, and particularly the grad students—they'll defend their thesis and hopefully that will turn into a published article. The undergrads often present on campus, at local conferences or sometimes even national conferences. And that's a great experience for them and something we try to support. 

Salice: The research engine that moves anybody's program forward is the students. The process of mentoring them benefits us personally and professionally because we can expand into different new areas with their interests. Students are critical, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. 

Moore: I think we represent what is excellent about environmental science, which is often an interdisciplinary field, where coming from somewhat different perspectives and studying the same problem from those perspectives gives results where the sum of the whole is greater than the parts. 

Salice: Joel and I both try to be good listeners, and we don’t need to be the only or loudest voice in the room. We're open to both exploring new ideas and constructive criticism. And our partnership is multidimensional. If you were to pop into a conversation that we're having, it could be about research or new ideas for building culture in environmental science and studies or a new proposal for a degree program.

Like Towson University, which I think is a powerful multidimensional institution where we value research and teaching and service, the nature of our collaboration is similar. I imagine we'll continue to do that into the future because he's been a critical faculty member with respect to moving the needle on various programs and helping to improve them. And he’s been an outstanding partner and collaborator in that respect.