motivation
The Earth’s surface is an incredibly dynamic environment that supports nearly all life and human activity. We often don’t appreciate how dynamic the Earth’s surface really is until we are faced with a significant event that disrupts our daily rhythm. Sometimes these events involve natural processes, other times they are exacerbated by human activity.
The more we rely on and alter the Earth's surface resources, the more we must understand how the surface responds to human and natural forces.
research interests
I describe myself as a Geomorphologist, and more specifically as an aeolian geomorphologist, which means that I study the transport of airborne particles and the landscapes that result and respond to this process. My research program focusses on improving the understanding of aeolian processes and landscape dynamics. Our studies span a range of scales, from high-frequency measurements of turbulence and particle transport near the surface, to model simulations of entire dunefields representing thousands of years of evolution. Sometimes our research leads to interesting discoveries, other times we try to clear up methodologies.
teaching
My teaching approach is designed to motivate students to understand Earth-surface dynamics. I try to balance theory with applied examples and experiential learning. At the end of the day, there is simply no substitute for getting your hands dirty and trying to figure out for yourself how things work.
Chris Hugenholtz