Mark Johnson
Professor
mark.johnson@ubc.ca
Home department: Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences & Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES)
Website: UBCEcohydrology
Research Summary
Dr. Mark Johnson is working to understand how land use practices influence interactions between hydrological and ecological processes, and how these ecohydrological processes further affect ecosystem services including carbon sequestration. Unraveling interactions between the water cycle and the carbon cycle is essential for improving the sustainability of land and water management, especially under changing climatic conditions. Dr. Johnson’s research in ecohydrology demonstrates that soil carbon processes are also integrally important to the health of freshwater ecosystems and drinking water supplies. Dr. Johnson and his team are testing carbon and water cycle interactions to address questions such as: How much carbon does water transport from the land into freshwater systems? His research can also help to answer very applied questions related to soil fertility and water use such as: How much food can be produced in urban environments, and how much water would that require? To address these and other related questions, Johnson is developing innovative approaches to ecohydrological research in partnership with communities, natural resource management agencies and organizations, and industry.
Research Projects
- Agricultural Water Innovations in the Tropics (AgWIT) partnership will test strategies to lower agricultural impacts on water resources while improving the resiliency of tropical agricultural systems to climate change. AgWIT will use a unique network of tropical agricultural water observatories to quantify water footprints and carbon footprints for crops under standard and alternative management practices. AgWIT will test alternative management practices with the goal of increasing agricultural water use efficiency, enhancing soil carbon sequestration, and improving the water quality of tropical agricultural systems. AgWIT will then assess water management decision pathways for rainfed and irrigated crops under current and future climatic conditions.
- Carbon Drainage fluxes in natural and human-impacted watersheds