John D MacArthur Professor, Arthur F Thurnau Professor, Gerald J Keeler Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences
About
Affiliation(s)
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
Research interests
Professor Blum's research group focuses on studies of geochemical controls on the structure and function of ecosystems, and on the application of trace element and isotope geochemistry across the earth and environmental sciences. They utilize state-of-the art methods of chemical analysis and stable and radiogenic isotope measurement to address a wide variety of research problems from forest biogeochemistry and hydrogeochemistry to studiesof fisheries and marine chemistry. Some student projects are fieldwork oriented and utilize relatively simple laboratory methods, whereas other projects involve the development of new laboratory procedures and methodologies.
Lab research group
Research scientists: Dr. Jamie Gleason, Dr. Jason Demers
Research associate: Mr. Marcus Johnson
Research fellows: Martin Tsui, Laura Sherman
Graduate students: Patrick Donovan, Sae Yun Kwon
Undergraduate students: Jane Cooper, Nathan Kerns, Kaitlin Ma, Rachel Ross
Ongoing projects
- Investigations of the effect of acid rain and forest succession on the forest biogeochemical cycling of calcium and other nutrients. This includes a whole-watershed manipulation experiment at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (New England) and other studies in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
- Field and laboratory studies of the sources, transport and fate of mercury (Hg) in atmospheric deposition, rivers, lakes, soils, forests and aquifers.
- Investigations of mercury (Hg) isotope variation in the environment and of biotic and abiotic mercury isotope fractionation during redox transformation
- Field and laboratory studies of factors controlling silicate and carbonate mineral dissolution rates, with emphasis on the affects of micro-organisms and on the global carbon cycle.
- Tracing of hydrologic flowpaths using chemical and isotopic (e.g., Li, B, Sr, Pb) Hg tracers.
- Investigations of foodweb structure of songbirds and of fish using isotopic methods.
- Studies of fluid flow and hydrothermal activity in orogenic mountain belts.
- Studies of Hg and other volatile elements in primitive meteorites and ore deposits.
Facilities
Professor Blum's laboratory facilities are newly renovated and house clean-rooms for chemical separations and trace mercury analysis, as well as an ICP-OES and IC for major element analysis. A mass spectrometry facility is shared between the research groups of Professors Blum and Mukasa and houses a Nu-instruments multi-collector ICP-MS for trace element and isotopic ratio measurements and thermal ionization mass spectrometers for both positive and negative ion TIMS. Blum's group also utilizes the departmental laboratories that house electron microprobes, SEMs, two high mass resolution magnetic sector ICP-MS and an Ar-Ar geochronology facility.
U-M collaborations
Professor Blum and his research group are involved in a wide range of collaborative projects at U-M with members of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department as well as Professor Kling of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Professor Hayes in the Department of Environmental Engineering, Professor Keeler in the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences and Professor Zak in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment.
Outside collaborations
Professor Blum and his research group are also involved in collaborative projects outside of the U-M. These include numerous collaborations at the Hubbard Brook LTER, the Bartlett Experimental Forest, the Arctic Lakes LTER, and the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium. Collaborative laboratory research projects are underway at Rutgers University (Prof. Tamar Barkay) and Hebrew University (Prof. Yigal Erel).
Research Areas(s)
- Geochemical controls on ecosystems, trace element and isotope geochemistry
Field(s) of Study
- Geochemical controls on ecosystems, trace element and isotope geochemistry
