PAUL D BROOKS portrait
  • Professor, Geology & Geophysics
  • Director, Hydrology and Water Resources Graduate Certificate Program, Graduate School
  • Faculty Affiliate, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado
801-585-2858

Research Statement

Paul Brooks is a professor of Hydrology and Biogeochemistry, founding director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Utah, director of the Wasatch Environmental Observatory, and Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. Prior to joining the faculty at UU in 2014, he was a professor in the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at University of AZ and director of the National Science Foundation funded Center for the Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas.

His research focuses on the interactions between climate, water, ecosystem structure, and society with particular interests in seasonally snow-covered mountains. As a first generation college student, Paul recognizes the responsibility that comes with the privilege of higher education and is committed to training the next generation of professionals and to translating the results of basic academic research to real world application.

 

Presentations

  • UVU Climate Change Symposium. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 10/25/2017.
  • Open Plenary, Chapman Conference on Catchment Science. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 06/22/2017.
  • USAID World Water Day Forum, Salt Lake City, UT . Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/17/2017.
  • June 2016, Challenges and Opportunities in Managing Headwater Forests, Healthy Headwater Convening, Salt Lake City, UT . Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 06/02/2016.
  • Regional Sensitivity of Seasonal Snow Cover, Spring Runoff Conference Plenary, Utah State University. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/12/2016.

Publications

  • Wolf, M., Jamison, L.R., Solomon, D.K., Strong, S., Brooks, P.D. (2023) Multi-year Climatic Controls on Groundwater Storage in Seasonally Snow-Covered Headwater Catchments, Water Resources Research 59 (6), e2022WR033394Wolf, M., Jamison, L.R., Solomon, D.K., Strong, S., Brooks, P.D. (2023) Multi-year Climatic Controls on Groundwater Storage in Seasonally Snow-Covered Headwater Catchments, Water Resources Research 59 (6), e2022WR033394. Published, 10/02/2023.
  • Hasan, M.M., Strong, S., Brooks, P.D., Burian, S., Barber, M.E. (2023) Quantifying Climate Change Impacts on Low Flows of Small High Mountain Watersheds, Journal of Hydrology, Regional Studies 40(2023) 101463. Published, 08/01/2023.
  • Tyler, S., Kent, J., Anderson, S.P., Brooks, P.D., Packman, A., Uijlenhoet, R., Western, A., Zeng, X. (2023) Reflections and Thoughts on the Future of Science from AGU Hydrology Section Fellows, Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists 4(1) e2023CN000206. Published, 02/01/2023.
  • Hale, C.A., Carling, C.T., Nelson, S.T., Fernandez, D.P., Brooks, P.D., Rey, K.A., Tingey, D.G., Packer, B.N., and Aanderud, Z.T., (2021) Strontium Isotope Dynamics Reveal Streamflow Contributions from Shallow Flow Paths During Snowmelt in a Montane Watershed, Provo River, Utah, USA, Hydrological Processes https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14458. Published, 12/15/2021.
  • Brooks, P. D., Gelderloos, A., Wolf, M. A., Jamison, L. R., Strong, C., Solomon, D. K., et al. (2021). Groundwater- mediated memory of past climate controls water yield in snowmelt- dominated catchments. Water Resources Research, 57, e2021WR030605. https:// doi.org/10.1029/2021WR030605. Published, 11/15/2021.
  • Follstad Shah, J.J., Bares, R., Bowen, B.B., Bowen, G.J., Bowling, D.R., Eiriksson, D.P., Fasoli, B., Fiorella, R.P., Hallar, A.G., Hinners, S.J., Horel, J.D., Jacques, A.A., Jamison, L.R., Lin, J. C., Mendoza, D.L., Mitchell, L.E., Pataki, D.E., Skiles, S.M., Smith, R.M., … Brooks, P.D. (2021). The Wasatch Environmental Observatory: A mountain to urban research network in the semi-arid western US. Hydrological Processes, 35(9), e14352. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14352. Published, 10/15/2021.
  • Tai, X., Venturas, M.D., Mackay, D.S., Brooks, P.D., and Flanagan, L.B. (2021) Lateral subsurface flow modulates forest mortality risk to future climate and elevated CO2 Environ. Res. Lett. 16 084015. Published, 09/15/2021.
  • Johnson, R.C., Wolf, M.A., Jamison, L. Burian, S. Oroza, C.A., Brooks, P.D.; Strong, C., Stewart, J. and Kirkham, T. (2021) Drought in the West: Embedded Water Demand Stationarity Compromises System Vulnerability Analysis, Open Water Journal: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 6. Published, 09/10/2021.
  • Grijseels N.H., Buchert M., Brooks P.D. & Pataki D.E. (2021). Using LiDAR to assess transitions in riparian vegetation structure along a rural-to-urban land use gradient in western North America. Vol. 14. Ecohydrology. Published, 01/15/2021.
  • Christensen L., Adams H.R., Tai X., Barnard H.R. & Brooks P.D. (2021). Increasing plant water stress and decreasing summer streamflow in response to a warmer and wetter climate in seasonally snow-covered forests. Vol. 14. Ecohydrology. Published, 01/11/2021.
  • Tai X., Anderegg W.R.L., Blanken P.D., Burns S.P., Christensen L. & Brooks P.D. (2020). Hillslope Hydrology Influences the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Remotely Sensed Ecosystem Productivity. Vol. 56. Water Resources Research. DOI: 10.1029/2020WR027630. Published, 11/01/2020.
  • Sorooshian A, Shingler T, Harpold A, Feagles CW, Meixner T & Brooks PD (2020). Aerosol and precipitation chemistry in the southwestern United States: spatiotemporal trends and interrelationships. Atmospheric chemistry and physics. Vol. 13, 7361-7379. Published, 10/01/2020.
  • Brooks PD, Schmidt SK & Williams MW (2019). Winter production of CO2 and N2O from alpine tundra: environmental controls and relationship to inter-system C and N fluxes. Oecologia. Vol. 110, 403-413. Published, 11/01/2019.
  • Tai X., Mackay D., Ewers B., Parsekian A., Beverly D., Speckman H., Brooks P. & Anderegg W. (2019). Plant Hydraulic Stress Explained Tree Mortality and Tree Size Explained Beetle Attack in a Mixed Conifer Forest. (pp. 3555-3568). Vol. 124. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. Published, 11/01/2019.
  • Follstad Shah J., Jameel Y., Smith R., Gabor R., Brooks P. & Weintraub S. (2019). Spatiotemporal Variability in Water Sources Controls Chemical and Physical Properties of a Semi-arid Urban River System. (pp. 591-607). Vol. 55. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. Published, 06/01/2019.
  • Follstad Shah J., Jameel Y., Smith R., Gabor R., Brooks P. & Weintraub S. (2019). Spatiotemporal Variability in Water Sources Controls Chemical and Physical Properties of a Semi-arid Urban River System. (pp. 591-607). Vol. 55. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. Published, 06/01/2019.
  • Love D., Venturas M., Sperry J., Brooks P., Pettit J., Wang Y., Anderegg W., Tai X. & Mackay D. (2019). Dependence of Aspen Stands on a Subsurface Water Subsidy: Implications for Climate Change Impacts. (pp. 1833-1848). Vol. 55. Water Resources Research. Published, 03/01/2019.
  • Fan Y., Clark M., Lawrence D., Swenson S., Band L., Brantley S., Brooks P., Dietrich W., Flores A., Grant G., Kirchner J., Mackay D., McDonnell J., Milly P., Sullivan P., Tague C., Ajami H., Chaney N., Hartmann A., Hazenberg P., McNamara J., Pelletier J., Perket J., Rouholahnejad-Freund E., Wagener T., Zeng X., Beighley E., Buzan J., Huang M., Livneh B., Mohanty B., Nijssen B., Safeeq M., Shen C., van Verseveld W., Volk J. & Yamazaki D. (2019). Hillslope Hydrology in Global Change Research and Earth System Modeling. Water Resources Research. Published, 01/01/2019.
  • Love, D.M., M. D. Venturas, J. S. Sperry, P. D. Brooks, J. L. Pettit, Y. Wang, W. R. L. Anderegg, X. Tai, and D. S. Mackay, (2018) Dependence of Utah Aspen Stands on a Subsurface Root Zone Subsidy: Implications for Climate Change Impacts, Water Resources Research, DOI: 10.1029/2018WR023468. Published, 12/17/2018.
  • Neilson, B.T., H. Tennant, T.L. Stout, M. Miller, R.S. Gabor, Y. Jameel, M. Millington, A. Gelderloos, G. Bowen, P. D. Brooks (2018) Stream centric methods for establishing groundwater contributions in karst mountain watersheds, Water Resources Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR022664. Published, 08/08/2018.
  • Tai, X., D.S. Mackay, J.S. Sperry, P.D. Brooks, W.R.L. Anderegg, L.B. Flanagan, S.B. Rood, C. Hopkinson 
(2018) Distributed Plant Hydraulic and Hydrological Modeling to Understand the Susceptibility of Riparian Woodland Trees to Drought‐Induced Mortality, Water Resources Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR022801. Published, 07/02/2018.
  • Harpold AA & Brooks PD (2018). Humidity determines snowpack ablation under a warming climate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Vol. 115, 1215-1220. Published, 07/01/2018.
  • Perdrial, J., Brooks, P.D., Swetnam, T., Lohse, K.A., Rasmussen, C., Litvak, C., Harpold, A.A., Zapata-Rios, X., Broxton, P., Mitra, B., Meixner, T., Condon, K., Huckle, D., Stielstra, C., Vázquez-Ortega, A., Lybrand, R., Holleran, M., Orem, C., Pelletier, J., Chorover, J. (2018) A net ecosystem carbon budget for snow-dominated, forested headwater catchments: linking water and carbon fluxes to critical zone carbon storage, Biogeochemistry 138: 225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0440-3. Published, 04/06/2018.
  • Harpold, A.A. and P.D. Brooks (2018) Humidity determines snowpack response to climate change, Proc Nat Acad Sci doi:10.1073/pnas.1716789115. Published, 02/06/2018.
  • Tai X, Mackay DS, Anderegg WR, Sperry JS & Brooks PD (2018). Plant hydraulics improves and topography mediates prediction of aspen mortality in southwestern USA. The New phytologist. Vol. 213, 113-127. Published, 02/01/2018.
  • Gabor RS, Hall SJ, Eiriksson DP, Jameel Y, Millington M, Stout T, Barnes ML, Gelderloos A, Tennant H, Bowen GJ, Neilson BT & Brooks PD (2017). Persistent Urban Influence on Surface Water Quality via Impacted Groundwater. Environmental science & technology. Vol. 51, 9477-9487. Published, 12/01/2017.
  • Tenant, C. J., A.A. Harpold, K.A. Lohse, S.E. Godsey, B.T. Cosby, L. G. Larsen, P. D. Brooks, and R.W. Van Kirk (2017) Regional sensitivities of seasonal snow cover to elevation, aspect, and vegetation structure in western North America, Water Resources Research 53, Issue 8, 6908–6926, DOI: 10.1002/2016WR019374. Published, 10/16/2017.
  • McIntosh, J.C., Schuamberg, C., Perdrial, J., Harpold, A.A., Vázquez-Ortega, A., Rasmussen, C., Zapata-Rios, X., Brooks. P.D., Meixner, T., Pelleteir, J., Derry, L., Chorover, J. (2017) Geochemical evolution of the Critical Zone across variable time scales informs concentration-discharge relationships: Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory, Water Resources Research DOI: 10.1002/2016WR019712. Published, 08/31/2017.
  • Tai, Xiaonan, D. Scott Mackay, William R. L. Anderegg, John S. Sperry, Paul D. Brooks (2017) Incorporating plant hydraulics improves and topography mediates prediction of aspen mortality in southwestern USA, New Phytologist, DOI:10.1111/nph.14098. Published, 08/15/2017.
  • Gabor, R.S., S. J. Hall, D. Eiriksson, Y. Jameel, M. Millington, T. Stout, M. L. Barnes, A. Gelderloos, H. Tennant, G. J. Bowen, B. T. Neilson P.D. Brooks (2017) Persistent urban influence on surface water quality via impacted groundwater Environ. Sci. Tech DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b00271. Published, 08/01/2017.
  • Swetnam, T., P.D. Brooks, H.R. Barnard, A.A. Harpold, E. Gallo (2017) Revisiting environmental gradient ecology: how topography trumps climate in determining forest carbon reservoir size, Ecosphere 8 (4), e01797. 10.1002/ecs2.1797. Published, 08/01/2017.
  • Mambelli S, Brooks PD, Sutka R, Hughes S, Finstad KM, Nelson JP & Dawson TE (2017). High-throughput method for simultaneous quantification of N, C and S stable isotopes and contents in organics and soils. Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM. Vol. 30, 1743-53. Published, 07/01/2017.
  • Weintraub, S.R. P. D. Brooks, and G.J. Bowen (2017) Interactive effects of vegetation type and topographic position on nitrogen availability and loss in a temperate montane ecosystem, Ecosystems DOI 10.1007/s10021-016-0094-8. Published, 03/15/2017.
  • Weintraub, S.R. P. D. Brooks, and G.J. Bowen (2016) Interactive effects of vegetation type and topographic position on nitrogen availability and loss in a temperate montane ecosystem, Ecosystems DOI 10.1007/s10021-016-0094-8. Published, 10/31/2016.
  • Hall SJ, Weintraub SR, Eiriksson D, Brooks PD, Baker MA, Bowen GJ & Bowling DR (2016). Stream Nitrogen Inputs Reflect Groundwater Across a Snowmelt-Dominated Montane to Urban Watershed. Environmental science & technology. Vol. 50, 1137-46. Published, 09/01/2016.
  • Tai, Xiaonan, D. Scott Mackay, William R. L. Anderegg, John S. Sperry, Paul D. Brooks (2016) Incorporating Plant hydraulics improves and topography mediates prediction of aspen mortality in southwestern USA, New Phytologist, DOI:10.1111/nph.14098. Published, 08/15/2016.
  • Foster, L. Bearup, L., Molotch, N., Brooks, P.D., and Maxwell, R. (2016) Energy Budget Changes Impact Arid Mountain Hydrology More Than Snow-Rain Transitions, Environ. Res. Lett. 11 044015 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/044015. Published, 08/01/2016.
  • Burns, M.A., H. R. Barnard, R.S. Gabor, D.M. McKnight, P.D. Brooks (2016) Dissolved Organic Matter Transport and Transformation Reflects Hillslope to Stream Connectivity during Snowmelt in a Semi-arid Catchment, Water Resources Research DOI: 10.1002/2015WR017878. Published, 08/01/2016.
  • Biederman, J. A., Meixner, T., Harpold, A.A., Reed, D.E., Gutmann, E.D., Guan, J.A. and Brooks, P.D. (2016) Riparian zones attenuate nitrogen loss following bark beetle-induced lodgepole pine mortality, J Geophys. Res. Biogeosci 121, doi:10.1002/2015JG003284. Published, 06/01/2016.
  • Field, J.P., D.D. Breshears, D.J. Law, L.López-Hoffman, P.D. Brooks, J. Chorover, J.D. Pelletier. (2016) Understanding ecosystem services from a geosciences perspective, Eos, 97, doi:10.1029/2016EO043591. Published, 01/04/2016.
  • Hall S., Weintraub S., Eiriksson D., Brooks P.D., Baker M., Bowen G., and Bowling, D. (2016) Stream nitrogen inputs reflect groundwater across a snowmelt-dominated montane to urban watershed, Environ. Sci. Tech. 2016, 50 (3), pp 1137–1146 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04805. Published, 01/04/2016.
  • Gallo, E. L., T. Meixner, H. Aoubid, K. A. Lohse, and P. D. Brooks. (2015) Combined Impact of Catchment Size, Land Cover and Precipitation on Streamflow and Stream 
Nitrogen: A Global Comparative Analysis Biogeochemistry . Published, 09/15/2015.
  • Brooks P.D., J. Chorover, Y.F. Reinfelder, S.E., Godsey, R.M. Maxwell, J.P. McNamara, N.C. Tague (2015) Hydrological Partitioning in the Critical Zone: Recent Advances and Opportunities for Developing Transferrable Understanding of Water Cycle Dynamics, Water Resources Research. Published, 09/06/2015.
  • Zapata-Rios X., P.D. Brooks, P.A. Troch, J. McIntosh., Q. Guo (2015), Influence of terrain aspect on water partitioning, vegetation structure and vegetation greening in high elevation catchments in northern New Mexico. Ecohydrology DOI:10.1002/eco.1674. Published, 08/15/2015.
  • Zapata-Rios X., J. McIntosh., L. Rademacher., T. Meixner., P.D. Brooks., P.A. Troch., J. Chorover (2015), Climatic and landscape controls on water transit times and silicate mineral weathering in the critical zone. Water Resources Research; DOI:10.1002/2015WR017018. Published, 07/01/2015.
  • Stielstra, C.M., K.A. Lohse, J. Chorover, J.C. McIntosh, M. Litvak, G. Baron-Gafford, H. Barnard, and P.D. Brooks (2015) Climatic and Landscape Influences on Soil Moisture are Primary Determinants of Soil Carbon Fluxes in Seasonally Snow-covered Forest Ecosystems, Biogeochemistry DOI 10.1007/s10533-015-0078-3. Published, 06/01/2015.
  • Harpold, Adrian A., Noah P. Molotch, Keith N. Musselman, Roger C. Bales, Peter B. Kirchner, Marcy Litvak, and Paul D. Brooks (2015) Soil Moisture Response to Snowmelt Timing in Mixed-Conifer Subalpine Forests, Hydrological Processes 29 (12)2782-2798 DOI: 10.1002/hyp. 10400. Published, 05/11/2015.
  • Berryman, E.M., Barnard, H.R., Adams, H.R., Burns, M.A., Gallo, E., Brooks, P.D. (2015) Complex terrain alters temperature and moisture limitations of forest soil respiration across a semi-arid to subalpine gradient, JGR-Biogeosciences, DOI: 10.1002/2014JG002802. Published, 05/01/2015.
  • Pangle, L.A. S. B. DeLong, Nate Abramson, J. Adams, G. Barron-Gafford, D. D. Breshears, P.D. Brooks, J. Chorover, W. Dietrich, K. Dontsova, M. Durcik, J. Espeleta, T. Ferre, R. Ferriere, W. Henderson, E. Hunt, T. E. Huxman, D. Millar, B. Murphy, G. Y. Niu, M. Pavao-Zuckerman, J. D. Pelletier, C. Rasmussen, J. Ruiz, S. Saleska, M Schaap, M. Sibayan, P. A. Troch, M. Tuller, J. van Haren, X. Zeng (2015) The Landscape Evolution Observatory: large-scale controllable infrastructures to study coupled Earth-surface processes, Geomorphology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.01.020. Published, 05/01/2015.
  • Vázquez-Ortega, A., J. Perdrial, A. Harpold, X. Zapata-Ríos, C. Rasmussen, J. McIntosh, M. Schaap, J. D. Pelletier, P. D. Brooks, and M. K. Amistadi (2015), Rare earth elements as reactive tracers of biogeochemical weathering in forested rhyolitic terrain, Chemical Geology, 391, 19-32. Published, 02/01/2015.
  • Broxton, P., A. Harpold, J. Biederman, P. Troch, N. Molotch, P.D. Brooks, (2014) Quantifying the Effects of Vegetation Structure on Snow Accumulation and Ablation in Mixed-Conifer Forests, Ecohydrology DOI: 10.1002/eco. 1565. Published, 10/01/2014.
  • Biederman, J. A., A.A. Harpold, D.J. Gochis, B.E. Ewers, D. E. Reed, S.A. Papuga, and P. D. Brooks (2014) Increased evaporation following widespread forest mortality limits streamflow response, Water Resources Research 50:7 5395-5409 DOI: 10.1002/2013WR014994. Published, 10/01/2014.
  • Riha, K. G. Mikalski, E. Gallo. K. Lohse, T. Meixner, and P.D. Brooks (2014) High atmospheric nitrate inputs and nitrogen turnover in semi-arid urban catchments, Ecosystems 10.1007/s10021-014-9797-x. Published, 08/01/2014.
  • Harpold, A.A., Q. Guo, N. Molotch, P. D. Brooks, R. Bales, J.C. Fernandez-Diaz, K.N. Musselman, T.L. Swetnam, P. Kirchner, M. Meadows, J. Flanagan, and R. Lucas (2014) LiDAR-Derived Snowpack Datasets From Mixed Conifer Forests Across the Western U.S., Water Resources Research 03/2014; DOI:10.1002/2013WR013935. Published, 07/15/2014.
  • Harpold, A.A., Biederman, J. A., K. Condon, M. Merino, Y. Korgaondar, T. Nan, L. Sloat, M. Ross, and P.D. Brooks (2014) Changes in Snow Accumulation and Ablation Following the Las Conchas Forest Fire, New Mexico, USA Ecohydrology 7, 440–452 DOI: 10.1002/eco.1363. Published, 07/01/2014.
  • West AG, Goldsmith GR, Brooks PD & Dawson TE (2010). Discrepancies between isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy and isotope ratio mass spectrometry for the stable isotope analysis of plant and soil waters. (pp. 1948-54). Vol. 24. Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM. Published, 09/01/2010.
  • Brooks PD, Geilmann H, Werner RA & Brand WA (2003). Improved precision of coupled delta13C and delta15N measurements from single samples using an elemental analyzer/isotope ratio mass spectrometer combination with a post-column six-port valve and selective CO2 trapping; improved halide robustness of the combustion reactor using CeO2. (pp. 1924-6). Vol. 17. Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM. Published, 09/01/2003.
  • Apostol I, Brooks PD & Mathews AJ (2002). Application of high-precision isotope ratio monitoring mass spectrometry to identify the biosynthetic origins of proteins. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society. Vol. 10, 1466-9. Published, 02/01/2002.