I'm glad you're interested in learning more about my research! Here is where I post my published papers and articles that discuss my current and previous work. Enjoy! And don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about my current or previous work at smcknight@umass.edu.
While I was in Jordan on a Fulbright grant, I worked with Dr. Zuhair El-Isa to assess seismic risk with revised and improved records on the seismicity for the past 2,000 years in the Middle East.
Here's my paper about it. We developed updated seismicity estimates for the region, which is really interesting and important because estimates like these guide earthquake risk assessments which influence a lot of things, like building and urban planning policies as well as earthquake preparedness planning.
I also wrote commentary on Jordan's water crisis for Harvard's Journal of Middle Eastern Policy and Politics. While I was in Jordan, I was primarily focused on the seismicity study that I mentioned, but I was also intrigued by how impactful water scarcity was on everyday life. Jordan actually has a really impressive national water supply infrastructure, and people have figured out ways to both conserve and assure water consumption. I remember everyone having water tanks on top of their homes, where the tanks stored water for the week. Each neighborhood had a "water day," or a day when the water system was turned on to replenish the rooftop tanks. So, during that day, my neighbors and I would make sure to do as much of our laundry and cleaning as possible so that our water tank would last us for the rest of the week! Along with planning my week around water-intensive chores, I also had the opportunity to explore the geology of aquifers in Jordan via geophysical surveys with Dr. El-Isa.
While I was in Jordan on a Fulbright grant, I worked with Dr. Zuhair El-Isa to assess seismic risk with revised and improved records on the seismicity for the past 2,000 years in the Middle East.
Here's my paper about it. We developed updated seismicity estimates for the region, which is really interesting and important because estimates like these guide earthquake risk assessments which influence a lot of things, like building and urban planning policies as well as earthquake preparedness planning.
I also wrote commentary on Jordan's water crisis for Harvard's Journal of Middle Eastern Policy and Politics. While I was in Jordan, I was primarily focused on the seismicity study that I mentioned, but I was also intrigued by how impactful water scarcity was on everyday life. Jordan actually has a really impressive national water supply infrastructure, and people have figured out ways to both conserve and assure water consumption. I remember everyone having water tanks on top of their homes, where the tanks stored water for the week. Each neighborhood had a "water day," or a day when the water system was turned on to replenish the rooftop tanks. So, during that day, my neighbors and I would make sure to do as much of our laundry and cleaning as possible so that our water tank would last us for the rest of the week! Along with planning my week around water-intensive chores, I also had the opportunity to explore the geology of aquifers in Jordan via geophysical surveys with Dr. El-Isa.
Since I began my graduate studies with the Boutt Hydrogeology Research Group at the University of Massachusetts, I have focused more on the hydrogeology of arid climates. For my Master's, I had the opportunity to explore density-driven dynamics of aquifers in deserts that have brines saltier than the sea. These brines develop when evaporation outpaces the amount of water recharging a basin, and then the remaining salts that are dissolved in the water concentrate to create saltier water. When a brine develops, an interface forms between it and any surrounding freshwater recharging the basin. My paper about it explains how the interface that develops between the brine and freshwater has a certain geometry that is difficult to model in groundwater flow simulations without actually accounting for the heterogeneity in the rock's ability to hold and transmit water. So, I ran a series of geostatistically randomized realizations of by research site's geology that my research group and I developed from core observations. Results from these simulations were really cool because they showed that not only does heterogeneity influence interface geometry, but it also can significantly alter the timescales of interface movement and overall saline intrusion that can occur from a change in recharge!
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