Beverly Johnson

Bev’s primary research projects revolve around evaluating the role of anthropogenic influences on local, regional and global environments by reconstructing records of carbon cycling and environmental change through time. She and collaborators currently have NSF funding to measure the stable isotope composition of modern and ancient organic matter to study: (1) paleo-food web dynamics among humans and marine organisms in the Gulf of Maine, through the last 5,000 years; (2) the impact of marine derived nutrients on the nitrogen cycle in coastal lakes; and (3) climate change and geoarchaeology in the Shetland Islands. Bev is a member of the international scientific working group on coastal blue carbon, and studies the potential of carbon storage and sequestration in salt marshes, seagrass beds, (and mangroves ) as a means for mitigating climate change.  In all cases, thesis students are regularly integrated into Bev Johnson’s research.

Bev teaches a a first year seminar called Burning Our Planet (FYS 284), an introductory course on Global Change (GEO 109), intermediate courses in Environmental Geochemistry (GEO 240) and Hydrogeology (ESGE 226), advanced courses in Biogeochemistry and Paleoclimatology (GEO 367) and Stable Isotopes and Past Environments (GEO 340).  She has taught/co-taught short terms on Coastal Hazards (GEO s36) which entails field work in Iceland and the Netherlands, and Field Methods in Geology (ESGE 21).  Bev often integrates student research projects into her classes.  Topics such as the water quality of the Androscoggin River are investigated at all levels, for example.