Hi there!
My research program focuses on the quantification of soil formation and erosion processes to understand landscape evolution in response to land-use and climate change. I combine soil science with geomorphology, isotopic geochemistry, and geochronology to understand soil-landscape relationships across timescales. My projects are field-oriented and include laboratory analyses and modeling approaches to quantify chemical weathering rates, soil formation, soil erosion, and sedimentation rates. I use soil geochemistry, mineralogy, Pu as erosion tracers, and Be and dendrochronology as dating techniques.
239+240
10
Hot news!
June and July 2023
Back to Southeast Alaska for fieldwork
It was truly invigorating to return to the beautiful landscapes of Juneau for our fieldwork mission. Our task involved collecting soil samples, a crucial component in our pursuit of understanding the past and current stability of steep slopes across the region. These samples will provide valuable insights into soil erosion rates, helping us understand how lithology controls erosion processes in this mountainous, carbon-rich environment. Stay tune for more to come! You can find pictures of the this expedition on my Twitter account @RaquelPortesGeo.
March 2023
GSA 2023 - Joint SE NE Section Meeting
We recently went to Virginia to attend the SE NE GSA meeting. I was honored to deliver an invited talk at the Radionuclides Symposium, where I focused my discussion on the role of Pu isotopes as cutting-edge erosion tracers. We discussed how they can effectively quantify erosion and sedimentation rates in a faster, cheaper, and more reliable way. This topic is incredibly crucial in environmental science, and I was thrilled to share my research with fellow scholars. Alana and Eli had the opportunity to brilliantly present the results of their theses at the conference. They rocked the stage, and I could not be prouder of them!
October 2022
New publication on Geoderma
Check out our new publication on Geoderma about how lithology controls chemical weathering and mineralogy of Spodosols in SE Alaska. I am so happy this paper is out! Many thanks to Diogo Spinola (UAF) for leading this research and to all collaborators.
July 2022
Upward Bound program in Southeast, Alaska
We had a fun activity with 18 high school students from the Miami Upward Bound Program in the Hebert Glacier Valley! Students explored the wilderness of southeast Alaska and used dendrochronology and soil properties to answer questions related to the age of moraines and soil development. This activity was done in collaboration with the Juneau Icefield Research Program, U Maine, US Forest Service Juneau Forestry Science Lab, and U Alaska Fairbanks.
July 2022
Fieldwork at Mendenhall and Hebert glaciers in Juneau, Alaska
The #extremepedology team is getting bigger! Alana Margerum and Yakun Zhang joined part of the team for fieldwork at the Mendenhall and Hebert Glacier valleys. We are evaluating the interplay of plant succession and chemical weathering rates along soil chronosequences. The fieldwork included biking to study sites, scouting moraines, describing and sampling soil samples, and coring trees for constraining the age of the moraines and a super delicious soil cake made by Alana!
June 2022
Fieldwork at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire
I had a great time with Scott and Eli at the HBEF for another fieldwork season. We are investigating the impact of whole-tree harvest on soil erosion rates and how Pu isotopes behave in depth profiles along slopes that are subject to lateral podzolization. I can not wait to see the results!
May 2022
Off-Campus short-term in Juneau, Alaska!
I had a blast with students and collaborators in Juneau, Alaska! I lived and worked there for two years during the Covid pandemic and could not receive anybody. It was so good to share the place that one day I called home. I created and led this off-campus short-term in Alaska to offer students field-based learning experiences in a variety of Southeast Alaska ecosystems. The Tongass National Forest is home to an extraordinary landscape diversity that offers an excellent natural laboratory on Earth to observe the interactions among geology, climate change, and soil development. Many thanks to Rebecca Minor and Diogo Spinola for supporting this course 24/7, and David D`Amore and Sonya Nagorsky for the amazing guest lectures!
March 2022
Field trip to Wolf´s Neck Woods State Park, Maine
The EACS 103 Earth Surface Processes and Environmental Changes class went to Wolf´s Neck Park for a lab field trip! This field trip provided students with a field-based learning experience in a coastal area in Maine. Students identified rocks, sediment deposits, and soils commonly found in the region and evaluated how surficial deposits control soil texture and soil formation. We used field techniques and concepts covered in the course, including stratigraphy principles (original horizontality, superposition, lateral continuity, cross-cutting relations, unconformities), surficial sediments (glacial, glaciomarine, fluvial), soil color, texture, structure, soil development processes, and soil horizonation.
October 2021
The James and Julie Bockheim Distinguished Lecture in Soil Science at UWM! 2
I had a blast during my short visit to the University of Wisconsin Madison for my lecture! I am feeling over the moon to have received such recognition for work. It was an honor to receive an award that carries Prof. Bockheim´s name, who is a reference in pedology and a role model for me. I would like to thank all faculty and students who have received me in Madison, especially Alfred Hartemink, Yakun Zhang, Erika Marin-Spiotta, Nick Balster, Thea Whitman, and Zac Freedman.
October 2021
The James and Julie Bockheim Distinguished Lecture in Soil Science at University Wisconsin M!
I was invited to present my research at the James and Julie Bockheim Distinguished Lecture in Soil Science this year.! I am so honored to have received such an invitation!! Looking forward to meeting the UWM community, present my research, and learn more about Wisconsin soils with Jim Bockheim and Alfred Hartemink in 1-day field trip!
October 2021
Field trip to Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest - White Mountains National Forest, New Hampshire
The EACS 307 Soil and Landscape evolution class went to Hubbard Brook for a weekend field trip! Students are carrying on a hands-on project using 239+240Pu and and stable carbon isotopes to evaluate soil erosion/sedimentation processes in watersheds with different land use experiments.This field included camping, digging and describing soil profiles and a lot of fun! We had support from our collaborators Dr. Scott Bailey (USFS) who hosted us at HB, Jenny Bower (UVM), Dr. Diogo Spinola (UAF), and Rebecca Minor (Bates). Many thanks!
October 2021
Connecting Bates students and the local community
The Soils and Landscape Evolution class visited the Chirp Creek farm in Lisbon (ME) on Oct. 2021 for an immersive field learning experience! We had an enlightening and fun time there! The activity involved reading geological and soil maps, digging and describing soils, and discussing how soil parent material controls soil formation and land management on post glacial landscapes. Ben Daley was our host, who is an enthusiastic organic farmer and interested in geosciences. We learned so much from him! Thank you so much, Ben!
September 2021
Backyards´ pedology at Mt. David in Lewiston, Maine
The Soils and Landscape Evolution class visited Mt. David near Bates College many times this fall to learn how soils distribute along slopes in the region. The Mt. David is a small hill, but has a high soil variability due to surface micro relief! An awesome place to teach soil geomorphology!
August 2021
Moving from Alaska to Maine to work as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bates College!
I just moved from Juneau (AK) to Lewiston (ME) to start working as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, Bates College. I am going to teach and do research in soil science and Earth surface processes! I am very excited about this new chapter of my life!
June - July 2021
Summer field work: Sampling a soil chronosequence on moraines of the Mendenhall Glacier, SE Alaska
The soil team took the West Glacier trail and went to the terminus of the Mendenhall Glacier to understand moraines deposition and early stage of soil development. We sampled a 3 years old moraine, which is the youngest soil of our chronosequence. It was like traveling back in time! Certainly, one of the best field work ever!
March 2021
Scouting a soil chronosequence on moraines of the Mendenhall Glacier, SE Alaska
The temperatures rose a bit and we got the chance to scout a soil chronosequence just a few miles away from the Mendenhall Glacier. It was a great sunny day for digging soil pits and talking about soil evolution pathways in forested areas in southeast Alaska. An awesome soil evolution from Entisols to Spodosols in just 270 years! One of the fastest rates of Spodosols formation in the world! I`m looking forward to coming back when the spring sprung here.
March 2021
New publication on STOTEN
I`m glad to announce that our new paper review on global soil erosion modelling just came out of the oven! This is a result of collaborative work among 66 soil erosion scientists from 25 different countries. Our goals were to better understand soil erosion modelling worldwide and create and share an open soil database named “Global Applications of Soil Erosion Modelling Tracker (GASEMT)” which includes 3030 records from126 countries.
March 2021
GeoLatinas Dry Run & Peer Review Initiative
Our last Dry Run took place on 3/11. Thank you Diana Allard for your amazing presentation on geothermal exploration! Special thanks to the reviewers for helping us to fulfil our mission of embracing, empowering, and inspiring Latinas in Geosciences! You all rocked!
November 2020
GSA meeting 2020 Connects Online
Virtual GSA presentation in times of the COVID-19!
May 2020
Scouting for a new study area in Douglas Island - Tongass National Forest
June is around the corner and there are still a lot of snowpacks in the high country!
February 2020
Short-term research stay in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry - Northern Arizona University
I traveled to Flagstaff (Arizona) for a research stay with Prof. Michael Ketterer at NAU. Mike developed the analytical method to measure Pu isotopes using ICP-MS and I`m so honored and thankful to have received training from him. It`s exciting to come back home with fresh data of our soil samples from SE Alaska!
October 2019
Short research stay at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Interior Alaska
I went to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for soil laboratory work. Fall is very short in the Taiga and the winter has already begun!
September 2019
Field trip to Taku Harbor - Tongass National Forest, SE Alaska
The soil team went to the Taku harbor to deploy mesh bags into the soil profiles for evaluating mineral weathering. This is part of Rebbeca`s project (Assistant professor, Oregon State University) which consists of evaluating the interplay of physical, chemical, and biological processes on mineral alteration in different ecosystems of the North American Coastal Temperate Rainforest.
August 2019
Field trips to Heen Latine Experimental Forest
Last field trip of the season in the HLEF and all soil samples for Pu measurements are done!
July 2019
Field trip to Camp 18 - Juneau Icefield
We had an awesome and successful trip to Camp 18 in the Juneau Icefield. Have a look at the google map below and see the location of this massive ice sheet that covers part of North America.
July 2019
Fieldwork in Juneau - Tongass National Forest
Since June, I have been doing fieldwork together with a great team of soil scientists from the US Forest Service, University Alaska Fairbanks and Oregon State University.
April 2019
Congratulations to Francesca for her new paper in Earth Surface Processes and landforms!
December 2018
Field trip to Geopark Uberaba
Field trip to the Geopark in Uberaba (a real dinosaur park!) as part of the Physical Geology course with students of the Department of Geography, Minas Gerais State University, Brazil.
October 2018
Lectures at the Sao Paulo State University
In Nov. 2018, I had the honor to deliver lectures as an invited lecturer at the Sao Paulo State University as part of the First Brazilian Land Use Policy and Governance meeting. My lectures were about the use of fallout radionuclides for soil erosion assessment in natural and agricultural environments. I taught for approximately 15 graduate students and faculty from the Soil Science and Environmental Science Department.
August 2018
21st World Congress of Soil Science - Rio de Janeiro
I had a wonderful time at the WCSS in Rio! I enjoy presenting my research, catching up with friends from all over the world, meeting new collaborators and getting inspired with new knowledge and ideas.
