Research Areas Block Style

Biogeochemistry of Inland Waters

Inland waters serve as critical conduits in the global carbon and nutrient cycles. The lab investigates how terrestrial elements, organic matter, and pollutants are transported and transformed within river networks. With both empirical and theoretical advances like the Pulse-Shunt Concept, this research challenges traditional views of riverine biogeochemistry, emphasizing the episodic and dynamic nature of elemental fluxes. This research integrates spatial analysis, isotopic tracers, organic geochemistry, and hydrological modeling. By coupling field observations with computational modeling, the team aims to refine predictions of carbon transport and its implications for global carbon budgets.

Enhanced Weathering and Alkalinity

The Raymond Lab is working on enhanced weathering and alkalinity research to better understand the impact of natural and accelerated chemical weathering on global carbon cycling. This work aims to quantify how the conversion of CO₂ into dissolved bicarbonate through mineral weathering can be optimized as a climate mitigation strategy. Additionally, field trials are being conducted on agricultural soils to assess the potential for carbon capture and improved crop yields, with a focus on real-world applications and scalability. The Earthshot-funded project GOAL-A (Global Ocean And Land Alkalinization) aims to develop a fully integrated global inorganic carbon model to evaluate the efficacy of enhanced weathering and ocean alkalinity enhancement as scalable carbon sequestration strategies, linking key Earth system processes across soils, rivers, coastal zones, and the open ocean.

Global Greenhouse Gas Budgets

The lab contributes to international efforts such as the Global Carbon Project and RECCAP 2, which aim to refine estimates of global carbon and methane vertical and lateral fluxes. The research focuses on understanding the role of inland waters, wetlands, and estuaries in global carbon budgets, particularly in relation to CO₂ and CH₄ emissions. The lab leverages its development of systematic approaches to quantify and scale these fluxes using remote sensing, field measurements, and statistical upscaling. This research is essential for improving climate change mitigation strategies and ensuring that natural carbon sources and sinks are accurately represented in policy frameworks.

Natural Methane Cycling

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, yet significant uncertainties remain in quantifying its natural sources. The Raymond Lab studies methane production, release, and oxidation from tree stems, wetlands, and inland waters, using innovative isotopic tracing and gas flux measurement techniques. This work enhances the understanding of how microbial processes regulate methane fluxes and contributes to refining methane budgets used in climate models and carbon markets. Understanding these emission pathways is vital for developing strategies to mitigate methane release and enhance the accuracy of global methane inventories.

Blue Carbon

Coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows, store large amounts of carbon, a reservoir known as “blue carbon.” The lab is investigating the long-term sequestration of carbon in these environments, examining both organic carbon burial and alkalinity generation. The lab collaborates on projects such as the NASA Blueflux initiative, which uses airborne and field-based measurements to assess carbon exchange in coastal wetlands, with a particular focus on methane emissions and net carbon sequestration. By studying the interactions between biological, chemical, and physical processes in these habitats, the team aims to improve conservation strategies and promote policies that protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems.

Radiocarbon and Isotopes

The lab employs radiocarbon (¹⁴C) and stable isotope (¹³C) analyses to trace the age, sources, and cycling of carbon in aquatic ecosystems. With the addition of a new Mini Carbon Dating System (MICADAS) at Yale, the team is expanding research on ecosystem carbon turnover and verifying natural climate solutions. This technology enables high-precision dating of organic matter, improving our ability to assess carbon sequestration efficiency in soils, wetlands, and blue carbon ecosystems. These advanced isotope techniques provide critical insights into the temporal dynamics of carbon exchange and inform long-term climate mitigation strategies.

Instrumentation Development

To enhance field-based environmental monitoring, the lab develops and deploys advanced sensor technologies for measuring greenhouse gas fluxes, alkalinity, and organic matter transformations. These innovations include real-time aquatic sensor networks and in-situ alkalinity flux instruments. The development of robust measurement tools supports more accurate assessments of climate mitigation strategies and natural carbon sequestration processes. By integrating cutting-edge technology with field and laboratory studies, the lab ensures that environmental data collection is both precise and scalable for global applications.