John Baker of the Biometeorology Group

Research Leader,
USDA-ARS Soil & Water
Management Unit

My research is focused in two major areas.

1) The impact of management practices on the cycling of carbon and other greenhouse gases in agricultural systems. Our approach involves field-scale measurement of gas exchange in paired sytems, where one filed is farmed conventionally while the other is subjected to management practices that are expected to altered greenhouse gas exchange.

2) Development of farming practices to improve water quality. This involves a variety of field projects at a number of locations, as well as laboratory research. A particular area of emphasis is the transport of solutes during spring snowmelt, a key period in the hydrologic cycle of the Upper Midwest.