Prof. Jack Cosby

Jack's interests in chemical and physical processes in the environment were initially focused on groundwater, catchment and hillslope hydrology, channel flow, transport processes and their controls on biological productivity. Over time these interests have expanded to include terrestrial biogeochemical processes, soil dynamics and land-atmosphere interactions.

His research has been largely concerned with the hydrology and biogeochemistry of small lakes and streams and their catchments, and their influence on coastal and estuarine systems. Knowledge of processes operating within these catchment-to-coast systems is essential for understanding the fate of non-point-source pollutants (such as acid rain), for estimating the ecological effects of large-scale environmental perturbations (such as climate change), and for examining the implications of environmental policy (such as land use management).

Underlying his interests in biogeochemical processes and the scales of ecosystem response is a strong commitment to the use of models and quantitative methods for integrating and interpreting research data. Jack is particularly interested in the development and application of quantitative techniques for studying the dynamic behaviour of large-scale aquatic and terrestrial systems. He uses various methods of numerical simulation, time series analysis, statistical inference and hypothesis testing, Monte Carlo simulation and recursive parameter estimation in conjunction with empirical and mathematical models of ecosystem dynamics to identify and quantify the important processes operating within ecosystems. Jack is interested in using these models as tools for increasing scientific understanding of catchment processes and (through their application at landscape and regional scales) as tools for knowledge transfer and environmental decision-making.