Dr. Alan Kasprak

Dr. Alan Kasprak
Assistant Professor of Geosciences

Education

  • Ph.D., Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, 2015
  • M.S., Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, 2010
  • B.S., Geology and Geophysics, Boston College, 2008

Expertise

  • GIS and remote sensing
  • River geomorphology and sediment transport
  • Watershed restoration
  • Impacts of dams on rivers
  • Eco-hydraulics and eco-geomorphology
  • Hydraulic modeling

Contact:

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About Dr. Alan Kasprak

I joined Fort Lewis College in the fall of 2020, and am an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences. My research focuses understanding physical and biological processes in river systems using geospatial techniques. I am currently using GIS and remote sensing data to examine the impacts of large dams on the geomorphology, sediment transport, and land cover of the Colorado River corridor through the Canyonlands and Grand Canyon regions of the Southwestern U.S. I also conduct research into the role of in-channel wood in driving changes in stream morphology and fish habitat in rivers of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In addition to these field-based projects, I’ve conducted laboratory and numerical modeling studies of river response to altered sediment and water supply.

Prior to joining FLC, I completed a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences at Dartmouth College, a Ph.D. in Watershed Sciences at Utah State University, and held an appointment as a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center in Flagstaff, Arizona.


Selected Publications

Kasprak A, Sankey JB, Butterfield BJ. 2021. Future regulated flows of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon foretell decreased areal extent of sediment and increases in riparian vegetation. Environmental Research Letters. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/abc9e4

Kasprak A, Brasington J, Hafen K, Williams R, Wheaton JM. 2019. Modelling braided river morphodynamics using a particle travel distance framework. Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurfD) DOI: 10.5194/esurf-2018-17.

Kasprak A, Branksy N, Caster JC, Sankey TT, Sankey JB. 2019. The effect of topographic survey technique and data resolution on the interpretation of geomorphic change in river valleys. Geomorphology. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.02.020.

Kasprak A, Sankey JB, Buscombe D, Caster JC, East AE, Grams PE. 2018. Quantifying and Forecasting Changes in the Areal Extent of River Valley Sediment in Response to Altered Hydrology and Land Cover. Progress in Physical Geography. DOI: 10.1177/0309133318795846.

Kasprak A, Caster J, Bangen S, Sankey J. 2017. Geomorphic Process from Topographic Form: Automating the Interpretation of Repeat Survey Data in River Valleys. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.4143.

Kasprak A, Hough-Snee N, Beechie T, Bouwes N, Brierley GJ, Camp R, Fryirs KA, Imaki H, Jensen ML, O’Brien G, Rosgen DL, Wheaton JM. 2016. The blurred line between form and process: a comparison of stream channel classification frameworks. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150293.


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