Julia Perdrial is an assistant professor of geochemistry at the University of Vermont. As an environmental bio-geochemist and mineralogist, she takes a strong interdisciplinary approach to study low temperature environmental terrestrial and aquatic processes by combining experimental and field approaches. The aim of her research is to understand how the geosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere interact to shape the Earth’s terrestrial surface, now often termed the Critical Zone. This Critical Zone can be thought of as the skin of the earth: the terrestrial surface spans from the top of the canopy down to the bedrock - including groundwater - and provides us with water, nutrients and many other ecosystem services.
Aired February 18, 2018