Penn Sediment Dynamics Laboratory (PennSED): Experimental geophysics, with a focus on geomorphology (the “science of scenery”). Our research focuses on the spatial and temporal evolution of patterns that emerge at the interface of fluid and sediment on Earth and planetary surfaces. Our group uses laboratory experiments, combined with field work and theory, to elucidate the minimum number of ingredients that are required to explain physical phenomena. Particular foci include: granular physics of fluid-driven (water and wind) sediment transport; controls on the shape and size of sediment grains; landform dynamics including dunes, river channels, deltas and fans; stochastic and nonlinear transport processes; and landscape response to dynamic boundary conditions such as climate. We are based in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at University of Pennsylvania. Douglas Jerolmack is the lab director.
Current Research Projects
