Paul Bierman

I am a geologist with broad, interdisciplinary interests in both research and teaching. I have been at the University of Vermont since 1993. I oversee the NSF/UVM Community Cosmogenic Nuclide Laboratory and the UVM Landscape Change Program. Since coming to UVM in 1993, my students and I have published more than 175 refereed papers and presented more than 320 abstracts on research ranging from the erosion of Africa to teaching hydrology via service learning. Our work has been supported by grants from the NSF, DoD, USGS, UVM, and private foundations.

One theme ties my research and that of my students together: erosion. Over the past two decades, my students and I have used a variety of techniques to figure how, where, and how quickly material is shed from Earth's surface. We have used cosmogenic isotopes such as 10-Be to track sediment from its origin on bedrock outcrops to its resting place in sedimentary deposits all over the world. In the arctic, we've examined the influence of ice temperature on glacial erosion in Baffin Island and Greenland. In the deserts of Australia, we've demonstrated that rock surfaces remain nearly unchanged over millions of years. In Vermont, we've used lake cores, alluvial fan trenches, and the historic image record to document how 10,000 years of mega storms and 200 years of human impact have changed the face of our landscape.