Dr Joey Crosswell

Current research:
My research focuses on connectivity of coastal systems, particularly carbon and nutrient cycling along the river-estuary-shelf continuum. My main study regions include the Great Barrier Reef, Gulf of Carpentaria and Southeast Queensland along with international work in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, southern Chile and the mid-Atlantic coast of the US. My field work looks at the major drivers and fluxes in biogeochemical cycles at local scales, such as individual estuaries or habitats, while building broader datasets for the comparison of diverse ecosystems. I am continually looking for ways to expand observational capabilities to new parameters and new environments, which has led to my keen interest in quantifying the impacts of extreme events like floods and tropical cyclones.

Background:
My research interests have evolved through a background in public health, coastal oceanography, and engineering. I received a BS in neuroscience from the University of Texas and a PhD in environmental science and engineering from the University of North Carolina (UNC). Early in my graduate career, I served as vice-president of the Okun Chapter of Engineers without Borders, working on local-scale wastewater treatment, renewable energy and clean water projects in developing countries. I later moved to the coast to complete my doctoral research on the physical and biogeochemical drivers of air-water CO2 fluxes in estuaries, particularly associated with extreme events.

Through postdoctoral work at the UNC Institute of Marine Science and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, I developed and deployed marine instrument systems to quantify carbon exchanges along the river-to-ocean continuum. This work was conducted as part of an interdisciplinary team of marine, atmospheric and terrestrial scientists with the goal of informing carbon-based ecosystem management by the US Department of Defence under current and future climatic conditions.

I joined the University of Technology Sydney in 2014 to work on the CSIRO Marine and Coastal Carbon Biogeochemistry cluster. My primary research area was benthic-pelagic coupling in Australian estuary and reef systems, but I was also actively involved in other areas of research and teaching, including biotechnology and renewable energy.

At CSIRO, I have leveraged a broad research network to progress new obervational methods and close model-observation feedback. Since 2015, I have led eleven research cruies to quantify sediment, carbon, and nutrient fluxes in more than 30 Australian estuaries. The lack of prior data in many of these remote systems has presented a compelling challenge that requires characterizing geological, physical, chemical, and biological processes in order to build a fundamental understanding of ecosystem function.

More recently, I have played a broader role in developing international research and policy through the Pacific Blue Carbon Program. This program was established at the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference to support national climate action and livelihoods through enhanced measurement, management, and investment in coastal blue carbon ecosystems. I lead the observational component, which involves developing national-scale research campaigns across PNG and Fiji, coordinating with other project components on modelling, mapping, carbon accounting, and sustainable livelihoods, as well as progressing blue carbon research through close collaboration with in-country partners.