Research interests

Hydrology, geochemistry, geomorphology, evolutionary ecology, paleobiology.

James Kirchner's s recent research has focused on developing simple, tractable mathematical models and time-series analysis methods for understanding the behaviour of complex environmental systems.

Professor at ETH Zürich: Physics of Environmental Systems

Physics of Environmental Systems in the Department of Environmental Sciences of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland, explores complex environmental systems seeking to answer questions such as: How does rainfall become runoff? How is the chemistry of natural waters shaped by subsurface transport and mixing, by chemical reactions with soils and rocks, and by biological processes? What processes control rates and patterns of physical erosion and chemical weathering? And how do they, in turn, regulate the topographic evolution of mountains and valleys, as well as the physical and chemical environment in which we live? Group members investigate connections between terrestrial and aquatic environments, and linkages between physical, chemical, and biological processes. The research work typically combines field observations, mathematical models, and novel analyses of environmental data.

Teaching Activities

James Kirchner has taught courses in water resources, catchment hydrology, geochemistry, geomorphology, and analysis of environmental data. He currently supervises several PhD students conducting their dissertation research at WSL.

Former director of WSL

Kirchner served as Director of WSL from 2007 to 2012. He was attracted by the wide range of research opportunities, by WSL's commitment to translating science into practice, and by the prospect of living and working close to the Swiss Alps.  Since stepping down as Director, he has remained involved in WSL’s scientific life as Senior Scientist in the research unit Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements.

Formerly at Berkeley

James Kirchner received his PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1990. Following postdoctoral work at Caltech, he returned to Berkeley as an assistant professor. He was promoted to full professor in 2002, was named the Goldman Distinguished Professor for the Physical Sciences in 2003, and also served as the director of Berkeley‘s Central Sierra Field Research Stations. In 2008 he was named as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

 

Publications

Baalmann L.R., Hunziker S., Péronne A., Kirchner J.W., Glassmeier K.H., Malaspina D.M., … Sterken V.J. (2024) A solar rotation signature in cosmic dust: frequency analysis of dust particle impacts on the Wind spacecraft. Astron. Astrophys. 689, A329 (28 pp.). doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450069 Institutional Repository DORA

Bernhard F., Floriancic M.G., Treydte K., Gessler A., Kirchner J.W., Meusburger K. (2024) Tree- and stand-scale variability of xylem water stable isotope signatures in mature beech, oak and spruce. Ecohydrology. 17(2), e2614 (20 pp.). doi:10.1002/eco.2614 Institutional Repository DORA

Floriancic M.G., Allen S.T., Kirchner J.W. (2024) Isotopic evidence for seasonal water sources in tree xylem and forest soils. Ecohydrology. 17(5), e2641 (15 pp.). doi:10.1002/eco.2641 Institutional Repository DORA

Floriancic M.G., Kirchner J.W. (2024) Isotopic offsets in throughfall and stemflow may have small effects on estimates of winter precipitation fractions. Hydrol. Process. 38(3), e15095 (13 pp.). doi:10.1002/hyp.15095 Institutional Repository DORA

Floriancic M.G., Stockinger M.P., Kirchner J.W., Stumpp C. (2024) Monthly new water fractions and their relationships with climate and catchment properties across Alpine rivers. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 28(16), 3675-3694. doi:10.5194/hess-28-3675-2024 Institutional Repository DORA

Floriancic M.G., Allen S.T., Kirchner J.W. (2024) Young and new water fractions in soil and hillslope waters. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 28(18), 4295-4308. doi:10.5194/hess-28-4295-2024 Institutional Repository DORA

Huang Y., Evaristo J., Li Z., Chun K.P., Sutanudjaja E.H., Cardenas M.B., … van Genuchten M.T. (2024) The nature and extent of bomb tritium remaining in deep vadose zone: a synthesis and prognosis. Vadose Zone J. 23(4), e20304 (10 pp.). doi:10.1002/vzj2.20304 Institutional Repository DORA

Jasechko S., Seybold H., Perrone D., Fan Y., Shamsudduha M., Taylor R.G., … Kirchner J.W. (2024) Rapid groundwater decline and some cases of recovery in aquifers globally. Nature. 625(7996), 715-721. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06879-8 Institutional Repository DORA

Kirchner J.W. (2024) Characterizing nonlinear, nonstationary, and heterogeneous hydrologic behavior using ensemble rainfall-runoff analysis (ERRA): proof of concept. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 28(19), 4427-4454. doi:10.5194/hess-28-4427-2024 Institutional Repository DORA

Knapp J.L.A., Napitupulu T., von Freyberg J., Rücker A., Studer B., Zappa M., Kirchner J.W. (2024) Multi-year time series of daily solute and isotope measurements from three Swiss pre-Alpine catchments. Sci. Data. 11, 393 (10 pp.). doi:10.1038/s41597-024-03192-5 Institutional Repository DORA

Li M., Seybold H., Wu B., Chen Y., Fu X., Kirchner J.W. (2024) Global analysis of topographic and climatic controls on drainage basin shapes. Geophys. Res. Lett. 51(8), e2023GL105804 (9 pp.). doi:10.1029/2023GL105804 Institutional Repository DORA

Liu S., Van Meerveld I., Zhao Y., Wang Y., Kirchner J.W. (2024) Seasonal dynamics and spatial patterns of soil moisture in a loess catchment. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 28(1), 205-216. doi:10.5194/hess-28-205-2024 Institutional Repository DORA

Novak M., Holmden C., Andronikov A.V., Erban Kochergina Y.V., Kirchner J.W., Paces T., … Komarek A. (2024) Mg, Ca and Sr isotope dynamics in a small forested catchment underlain by paragneiss: the role of geogenic, atmospheric, and biogenic sources of base cations. Geoderma. 442, 116768 (16 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116768 Institutional Repository DORA

Scandellari F., Attou T., Barbeta A., Bernhard F., D'Amato C., Dimitrova-Petrova K., … Sprenger M. (2024) Using stable isotopes to inform water resource management in forested and agricultural ecosystems. J. Environ. Manag. 365, 121381 (15 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121381 Institutional Repository DORA

Wang J., Li X., Li Y., Shi Y., Xiao H., Wang L., … Kirchner J.W. (2024) Transport pathways of nitrate in stormwater runoff inferred from high-frequency sampling and stable water isotopes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 58(38), 17026-17035. doi:10.1021/acs.est.4c02495 Institutional Repository DORA

Wolf S., Paul-Limoges E., Sayler D., Kirchner J.W. (2024) Dynamics of evapotranspiration from concurrent above- and below-canopy flux measurements in a montane Sierra Nevada forest. Agric. For. Meteorol. 346, 109864 (18 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109864 Institutional Repository DORA

Åberg A., Aaron J., McArdell B.W., Kirchner J., de Haas T., Hirschberg J. (2024) Field validation of the superelevation method for debris-flow velocity estimation using high-resolution lidar and UAV data. J. Geophys. Res. F. 129(11), e2024JF007857 (18 pp.). doi:10.1029/2024JF007857 Institutional Repository DORA

Bieroza M., Acharya S., Benisch J., ter Borg R.N., Hallberg L., Negri C., … Kirchner J.W. (2023) Advances in catchment science, hydrochemistry, and aquatic ecology enabled by high-frequency water quality measurements. Environ. Sci. Technol. 57(12), 4701-4719. doi:10.1021/acs.est.2c07798 Institutional Repository DORA

Floriancic M.G., Allen S.T., Meier R., Truniger L., Kirchner J.W., Molnar P. (2023) Potential for significant precipitation cycling by forest-floor litter and deadwood. Ecohydrology. 16(2), e2493 (16 pp.). doi:10.1002/eco.2493 Institutional Repository DORA

Freund E.R., Seybold H., Jasechko S., Kirchner J.W. (2023) Groundwater's fingerprint in stream network branching angles. Geophys. Res. Lett. 50(19), e2023GL103599 (7 pp.). doi:10.1029/2023GL103599 Institutional Repository DORA

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