Timothy R. Chomiak
Graduate Student
Research Assistant
Biogeochemistry, Carbon Cycling, Stable Carbon Isotopes, Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy, Size-reactivity Continuum, Microbial Carbon Pump, Biological Carbon Pump, Climate Change
OCSB 340
Research
My research focuses on the use of Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) to monitor carbon isotope biogeochemistry in fluvial systems. Multi-decadal trends in the circumpolar Arctic reveal that an intensification of the hydrologic cycle brought upon by increasing air temperatures is contributing to the excavation and mobilization of carbon from soil. The increasing export and biogeochemical processing of carbon in the region is transforming biogeochemical cycles and warrants further research. As a member of the lab of Dr. Rainer Amon, who has been conducting research in the Arctic for over 20 years, I will be continuing to monitor the export of organic carbon from Siberian watersheds and employing stable carbon isotopes to trace emissions of biogenic and geogenic carbon dioxide.
Selected Publications
Said, I. A., Chomiak, T. R., He, Z., & Li, Q. (2020). Low-cost high-efficiency solar membrane distillation for treatment of oil produced waters. Separation and Purification Technology, 250, 117170.
Said, I. A., Chomiak, T., Floyd, J., & Li, Q. (2020). Sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD) for wastewater treatment, concentration, and desalination: A comprehensive review. Chemical Engineering and Processing-Process Intensification, 153, 107960.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Marine Science
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Marine Science is synonymous with Oceanography. My undergraduate studies focused on (1.) microbial- and photochemical-induced transformations of DOM in fluvial systems (2.) the tracing of lignin-rich DOM along coastal margins, and (3.) the tracing of bacterial respiration with carbon isotopes using Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy.
Awards
Recipient of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Scholarship
Recipient of the Texas Sea Grant Scholarship
Recipient of the TAMU Interdisciplinary Scholarship (Graduate Assistantship)
Additional Information
Experience:
Internship at Rice University’s Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT)
Advisor: Dr. Rainer Amon
