Kirsten Nicholson
Professor of Geological Sciences
Education:
Ph.D. Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France AND University of Auckland, New Zealand. 2000
M.Sc .University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. 1996
B.Sc. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 1991
Current Research:
Fundamentally, all of my research involves geochemistry and/or tectonics. My current research time is divided into three main focus areas. Firstly, I currently have students working on developing geothermal heat flow maps of the SW Pacific region using the LBH database housed at Ball State University. This work consists of compiling drill core data and modelling the geothermal gradient based on downhole temperatures. Secondly, I have been working on a project to characterize drinking water quality in the Sagarmatha National Park (Mt Everest region) Nepal. Our work is evolving to include climate change research, assessing hazard vulnerability and potentially souring potable groundwater for local communities. Finally, I am still actively working on igneous petrology projects, primarily the petrology of ophiolites, in New Zealand, New Caledonia and the USA.
Select Publications:
Wood, L., Neumann, K., Nicholson, K. and Dowling, C., High-altitude communities in a warming world: A geochemical analyses of domestic water resources in the Khumbu Valley, Nepal. In preparation.
Casares, H., Nicholson, K., Malone, S. and Neumann, K., Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Hf Isotope Geochemistry of the Seven Devils Mountains, Western Idaho: Testing proposed ties to surrounding terranes. In preparation.
Shi, P., Yang, J., Neumann, K., Han, B., Nicholson, K., and Duan, K. Modeling past and future variation of glaciers in the Dongkemadi Ice Field on central Tibetan Plateau from 1989 to 2050. Submitted.
Khudier, A.A., Paquette, J.-L., Nicholson, K.N., Johansson, A., Rooney, T.O., Hamid, S., Simonetti, A., El-Fadly, M.A., Corcoran, L., Malone, S.J. and Abu El-Rus, M.A., On the cratonization of the Arabian-Nubian Shield: Constraints from granite gneisses in South Eastern Desert, Egypt. Submitted.
Nicholson, K.N., Neumann, K. and Sharma, S., The impact of precipitation on drinking water resources in the Sagarmatha National Park (Mt. Everest region), Nepal. Accepted.
Nicholson, K.N., Neumann, K., Dowling, C., Gruver, J., Sherman, H., and Sharma, S., 2018, An Assessment of Drinking Water Sources in Sagarmatha National Park (Mt Everest Region), Nepal. Mountain Research and Development 38(4): 353-364.
Nicholson, K.N., Neumann, K. and Sharma, S., 2018, Water quality in the Sagarmatha National Park: The complex interplay between pollution, climate change, health and tourism. SOPHEN (11): 334-341.
Mohan, J., Stone, J., Nicholson, K.N., Neumann, K., Dowling, C. and Sharma, S., 2018, Lindavia biswashanti, a new Bacillariophyta (diatom) from the highest lakes in the world, Himalayan Range, Nepal. Phytotaxa 364 (1): 101-107. Doi 10.11646/phytotaxa.364.1
Nicholson, K.N., Neumann, K., Dowling, C. and Sharma, S., 2017, Fecal coliforms as indicators for improved handling of drinking water in the Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. Journal of Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 6(2): 411-428. DOI 10.5296/emsd.v6i2.11982
Cymes, B., Krekler, M., Nicholson, K. and Grigsby, J., 2017. A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of silver nanoparticles associated with mine waste from New Caledonian nickel deposits: Potential origins of silver toxicity in a World Heritage Site. Environmental Earth Sciences 76: 640. DOI 10.1007/s12665-017-6978-x
Gruver, J., Nicholson, K.N., Neumann, K., Sharma, S. and Dowling, C., 2017, Water quality in the Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal: A modification of viable field-based testing methods. Journal of Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 6(2): 361-372. DOI 10.5296/emsd.v6i2.10635
Stewart, A. and Nicholson, K.N., 2017. Distribution of Drift Pumice as an Indicator for Pollutant Distribution and Sediment Transport in New Caledonia. International Journal of Oceanography and Aquaculture 1 (2): 000112.
Nicholson, K.N. and Stewart, A., 2016. Sourcing sea-rafter pumice in New Caledonia based on geochemical characteristics. Ocean Science Journal 51(4): 665-680. DOI 10.1007/s12601-016-0060-6
Nicholson, K.N., Hayes, E., Neumann, K. and Dowling, C., 2016, Drinking water quality in the Sagarmatha National Park (Mt. Everest) Nepal. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection 4 43-53. doi: 10.4236/gep.2016.44007