Alan Kasprak

Alan Kasprak

Assistant Professor of Geoscience

Fort Lewis College

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor in the Geosciences Department at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. I also direct our Geographic Information Science Certificate program. In addition to my primary appointment at FLC, I hold a faculty appointment as a Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center.

My research focuses on understanding physical and biological processes in river systems using field work, numerical modeling, and remote sensing techniques. I am currently working to understand the hydrologic impacts of large dams on the geomorphology, ecology, and land cover of the Colorado River corridor through the Canyonlands and Grand Canyon regions of the Southwestern U.S. I also conduct research on whether, and over what timescales, areas formerly inundated by reservoirs will undergo geomorphic and ecological recovery as those reservoirs decline in response to a changing climate and long-term drought. In addition to these field-based projects, I’ve conducted laboratory and numerical modeling studies of river response to altered hydrology and sediment supply.

At Fort Lewis College, I teach courses in river eco-geomorphology, GIS/Remote Sensing, and programming for spatial data analysis.

For more information:

Download a copy of my CV

Get in touch at akasprak@fortlewis.edu.

Interests
  • Eco-Hydrology
  • Remote Sensing/GIS
  • River Restoration
Education
  • PhD Watershed Science, 2015

    Utah State University

  • MS in Earth Science, 2010

    Dartmouth College

  • BS in Geology/Geophysics, 2008

    Boston College

Featured Publications

For a complete list, see my CV at the top of the page

(2022). Alternative Management Paradigms for the Future of the Colorado and Green Rivers. Center for Colorado River Studies White Paper No. 6.

Project

(2019). The effect of topographic survey technique and data resolution on the interpretation of geomorphic change in river valleys. In Geomorphology.

DOI

(2018). Quantifying and forecasting changes in the areal extent of river valley sediment in response to altered hydrology and land cover. In Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment.

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