Research and Teaching Interests
Dr. Urban’s research focuses on the biogeochemistry of
lakes and wetlands. Topics of investigation have included: biogeochemical
cycles of major and trace elements; limnology; sediment diagenesis and stratigraphy;
chemistry of natural organic matter; wetland biogeochemistry; air-water
exchange; environmental impact and fate of pollutants; influence of organisms
on the chemical environment; role of chemical environment in controlling
populations. Research support has come from the National Science Foundation,
the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund, the New York City Department of
Environmental Protection, the NOAA National Undersea Research Program, the
Humboldt Foundation, the Gerber Foundation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Dr. Urban teaches courses in environmental engineering fundamentals,
surface water quality engineering, environmental chemistry, and biogeochemistry.
Related Activities
Selected Publications
Urban, N.R., Apul, D.S. and M.T. Auer. 2004. Planktonic respiration
rates in Lake Superior. In Press, Journal of Great Lakes Research.
Urban, N.R., Auer, M.T., Green, S.A., Lu, X., Elenbaas, K. and
L. Bub. 2004. Carbon cycling in Lake Superior. In review. Journal of Geophysical
Research.
Urban, N.R., Y Chai, J Jeong, 2004, The benthic nepheloid layer
(BNL) north of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Lake Superior: composition, dynamics,
and role in sediment transport, In press. J. Great Lakes Research.
Urban, N.R., X. Lu, Y. Chai, D. Apul, 2004, Sediment trap studies
in Lake Superior: Insights into
resuspension, cross-margin transport and carbon cycling, In press. J.
Great Lakes Research,
Chai, Y, N.R. Urban, 2004, 210Po and 210Pb distributions and
disequilibria in the near-shore region of Lake Superior, J. Geophys. Res.
Vol. 109, C10S07, doi:10.1029/2003JC002081, 2004
Russ, ME, Ostrom, NE, Ostrom, PH, Gandhi, H, Urban, NR, 2004,
Temporal and spatial variations in R:P ratios in Lake Superior, an oligotrophic
freshwater environment, J.Geophys. Res. 109: C10S12, doi:10.1029/2003JC001890
Churchill, JH, Ralph, EA, Cates, AM, Budd, JR, Urban, NR, 2003,
Observations of a negatively buoyant river plume in a large lake, Limnol.
Oceanogr. 48(2): 884-894.
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