In this installment of TREC’s Research Report, you’ll learn about Dr. Young Gu Her, an Assistant Professor in the UF/IFAS Agricultural and Biological Department.
Background
Dr. Young Gu Her is a hydrologist and agricultural engineer working as an assistant professor at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center. His current research focuses on developing a simulation tool capable of providing a holistic view of climate change and sea level rise impacts on south Florida’s agriculture and water resources. His long-term research interests lie in enhancing our ability to manage agricultural crop production and natural resources in sustainable ways. In this Research Report, Dr. Her provides an update on some of the projects his team is working on.
Economic trends in Miami-Dade County
First, Dr. Her is one of several UF/IFAS faculty participating in research to assess the economic trends related to agriculture in Miami-Dade County. This research will serve as a follow-up to a study completed two decades ago titled “Urban and Agricultural Land Use Trends and Projections”. As a hydrologist, Dr. Her is projecting future climate and sea-level changes and their impacts on the groundwater system in south Florida. These projections are being completed in 10-, 20-, and 30-year increments up to the year 2100. The results of these projections will be considered with data generated by other co-PIs in the areas of Food and Resource Economics and Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
Lake Okeechobee
Another one of Dr. Her’s research projects focuses on quantifying the contributions of in-lake hydrodynamic processes and external water and nutrient loading to the water quality of Lake Okeechobee. For this research, Dr. Her will use watershed simulation models. The research project will also evaluate the impact of climate change on the algal bloom using lake and climate models combined with the watershed models. Dr. Her’s modeling and projections will produce data to address claims that nutrient loading from agricultural lands in or near the Kissimmee River Basin is responsible for the pollution of the lake. In addition, the modeling study will show if climate change impacts on the water quality can be mitigated by canal gate operations for lake water level management practices.
To learn more about Dr. Young Gu Her, read his biography on the here.
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