People | Christopher K. Sommerfield

• Ph.D., Geological Oceanography, SUNY Stony Brook, 1997.
• M.S., Geological Oceanography, SUNY Stony Brook, 1993.
• B.S., Geology, West Chester University, 1986.

Geological oceanography, coastal-estuarine sedimentary processes, radionuclide tracers and chronometers, tidal marsh morphodynamics, human impacts on coastal systems.

Oceanographic research in my laboratory focuses on natural and anthropogenic influences on sedimentary dynamics in the coastal ocean. We conduct observational studies in a wide range of estuarine and marine environments to characterize flow, particle transport, and deposition, and how these processes influence the seafloor and coast. Our research explores basic questions concerning the flux and fate of land-derived geologic materials, while providing insight on dispersal of pollutants in coastal waters.

My research involves at-sea sampling and laboratory work to characterize transport pathways of sedimentary matter from diverse sources to depositional sinks. A specialty is use of naturally occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides as particle tracers and chronometers.  Measured distributions of radionuclides in estuarine and coastal waters convey unique information on particle sources, residence times, and rates of accumulation. This information is used to determine historical patterns and rates of sedimentation, develop sediment budgets, and validate numerical models of material transport.

• Advancing Radionuclide Tracer Methods for Estuarine Sedimentary Research, sponsored by Delaware Sea Grant
• The Influence of Estuary Geomorphology on Accretion of Coastal Wetlands, sponsored by New Jersey Sea Grant
• Sediment Sources, Transport Mechanisms, and Fluxes in a Coastal Plain Estuary, sponsored by the National Science Foundation

• Brandon Boyd, graduate student
• John Biddle, research technician

• Marine Environmental Studies (MAST 492)
• Geological Oceanography ( MAST 637)
• Coastal and Estuarine Sediment Dynamics ( MAST 831)
• Oceanography Seminar ( MAST 853/821)

Moskalski, S.M. and Sommerfield, C.K., in press. Effects of northeaster storms on water level and turbidity in a Delaware Bay subestuary. Journal of Coastal Research.

Kemp, A.C., Sommerfield, C.K., Vane, C.H., Chenery, S., Anisfeld, S., Horton, B.P., Nikitina, D., 2012. Use of lead isotopes in developing chronologies for recent salt marsh sediments. Quaternary Geochronology, 12: 40-49.

Moskalski, S.M., and Sommerfield, C.K., 2012. Suspended sediment deposition and trapping efficiency in a Delaware salt marsh. Geomorphology, 139-140: 195-204.

Moskalski, S.M., Sommerfield, C.K., and Wong, K.C., 2011. Oceanic and hydrologic influences on flow and water properties in the St. Jones River estuary, Delaware. Estuaries and Coasts, DOI 10.1007/s12237-011-9407-5.

Quirk, T.E., Seliskar, D.M., Sommerfield, C.K., and Gallager, J.L, 2011. Salt marsh carbon pool distribution in a Mid-Atlantic lagoon, USA: Implications for sea level rise. Wetlands, DOI 10.1007/s13157-010-0139-2.

Sommerfield, C.K. and Wong, K.C., 2011. Mechanisms of sediment flux and turbidity maintenance in the Delaware Estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, C01005, doi:10.1029/2010JC006462.

Wong, K.C. and Sommerfield, C.K., 2009. Variability of currents and sea level in the upper Delaware Estuary. Journal of Marine Research, 67: 479-501.

Sommerfield, C.K., Lee, H.J., and Normark, W.R., 2009. Postglacial sedimentary record of the southern California continental shelf and slope, Point Conception to Dana Point. In: H. Lee and B. Normark, (Eds.), Earth Science and the Urban Ocean: The Southern California Continental Borderland. Geological Society of America Bulletin Special Paper 454, p. 89-115.

Sommerfield, C.K. and Wheatcroft, R.A., 2007. Late Holocene sediment accumulation on the northern California shelf: Oceanic, fluvial and anthropogenic influences. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 119: 1120-1134.

Cook, T.L., Sommerfield, C.K., and Wong, K.C., 2007. Observations of tidal and springtime sediment transport in the upper Delaware Estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 72: 235-?246.

Sommerfield, C.K., Ogston, A.S., Mullenbach, Drake, D.E., Alexander, C.R., Nittrouer, C.A., Borgeld, J.C., Wheatcroft, R.A., and Leithold, E.L., 2007. Oceanic Dispersal and Accumulation of River Sediment. In: C. Nittrouer, J. Austin, M. Field, J. Syvitski, and P. Wiberg (Eds.), Continental-Margin Sedimentation: Sediment Transport to Sequence Stratigraphy. Blackwell Publishers, 549 pp. (book chapter)

Sommerfield, C.K., 2006. On sediment accumulation rates and stratigraphic completeness: Lessons from Holocene ocean margins. Continental Shelf Research, 26: 2225-2240.

Church, T.M., Sommerfield, C.K., Velinsky, D., Point, D., Benoit, C., Amouroux, D., Plaa, D., and Donard, O., 2006. Marsh sediments as records of sedimentation, eutrophication and metal pollution in the urban Delaware Estuary. Marine Chemistry, 102: 72-95.

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