Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Hydrological Sustainability
Contact information
Email: sketcheson@athabascau.ca
Phone:
The overall theme of my research program is working towards ecosystem sustainability through understanding hydrological processes. As a field hydrologist, my research team and I study the movement of water between forests, wetlands and streams in northern Alberta. We use both traditional hydrological techniques and innovative sensor networks to gain a better understanding of how headwater catchments work and their importance for keeping water flowing through streams and rivers within the lower Athabasca River Basin. Here, I have established a research Headwater Catchment Observatory; the first of its kind in this region. I also collaborate on several projects including oil sands reclamation, peatland biogeochemistry & mercury dynamics, seismic line impacts & restoration, and wildfire vulnerability & peatlands. To learn more about my research program and ongoing projects, see https://www.auhydrology.com.
PhD - Physical Geography; Hydrology, University of Waterloo
Thesis title: Hydrology of a constructed fen watershed in a post-mined landscape in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada
MSc - Physical Geography; Hydrology, University of Waterloo
BSc - Honours Earth & Environmental Sciences; McMaster University
Professional affiliations
Canadian Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
Canadian Water Resources Association
International Association of Hydrological Sciences
Society for Ecological Restoration
Other professional activities
Member, Executive Committee: Canadian Geophysical Union Hydrology Section (Member at Large, Committees)
Member, Board of Directors: Alberta Branch of the Canadian Water Resources Association
Member, Academic and Board of Directors: Athabasca Watershed Council
Member, Academic Advisory Group: City of Calgary Stormwater Management Strategy Project
Spennato, H.M., Ketcheson, S.J., Mendoza, C.A. and Carey, S.K. (2018) Water table dynamics in a constructed wetland, Fort McMurray, Alberta. Hydrological Processes. 32: 3824-3836.
Kessel, E., Ketcheson, S.J. and Price, J.S. (2018) The distribution and migration of sodium from a reclaimed upland to a constructed fen peatland in a post-mined oil sands landscape. Science of the Total Environment. 630: 1553-1564.
Ketcheson, S.J., Price, J.S., Sutton, O., Kessel, E., Sutherland, G. and Petrone, R.M. (2017) The hydrological functioning of a constructed fen wetland watershed. Science of the Total Environment 603-604: 593-605.
McCarter, C., Ketcheson, S.J., Weber, T.K.D., Whittington, P.N., Scarlett, S. and Price, J.S. (2017) A modified technique for measuring unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in Sphagnum moss and peat. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 81 (4): 747-757.
Wells, C.M., Ketcheson, S.J. and Price, J.S. (2017) Hydrology of a wetland-dominated headwater basin in the Boreal Plain, Alberta, Canada. Journal of Hydrology. 547: 168 – 183.
Ketcheson, S.J., Price, J.S., Carey, S.K., Petrone, R.M., Mendoza, C.A. and Devito, K.J. (2016) Constructing fen peatlands in post-mining oil sands landscapes: challenges and opportunities from a hydrological perspective. Earth-Science Reviews 161: 130-139.
Ketcheson, S.J. and Price, J.S. (2016) Comparison of the hydrological role of two reclaimed slopes of different ages in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta, Canada. Canadian Geotechnical Journal. 53 (9): 1533 – 1546.
Ketcheson, S.J. and Price, J.S. (2016) Snow hydrology of a constructed watershed in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta, Canada. Hydrological Processes 30: 2546-2561.
Nwaishi, F., Petrone, R.M., Price, J.S., Ketcheson, S.J., Slawson, R. and Andersen, R. (2015) Impacts of donor-peat management practices on the functional characteristics of a constructed fen. Ecological Engineering 81: 471-480.
Ketcheson, S.J. and Price, J.S. (2014) Characterization of the fluxes and stores of water within newly formed Sphagnum moss cushions and their environment. Ecohydrology 7 (2): 771-782.
Ketcheson, S.J., Price, J.S., Tighe, S. and Stone, M. (2014) Transport and retention of water and salt within pervious concrete pavements subjected to freezing and sand application. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering 19 (11). ASCE.
Ketcheson, S.J., Whittington, P.N. and Price, J.S. (2012) The effect of peatland harvesting on snow accumulation, ablation and snow surface energy balance. Hydrological Processes 26 (17): 2592-2600. doi: 10.1002/hyp.9325.
Richardson, M., Ketcheson, S.J., Whittington, P.N. and Price, J.S. (2012) The influences of catchment geomorphology and scale on runoff generation in a northern peatland complex. Hydrological Processes 26 (12): 1805-1817.
Whittington, P.N., Ketcheson, S.J., Price, J.S., Richardson, M. and DiFebo, A. (2012) Areal differentiation of snow accumulation and melt between peatland types in the James Bay Lowland. Hydrological Processes 26 (17): 2663-2671.
Ketcheson, S.J. and Price, J.S. (2011) The impact of peatland restoration on the site hydrology of an abandoned block-cut bog. Wetlands 31 (6): 1263-1274.
Price, J.S., and Ketcheson, S.J. (2009) Water relations in cutover peatlands. In: Carbon Cycling in Northern Peatlands (eds. Baird, A.J. et al.). Geophysical Monograph Series 184, 277-288. American Geophysical Union: 10.1029 / 2008GM000827.
Waddington, J.M., Ketcheson, S.J., Kellner, E., Strack, M.and Baird, A.J. (2009) Evidence that piezometers vent gas from peat soils and implications for pore-water pressure and hydraulic conductivity measurements. Hydrological Processes 23 (8): 1249-1254.