Peng Gao, 
Assistant Professor of Geography

pegao@maxwell.syr.edu

Ph. D., (Physical Geography) University of Buffalo, State University of New York, 2003
M.S. (Physical Geography) Lanzhou University, China, 1993
B.S. (Solid Mechanics) Lanzhou University, China, 1990

Education

Lanzhou University, China, B.S., June 1990.
Solid Mechanics.
Thesis: Mechanism of the development of vertical joints in loess areas.

Lanzhou University, China, M.S., June 1993.
Physical Geography.
Thesis: Fractal analysis on small channel networks.

University of Buffalo, State University of   New York, Ph.D., June 2003
Physical Geography.
Dissertation: Mechanics of bedload transport in the saltation and sheetflow regimes.

Appointments

1993-1997 Assistant Researcher, Institute of Chengdu Mountain Disaster and Environment, Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu, China

2003-2005 Post-Doctoral Researcher, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, California University, Davis, California

2005- Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Syracuse University

Recent Publications
Papers in review

Gao, P. The transition between two bedload transport regimes: Saltation and Sheetflow. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering.

Gao, P. and Pasternack, G. B. submitted. Dynamics of suspended sediment transport at field-scale drain channels in irrigation-dominated watersheds. Hydrological Processes.

Gao, P., Pasternack, G. B., Bali, K. M., Wallender, W. W. submitted. Suspended sediment transport in an intensively cultivated watershed in southeastern California. Catena

Refereed Journal Articles

2005    Abrahams, A.D. and Gao, P. A bedload transport model for rough turbulent open-channel flows over plane beds, Earth Surface Process and Landform (in press)

2004    Gao, P. and Abrahams, A.D., Bedload transport resistance in rough   open-channel flows, Earth Surface Process and Landform, 29, 423-435.

2000    Abrahams, A.D., Gao, P. and Aebly, F.A., Relation of sediment  transport capacity to stone cover and size in rain-impacted interrill overland flow, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 25, 497-504.

Refereed Conference Proceedings

2005    Gao, P., Pasternack, G. B., Bali, K., and Wallender, W. Impact of agricultural practices on soil erosion at the field-scale in the Salton Sea watershed. In (M. Svendsen, D. Wichelns, S. S. Anderson, Eds) Water District Management and Governance- Third International Conference on Irrigation and Drainage. USCID, Denver, p. 571-580.

Non-refereed Contribution

2004    Gao, P., Pasternack, G. B., Imperial Valley drains silt TMDL
modeling studies. Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board Final Report. 38pp

Research Interests

Mechanics of bedload transport. The process of bedload transport is complicated by channel bed conditions and sources of sediment, though general hydraulic properties of bedload transport have been established for decades. Consequently, numerous bedload transport equations have been developed for predicting bedload transport rates under a variety of conditions. My recent work in collaboration with professor Athol Abrahams led to a general bedload transport equation that can applied to a wide range of hydraulic and sediment conditions. Whether this generalization is just a coincidence or a signal of a potential general law drives me to apply the established bedload transport equation to different natural conditions and to discover the possible yet still mysterious law for bedload transport particularly, and sediment transport in general.

Sediment-related environmental issues at the watershed scale.  Soil erosion in upstream areas or in agricultural lands produces tremendous suspended load in streams and channel networks deteriorating water quality and riparian ecosystem. A good management plan of controlling environmental pollution relies on the ability of predicting suspended sediment load (SSL) at various spatial scales of a watershed. My focus is to develop different models based on in-situ observations to estimate SSL at watersheds of different physical settings and provide scientific evidence for such management as Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) assessment.

Hydraulic and sediment modeling in natural rivers and lakes. Processes of sediment transport and hydraulic dynamics in natural rivers and lakes are so complex that often preclude field observation. For better understanding the processes of sediment transport in rivers and lakes, I will use both 1-D and 2-D numerical models and GIS models (such as ArcHydro) to investigate sediment movement and hydraulic changes in river channels of different dimensions.

Teaching

GEO 386 Quantitative Geographic Analysis