Princeton University

Education

Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1967

Research Interests

The dynamics of the interaction between climate, soil, and vegetation are the main focus of Rodriguez-Iturbe's research group. These dynamics are crucially influenced by the scale at which the phenomena are studied as well as by the type of climate, the physiological characteristics of the vegetation, and the pedology of the soil. Moreover, not only the temporal aspects but also the spatial aspects of the dynamics are crucially dependent on the above factors. 

Soil moisture plays a key role in the above dynamics, and the group is involved in its space-time characterization. This involves a range of approaches that include challenging problems in the physics of the interaction as well as on its mathematical description. It is necessary to account for the random character of precipitation, both in occurrence and intensity, as well as for the nonlinear dependence of infiltration, evapotranspiration, and leakage on the soil moisture state. The group's approach has been to understand and model first the balance of soil moisture at a point under the above conditions. The solution of the stochastic differential equations corresponding to the point dynamics have provided the probabilistic description of the soil-plant-climate interaction at a site. The spatial interaction between different sites with the same or with different types of vegetation is also being studied via mathematical probalistic models.

The intertwined hydrologic, ecologic, and geomorphologic dynamics are responsible for a large number of crucially important environmental variables. Thus channel networks act as ecological corridors playing an important role in the biodiversity of freshwater fish populations. Similarly, soil moisture and runoff are important hydrologic drivers impacting the spatially distributed habitat capacity controlling biodiversity of vegetation. 

At larger spatial scales, precipitation itself is influenced by the soil moisture present in the region and this phenomenon needs to be incorporated into the modeling scheme. At intermediate scales involving river basins, the geomorphologic characteristics of the drainage network is a commanding factor in the spatial organization of soil moisture. Rodriguez-Iturbe's group is trying to link the recent advances on the scaling characteristics of the network with the dynamics of the soil moisture and some related ecological processes. With the above framework the group hopes to elucidate some of the most fundamental issues of the climate-soil-vegatation interaction that lie at the heart of hydrology.

Rodriguez-Iturbe was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize in 2002.

Courses

CEE306 Hydrology
CEE587 Ecohydrology
Freshman Seminar 105 "Water: Keystone for Sustainable Development"

Updated: May 6, 2009