Sharon Bywater-Reyes

Faculty

Associate Professor

Email sharon.bywaterreyes@unco.edu
Phone 970-351-1086
Location Ross Hall, Office 3235J
Address 501 20th St., Campus Box 100, Greeley, CO 80639

Education

PhD, University of Montana, 2015.
Area of Study: Geosciences

MS, University of Wyoming, 2009.
Area of Study: Geology

BA, Southern Oregon University, 2007.
Area of Study: Language and Culture with a Concentration in German

BS, Southern Oregon University, 2007.
Area of Study: Geology

Professional Experience & Affiliations

Associate Professor, University of Northern Colorado
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science (2023 – Present)

Research Expertise & Interests

I am interested in processes that reshape Earth’s surface. I have broad interests in dynamic process-form linkages within the hydrologic-geomorphic system that have implications for society, ecology, and the evolution of landscapes. This led me to investigate the evolution of fluvial deposits influenced by changing tectonic and climatic forcings in the Andes (Bywater-Reyes et al., 2010). In my dissertation research I quantified interactions between riparian vegetation and fluvial processes. My research used field, remote sensing, and numerical techniques to investigate both seedling vulnerability to floods (Bywater-Reyes et al., 2015) and how riparian vegetation engineers channels by changing flow and sediment transport regimes at the bar and reach scales (Bywater-Reyes et al., 2017a).

During my tenure as a postdoctoral scholar, I quantified the spatial and temporal patterns in turbidity and suspended sediment using long-term water quality data. I identified watershed geology as a fundamental control on both overall sediment yields as well as vulnerability to management (Bywater-Reyes et al., 2017b).

Since moving to the Front Range, I am studying river science with a number of projects looking the success of river restoration and influences on water quality. I have ongoing projects on the Little Thompson River and on the Cache la Poudre River at the River Bluffs Open Space, Poudre Learning Center, and Kingfisher Point Natural Area.

Publications

  • Bywater-Reyes, S., Carrapa, B., Clementz, M., & Schoenbohm, L. (2010). Effect of late Cenozoic aridification on sedimentation in the Eastern Cordillera of northwest Argentina (Angastaco basin). Geology, 38(3), 235-238.
  • Bywater‐Reyes, S., Wilcox, A. C., Stella, J. C., & Lightbody, A. F. (2015). Flow and scour constraints on uprooting of pioneer woody seedlings. Water Resources Research, 51(11), 9190-9206.
  • Bywater‐Reyes, S., Wilcox, A. C., & Diehl, R. M. (2017). Multi‐scale influence of woody riparian vegetation on fluvial topography quantified with ground‐based and airborne LiDAR. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.
  • Bywater-Reyes, S., Segura, C., & Bladon, K. D. (2017). Geology and geomorphology control suspended sediment yield and modulate increases following timber harvest in temperate headwater streams. Journal of Hydrology, 548, 754-769.
  • Bywater-Reyes, S., Bladon, K.D., & Segura, C.. (2018). Relative influence of landscape variables and discharge on suspended sediment yields in temperate mountain catchments. Water Resources Research.
  • Bywater-Reyes, S., Diehl, R.M., & Wilcox, A.C. (2018). The influence of a vegetated bar on channel-bend flow dynamics. Earth Surface Dynamics, 6, 487-503.
  • Bladon, Kevin & Bywater-Reyes, Sharon & Leboldus, Jared & Keriö, Susanna & Segura, Catalina & Ritóková, Gabriela & Shaw, David. (2019). Increased streamflow in catchments affected by a forest disease epidemic. Science of The Total Environment, 691, 112-123.
  • Rachels, A. A., Bladon, K. D., Bywater-Reyes, S., & Hatten, J. A. (2020). Quantifying effects of forest harvesting on sources of suspended sediment to an Oregon Coast Range headwater stream. Forest Ecology and Management, 466, 118123.

Grants and Sponsored Research

  • Bywater-Reyes, S. (Principal), “Donation of GEO XH Handheld GPS units,” Sponsored by City of Loveland, Local, $18,000.00.
  • Bywater-Reyes, S., “Lower Poudre River Water Quality Monitoring,” Sponsored by Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, Federal, $3,000.00.
  • Bywater-Reyes, S. (Co-Principal), Lukens, C. (Co-Principal), Metz, A. (Supporting), Romulo, C. (Supporting), “Quantifying Erosion Susceptibility as a Function of Lithology, with Implications for Landscape Evolution and Management,” Sponsored by Purdue Rare Isotope Measurement Laboratory, State, $13,875.00.
  • Bywater-Reyes, S. (Principal), Franklin, S. (Co-Principal), “Quantifying Russian Olive Invasion in the Powder River Basin,” Sponsored by University of Northern Colorado CARES, University of Northern Colorado, $9,988.00.
  • Bywater-Reyes, S. (Principal), Romulo, C. (Co-Principal), Creekmore, A. (Co-Principal), “Developing a Cohort-Based Pathways Program into Anthropology, Geoscience, and Environmental Sustainability (AGES) to test impacts on Sense of Belonging and Science Capital.,” Sponsored by UNCO Graduation and Retention Taskforce (GART), University of Northern Colorado, $5,000.00. (August 2022 – Present).
  • Bywater-Reyes, S. (Principal), Romulo, C. (Co-Principal), Creekmore, A. (Co-Principal), “Supporting historically underrepresented and underserved students in Anthropology, Geoscience, and Environmental Sustainability (AGES) Programs,” Sponsored by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, State, $36,435.00. (June 2022 – Present).
  • Shellito, L. (Principal), Bywater-Reyes, S. (Co-Principal), Romulo, C. (Co-Principal), Virapongse, A. (Co-Principal), “Teaching Climate Change Across the Curriculum – Open Access Climate Resources for Higher Education,” Sponsored by Colorado Department of Higher Education, University of Northern Colorado, $19,545.00. (January 1, 2025 – November 15, 2025).
  • Shellito, L. (Principal), Romulo, C. (Co-Principal), Bywater-Reyes, S. (Co-Principal), Viripongse, A. (Supporting), Gupta, R. (Supporting), “NSF Cultural Transformation in the Geosciences Planning Grant: Building a community learning ecosystem for climate change resilience in Northern Colorado,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $295,964.42. (May 15, 2023 – October 31, 2025).
  • Shellito, C. (Principal), Romulo, C. (Co-Principal), Bywater-Reyes, S. (Co-Principal), Virapongse, A. (Supporting), Gupta, R. (Supporting), “NSF Cultural Transformation in the Geosciences Planning Grant: Building a community learning ecosystem for climate change resilience in Northern Colorado.,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $295,964.42. (May 15, 2023 – October 31, 2025).