Faculty Profile

Carl Zipper, Ph.D.

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Dr. Zipper

Associate Professor of Environmental Science

Appointment

Teaching : 30%

Research : 25%

Extension : 33%

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Education

  • B.S. Agronomy, Virginia Tech, 1981
  • M.S. Agricultural Economics, Virginia Tech, 1987
  • Ph.D. Agronomy, Virginia Tech, 1986

Professional Activities and Interests

  • Current activities address a variety of environmental issues with an emphasis on the interface of environmental science with natural resource management and government policy.
  • Instructional activities include a junior-level course, Fundamentals of Environmental Science, and a graduate course, Environmental Science Concepts for Professionals.
  • Director of the Powell River Project, a Virginia Tech program that conducts research to address coal mine restoration and environmental protection.
  • Conduct research addressing mine restoration, carbon sequestration, and water quality.
  • Co-supervisor of the Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences Department Geographic Information Systems laboratory.
  • Currently advises Virginia Department of Environmental Quality through leadership of Nutrient Criteria Subcommittee of the agency’s Academic Advisory Committee; serves as a member of the US Office of Surface Mining’s Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative Science Team; and serves as an Associate of the International Energy Agency’s Coal Industry Advisory Board.

Courses

Course Number Course Name
ENSC 3604 Fundamentals of Environmental Science
CSES 5604 Environmental Science Concepts for Professionals

Current Projects

  • I serve as Director of the Powell River Project (PRP), a cooperative program of Virginia Tech and the coal mining industry that conducts research and education programs to address environmental issues associated with coal mining. In this role, I work with the coal industry and regulatory agencies to identify research priorities to communicate research results so as to improve mine reclamation practice.

  • I am working with mining agencies and the coal industry to adopt improved mine reforestation practices that have been developed through Powell River Project research conducted by Virginia Tech forester Dr. James Burger. My activities in this area, both research and extension/outreach, are conducted cooperatively with Dr. Burger, the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (http://arri.osmre.gov), and Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.

  • I am active in research to characterize the renewable resource potentials of reclaimed mined lands. We have sampled reclaimed coal mine sites throughtout the Appalachians for the purpose of estimating these lands' cumulative potential to sequester atmospheric carbon if reforested, and are initiating new research in collaboration with Dr. Randolph Wynne (Forestry) that will evaluate the potential of satellite remote sensing data to indicate ecosystem development on these sites.

  • I work with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to develop water quality standards. As a member of DEQ's Water Quality Academic Advisory Committee (AAC), I am advising DEQ in development of water quality criteria for nutrients in Virginia. In a collaborative project with Stephen Schoenholtz (Virginia Water Resources Research Center), I am conducting research that will recommend water quality criteria for total dissolved solids.

Recent Honors

  • "Reclamation Researcher of the Year." American Society of Mining and Reclamation. 2007.

  • Active member of the the Appalachian Regioanl Reforestation Initiative Science Team, which received a "Cooperative Conservation Award" from U.S. Department of Interior. 2007.

Recent Publications

  • Galang, J., C. Zipper, S. Prisley, J. Galbraith, P. Donovan. 2007. Evaluating terrestrial carbon sequestration options for Virginia. Environmental Management 39:139-150.

  • Merricks, T.C., D.S. Cherry, C.E. Zipper, R. Currie, T. Valenti. 2007. Coal-mine hollow fill and settling pond influences on headwater streams in southern West Virginia, USA. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 129:359-378.

  • Showalter J., J. Burger, C. Zipper, J. Galbraith, P. Donovan. 2007. Influence of mine soil properties on white oak seedling growth: A proposed mine soil classification model. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 31:99-107.

  • Locke B., D. Cherry, C. Zipper, R. Currie. 2006. Land use influences and ecotoxicological ratings for upper Clinch River tributaries, Virginia. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 51:197-205.

  • Evanylo. G., A.O. Abaye, C. Dundas. C. Zipper, R. Lemus, B. Sukkariyah, J. Rockett. 2005. Herbaceous vegetation productivity, persistence, and metals uptake on a biosolids-amended mine soil. Journal of Environmental Quality 34:1811-1819.

  • Kennedy A,J., D. Cherry, C. Zipper.  2005.  Evaluation of ionic contribution to the toxicity of a coal mine effluent, using Ceriodaphnia dubia.  Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 49: 155-162.

  • Burger, J., and C. Zipper. 2002. How to Restore Forests on Surface-Mined Land. 2002.  Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication 460-123.

  • Zipper C., G. Holtzman, P. Darken, J. Gildea and R. Stewart. 2002. Virginia USA water-quality, 1978 – 1995: Regional interpretation. J. American Water Resources Assoc. 38: 789-802.

  • Zipper, C. 2000.  Coal mine reclamation, acid mine drainage and the Clean Water Act. p. 169-191, in:  R. Barnhisel, W. Daniels and R. Darmody (eds).  Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands. American Society of Agronomy. Madison WI. Monograph 41.

My Work Groups

Keywords

  • land reclamation
  • coal
  • environmental quality
  • water quality
  • clean water act
  • carbon sequestration