Research Interests in SE Asia

Ecohealth Earth surface processes Monsoon areas & tropical environments Impacts of land-cover & land-use change in SE Asia Interactions between people and the physical environment My research addresses the interactions of physical, ecological, and human systems, with water resources serving as a common nexus.  My work typically involves developing environmental monitoring programs that facilitate understanding catchment processes, as they vary both naturally and anthropogenically over different spatial and temporal scales. One current research focus area is determining if intensive agrarian systems on sloping lands in SE Asia are environmentally sustainable in terms of water availability, water quality, land degradation processes (e.g., erosion, landslides), biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.  In particular, how does the environmental footprint of intensified systems, such as permanent cultivation, greenhouse agriculture, and monoculture plantations of rubber and oil palm, compare with that of traditional swidden practices? Two other emerging focus areas are (1) determining the extent of co-facilitation among of mangroves, seagrass, and coral ecosystems; and (2) modeling the aquatic/riparian habitats associated with fish and snail host species of parasitic diseases in SE Asia.

History
2009 - pres        Associate Professor. Geography, National University Singapore, Singapore
2007 - pres        Affiliate Researcher. START Southeast Asia Regional Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
2007 - 2008       Adjunct Assistant Professor. Geography, U. Hawaii, USA (based in Thailand)
2006                  JSPS Fellow. Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto Japan
2004 - 2005       Affiliated Research Associate. University of Hawaii, USA (based in Thailand)
2003 - 2004       Research Fellow. Geography. National University Singapore, Singapore
2000 - 2002       Fellow. Environmental Engineering & Water Resources, Princeton University, USA

Selected Publications (of a total of 81)

• Ziegler AD, J Phelps, Yuen JQ, D Lawrence, EL Webb, TB Bruun TB, C Ryan, S Leisz, O Mertz, U Pascual, LP Koh, W Dressler, JM Fox, C Padoch. 2012. Carbon outcomes of major land-cover transitions in SE Asia: Great uncertainties and REDD+ policy implications. Global Change Biology (DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02747.x): 1-13.
• Ziegler, AD, HS Lim, RJ Wasson. 2012.  Reduce urban flood vulnerability.  Nature 481, 145.
• Ziegler, AD, RH Andrews, C Grundy-Warr, P Sithithaworn, TN Petney. 2011. Fighting liverflukes with food safety education.  Science 331: 282-283.
• Ziegler, AD, JM Fox, Webb, EL, C Padoch, et al. 2011. Rapid land use changes and the role of swiddening in SE Asia. Conservation Biology 25: 846-848.
• Ziegler, AD., PP Wong, C Grundy-Warr. 2009 Still vulnerable to killer tsunamis.  Science 326: 1188-1189.
• Ziegler, AD., JF Fox, JC Xu. 2009. The rubber juggernaut. Science 324: 1024-1025.
• Ziegler, AD, JN Negishi, RC Sidle, T Gomi, S Noguchi, Abdul Rahim Nik. 2007.  Persistence of Road Runoff Generation in a Logged Catchment in Peninsular Malaysia.  Earth Surface Processes & Landforms 32: 1947-1970.
• Ziegler, AD, JN Negishi, RC Sidle, P Preechapanya, RA Sutherland, TW Giambelluca, S Jaiarree. 2006. Reduction of stream suspended sediment concentration by a riparian buffer: filtering of road runoff.  Journal of Environmental Quality 35: 151-162. 
• Ziegler, AD, J Sheffield, EP Maurer, B Nijssen, EF Wood, DP Lettenmaier.  2003. Detection of Intensification of Continental-Scale Hydrological Cycles: Temporal Scale of Evaluation.  Journal of Climate 16: 535-547.
• Ziegler, AD, TW Giambelluca, RA Sutherland. 2002. Improved method for modeling sediment transport on unpaved roads using KINEROS2 and dynamic erodibility.  Hydrological Processes 16: 3079-3089.
• Ziegler, AD, RA Sutherland, TW Giambelluca.  2001.   Acceleration of Horton overland flow & erosion by footpaths in an agricultural watershed in Northern Thailand.  Geomorphology 41: 249-262.
• Ziegler, AD, TW Giambelluca.  1997.  Importance of rural roads as source areas for runoff in mountainous areas of northern Thailand.  Journal of Hydrology  (1/4): 204-229.

 Links
Publication list: http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/geoadz/internet/publications/publications.html
Full CV: http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/geoadz/internet/CV/ziegler_cv.pdf

Major Grants (7 of 23 total ~ $S6,000,000)

• Ziegler AD. Anthropogenic and Natural Controls on Stream Chemistry at Multiple Scales. Ministry of Education Singapore: ($483,770): Thailand.
• Ziegler AD (NUS), PA Todd (NUS), Bouma, T (NIOO-CEME), PMJ Herman (NIOO-CEME). 2010-2012. Towards designing innovative coastal protection using ecosystem-based approaches; deriving underlying ecological knowledge. SDWI/Eco-Shape/Deltares, Singapore & The Netherlands ($1,333,000,): Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.
• Ziegler AD (PI, NUS/UHM), RC Sidle (Kyoto), S Wood (BSU), XX Lu (NUS), A Snidvongs. 2009-2010. Sediment Dynamics in Tropical Streams Affected by Land-cover/Land-use & Climatic Change. Asia Pacific Network, grant nos #ARCP2006-06NMY, #ARCP2007-01CMY, #ARCP2008-01CMY ($180,000): Thailand, Vietnam, China, India.
• Fox, JM (PI, E/W Center, Hawaii), TW Giambelluca (UHM), Qi Chen (UHM), AD Ziegler (NUS). The expansion of rubber and its implications for water and carbon dynamics in Montane Mainland Southeast Asia. 2008-2011. NASA project #NNX08AL90G ($1,333,000): Laos, Thailand, Cambodia
• Fox JM (E-W Center), TW Giambelluca (UHM), B Njissen (U Arizona), S Walsh (UNC), O Sen (Turkey), AD Ziegler (UHM). 2004-2007. Role of land-cover change in montane mainland Southeast Asia in altering regional hydrological processes under a changing climate. NASA (NNG04GH59G) ($1,350,000): SE Asia.
• Ziegler AD (UHM), TW Giambelluca (PI) (UHM), RA Sutherland (UHM). 2000-2003. Hydrological and Erosion Impacts of Road Networks vs. Agricultural Activities in Mountainous Tropical Watersheds. National Science Foundation (EAR-0000546) ($359,615): northern Thailand.
• Ziegler AD (UHM), TW Giambelluca (PI) (UHM), RA Sutherland (UHM). 1997–2000. Hydrologic change and accelerated erosion in mountainous tropical watersheds: the impact of rural roads. National Science Foundation (#9614259) ($450,000): northern Thailand.

 

Recent awards

2012: FASS Faculty research award
2012: FASS Faculty teaching award
2011: FASS Faculty teaching award
2010: FASS Faculty teaching award

 

Current Graduate Students

• Nickolas RA Jachowski.  2010-pres. PhD:  Artificial intelligence methods for modeling geographical distribution of mangroves, seagrass, and coral ecosystems in SE Asia.
• Lucy G Gillis.  2010-pres. PhD: Self facilitation of mangrove-seagrass-coral ecosystems; enrolled at NIOO (The Netherlands); Funding: SDWA scholarship (AD Ziegler, PI).
• Chuah Choon Joon. 2011-pres.  PhD: Evolution of water contaminants & pathogens in SE Asia streams.
• Quak Song Yun Michelle. 2011-pres.  MS: Provenance of seagrass sediments on Yao Yai Island, Pang Nga, Thailand.
• Mohammad Shamraz Anver. 2011-pres. MS. Gap-filling techniques for catchment water balance variables: applications of artificial intelligence methods.
• Yuen Jiaqi. 2012-pres. MS: in-vitro extraction methods for investigating lead legacy in Singapore.
• James Bramonte. 2012-pres. MS: Modeling the geographic distribution of arsenic hazard in Cambodia
• Ng Xiao Qian Serene. 2013-pres. MS: Mythical snakes, giant eels and landslides: local history and culture in shaping vulnerability to environmental hazards.

 NUS Service
(a) University Service
NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Faculty Research Committee (2011-press)
NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Environmental Cluster Steering Committee Head (2012-present)
NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Environmental Cluster Steering Committee (2010-present)

(b) Department Service
NUS Geography Department, Research Committee, deputy chair (2013-present)
NUS Geography Department, Honors Coordinator & Level 4000 module coordinator (2011-present)
NUS Geography Department, Tropical Environmental Cluster Deputy Chair (2012 – present)
NUS Geography Department, Tropical Environmental Cluster Chair (2010 - 2012)
NUS Geography Department, Ethics and Standards Sub-Committee (ESSC) (2010 - present)
Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, Advisory Board (2010 - present)
NUS Geography Department, Geolab Supervisor (2009 - 2011)
NUS Geography Department, Seminar Committee (2009 - present)

 

 

 

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