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Interim Dept. Chair Email: jatullis@uark.edu
216 Gearhart Hall
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701P
479-575-3355
F 479-575-3469
Dr. Matt Covington
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Associate Professor of Geology
28 Gearhart Hall
Department of Geosciences
University of Arkansas
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| Degrees |
Ph.D. University of California Santa Cruz, Physics, 2008
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B.A. University of Arkansas, Philosophy (summa cum laude), 2002
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B.S. University of Arkansas, Physics (summa cum laude), 2002
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Research Interests
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Covington's primary area of research interest lies along the intersection of hydrogeology
and geomorphology, with a particular focus on karst aquifers and landforms.Much of
Dr. Covington's recent work studies the variations in water quality and quantity at
karst springs and in cave streams.This work has employed simple physically based mathematical
models to try to understand the relationship between the variations at a given spring
and the internal structure of the aquifer.Further work attempts to incorporate such
variations into models of cave formation (speleogenesis).Ultimately, this helps us
to better understand how caves and karst landforms are created and evolve over time
in response to tectonic and climatic forces.Some of these advances also help us to
better characterize, manage, and model karst aquifers, which are often both fragile
and difficult to predict.In addition to studying karst, Covington researches the dynamics
of glacial caves, which form inside the ice of glaciers and are a key ingredient to
predicting the response of Greenland's ice sheet to climate change.A common thread
that runs through much of his work is an effort to construct physically based mathematical
models of hydrological and geomorphological processes using a combination of theory
and field data.
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Professional Biography
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Dr. Covington entered the University of Arkansas as an undergraduate with broad interests; he exited four years later with undergraduate degrees in both physics and philosophy. After that, he pursued a Ph.D. in theoretical astrophysics at the University of California – Santa Cruz, working on models of processes that occur during galaxy mergers. However, during his undergraduate and graduate years, Covington lived a second life as an expedition caver, exploring and mapping in some of the deepest caves in the world. These expeditions took him to Mexico, Peru, Sumatra, Alaska, China, Slovenia, Croatia, and other far-flung places. In the final year of his Ph.D., Covington's career took a dramatic shift as he decided to pursue research in geoscience, combining his passion for caves with his skill set in mathematical modeling. Upon completion of his Ph.D. in physics, Covington began his first postdoc studying karst hydrology at the University of Minnesota supported by an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship. Then he spend two years as an NSF International Research Fellow working at the Karst Research Institute in Postojna, Slovenia. Starting in fall of 2012, Covington returned to the University of Arkansas as an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences. |
| Selected Publications |
Covington, M.D., Prelovšek, M., and Gabrovšek, F., "Influence of CO2 dynamics on the longitudinal variation of incision rates in soluble bedrock channels: potential feedback mechanisms," in review, Geomorphology.
Luhmann, A.J.,Covington,M.D., Alexander, S.C., Chai, S.Y., Schwartz, B.F., Groten, B.S., and Alexander, E.C. Jr.,"Comparing conservative and nonconservative tracers in karst and using them to estimate
flow path geometry,"Journal of Hydrology, 448-449, 201-211, doi:10.1016/j.hydrol.2012.04.044.
Covington, M.D., Luhmann, A.J., Wicks, C.M., and M. Saar,"Process length scales and longitudinal damping in karst conduits,"2012, Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, 117, F01025, doi:10.1029/2011JF002212.
Covington, M.D., Banwell, A.J., Gulley, J., Saar, M.O., Willis, I., and Wicks, C.M.,"Quantifying the effects of glacier conduit geometry and recharge on proglacial hydrograph
form,"2012, Journal of Hydrology, 414-415, 59-71, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.10.027.
Covington, M.D., Luhmann, A.J., Gabrovšek, F., Saar, M.O., and Wicks, C.M.,"Mechanisms of heat exchange between water and rock in karst conduits,"2011, Water Resources Research, 47, W10514, doi:10.1029/2011WR010683,
Luhmann, A., Covington, M., Peters, A., Alexander, S., Cale, A., Green, J., and Alexander, E.,"Classification of Thermal Patterns at Karst Springs and Cave Streams," 2011, Ground Water, 49, 3, 324-335, DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2010.00737.x
Covington, M.D., Wicks, C.M., and Saar, M.O., "A Dimensionless Number Describing the Effects of Recharge and Geometry on Discharge
from Simple Karstic Aquifers" , 2009, Water Resources Research, 45, W11410, doi:10.1029/2009WR008004.
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| Selected Presentations |
Covington,M.D. (2009). Arduous exploration in one of the world's deepest cave systems.
OutdoorAdventureExpo, Minneapolis, November 2009.
Covington, M.D. and M. Minton (2007). The 2007 Huautla Expedition: Connecting Rio
Iglesia to Sistema Huautla, NationalSpeleologicalSocietyConvention.
Covington,M.D. (2007). High and Low Places in Lechuguilla Cave. StanfordAlpineClub.
Covington,M.D. (2005). Caving at High Altitude in the Peruvian Andes. NationalSpeleologicalSocietyConvention
Covington, M.D. and Lane, J. (2001). Gunung Ngalu Seribu, Sumatra: Mountain of 1000
Caves. NationalSpeleologicalSocietyConvention.
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| Awards and Fellowships |
NSF International Research Fellowship (2010-2012)
NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship (2008-2009)
National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section Exploration Award (2009) awarded
to US Deep Caving Team for exploration in Cueva J2
University of Arkansas's 2002 Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Scholar
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