Jonathan Remo
Dr. Jonathan Remo is a Professor in the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability and Director of the Environmental Resources and Policy Ph.D. Program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. A river scientist and water resources management expert with more than 25 years of professional and academic experience, his work focuses on large river systems, flooding, and flood mitigation. As ERP Director, he mentors Ph.D. students conducting interdisciplinary research on natural resource and environmental challenges. Dr. Remo also has ten years of experience as an environmental and social performance consultant and five years as a disaster mitigation planner. He has worked with local, national, and international agencies and NGOs on water resource and hazard management issues. His research and professional activities have been supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, U.S. Geological Survey, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the National Science Foundation.
Selection Of Courses Taught
- GEOG 433/533: Field Methods in Geography
- GEOG 434/534: Water Resource Hydrology
- GEOG 436/536: Natural Hazards
- GEOG 440/540: Rivers and Their Management
- ERP 502: Environmental Decision Making
Education
- Ph.D. Southern Illinois University, 2008
- M.S. West Virginia University, 1999
- B.S. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 1997
Research Interests
Professor Jonathan Remo studies how human activities alter rivers and how communities can better prepare for floods. His work focuses on the Mississippi River and other major waterways to understand long‑term changes in river channels, levees, and floodplains. By integrating field measurements with satellite imagery, airborne radar, GPS, and numerical modeling, he analyzes how floods move across landscapes and how people adapt to changing flood conditions. His research also examines key floodplain services such as water storage, nutrient processing, and habitat creation, and how these functions reduce flood risk, support biodiversity, and provide environmental and societal benefits. He collaborates with agencies and community partners to develop science‑based tools that promote safer, more resilient floodplain management.
Recent Publications
- Remo, J.W.F., *Lal Giri, T. 2024. Assessing geomorphic and hydraulic changes related to an unplanned reconnection of the middle Mississippi River and its floodplain near Miller City, Illinois, USA. Geomorphology. 449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109062
- Munoz, S.E., Dee, S.G.D., Luo, X., Haider, M.R., O’Donnel, M., Parazin, B., Remo, J.W.F. 2023. Mississippi River low-flows: context, causes, and future projections Environmental Research Climate. 2(3). https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/acd8e3.
- *Alruzuq, A.R., Remo, J.W.F., Mossa, J., Ash, K., 2023, Socio-hydrology and vulnerability of levee systems along the lower Illinois River. Annals of GIS. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19475683.2023.2166113
- Remo, J.W.F., * Krienert, J.M., 2022, Hydraulics, sedimentation, and nutrient deposition within the middle Mississippi River Batture, USA. v. 416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108429
- Munoz S.E., Giosan L., Therrell, M.D., Remo, J.W.F., Shen Z., Sullivan, R.M., Wiman, C., O’Donnell, M., Donnelly, J.P. 2018. Mississippi River flood hazard amplified by climate variability and river engineering, Nature. v. 556, 95–98. doi:10.1038/nature26145
(*Denotes Graduate Student)
Recent Grants
- July 2022 – June 2025, Dogtooth Bend Floodplain Science Project, Phase II, The Nature Conservancy, $150,000, PI
- January 2023 - September 2024 Assessing novel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers to effectively identify denitrifying soil microorganisms in Mississippi River wetlands at Dogtooth Bend. American Rivers, $20,500, Co-PI
- July 2020 - June 2022, Dogtooth Bend Floodplain Science Project. The Nature Conservancy. $227,200, PI
- July 2021- December 2021, Enhanced ground- and surface- water monitoring of the Mississippi River Floodplain at Dogtooth Bend. American Rivers $100,100 PI