Dr. Behzad Mortazavi is an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama and Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Biology at Syracuse University.
Mortazavi’s research specializes in hydrology and biogeochemistry. Specifically, he studies the impact of urbanization and climate change on watersheds. One of his recent studies explored the effects of sea level rise and urbanization on coastal marsh loss in Alabama’s Mobile Bay by evaluating satellite and aerial images from 1984 to 2019. His paper revealed a loss of about 30 percent of saltwater marshes in that area over the 30+ years. With marshes being a critical component to the health of the bay as they remove excess nutrients from freshwater entering the bay, stabilize the shoreline, buffer waves, gird against coastal flooding and serve as habitats for wildlife, the study provides policy makers with critical information as they work to protect and restore ecosystems.
