Jeffrey Wilcox

Professor of Environmental Science

Contact Information

  • jwilcox@unca.edu
  • 232-5184
  • 159 Rhoades/Robinson Hall

Office Hours

  • Monday 10:30 am - 12:00 am
  • Wednesday 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
  • Note: And by appointment

Dr. Wilcox teaches upper-level courses in hydrogeology and environmental geochemistry and introductory courses in physical geology and Earth history. He also teaches Regional Field Geology and has taken groups of students on field trips throughout the Southeast and American West (from Montana to New Mexico, and California to Colorado). His research incorporates field studies and laboratory experiments and analyses to better understand local hydrologic issues.  Recent projects have included wetland hydrology in the recently-established Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge, groundwater contamination at the CTS of Asheville Superfund site, and the transport of household chemicals through local soils.  He is also a licensed Professional Geologist (NC License #2500).


Education

  • B.S. Hope College
  • M.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison

Courses Taught

  • ENVS 105 Physical Geology
  • ENVS 106 Earth History
  • ENVS 130 Introduction to Environmental Science
  • ENVS 290 Regional Field Geology
  • ENVS 338 Hydrology and Hydrogeology
  • ENVS 363 Environmental Geochemistry
  • ENVS 480 Seminar on Environmental Issues

Professional Interests

  • Professional Memberships: Geological Society of America; National Association of Geoscience Teachers

Recent Publications

  • Wilcox, J.D., K.A. Stark, and R. Svetlov*, 2024, Estimating stream sediment loads into a Southern Appalachian mountain lake: Environmental Earth Sciences, vol. 83, 387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11677-0.
  • Peterson, J.W., N.S. Powers, K. Yeske, L.M. Peterson, and J.D. Wilcox, 2021, Reconnaissance study on adsorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products to managed turf soils and associated oxide nanoparticles: Journal of Environmental Engineering, vol. 147, no. 11. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001920
  • Wilcox, J., E. Bradshaw Marino*, A. Warwick, and M. Sutton, 2020, Hydrology of a Southern Appalachian hypocrene spring-fed fen: Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 359-366. doi: 10.2113/EEG-2308.
  • Wilcox, J.D., 2019, Total solar eclipse effects on evapotranspiration captured by groundwater fluctuations in a Southern Appalachian fen: Hydrological Processes, vol. 33, no. 11, pp. 1538- 1541. doi: 10.1002/hyp.13419
  • Wilcox, J.D. and K.M. Johnson*, 2016, Trichloroethylene (TCE) in tree cores to complement a subsurface investigation on residential property near a former electroplating facility: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, vol. 188, 587. doi: 10.1007/s10661-016-5603-x

[NOTE:  *indicates undergraduate research co-author.]

Recent Presentations

  • *Kershner, S. and J. Wilcox., 2024, An analysis of rainfall, flooding, and impacts on federally- listed species in a Southern Appalachian wetland. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 56, no. 2. doi: 10.1130/abs/2024SE-398315
  • Wilcox, J.D., 2023, Quantifying sediment fluxes into Enka Lake, a Southern Appalachian community reservoir: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 55, no. 6. doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-395179
  • *Pasour, M and J. Wilcox, 2022, Hexavalent chromium reduction by mineral olivine: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 54, no. 4. doi: 10.1130/abs/2022NC-374922
  • Wilcox, J.D., J. McLean, and J.D. Gerst, 2020, Stormwater management in a Southern Appalachian fen. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting (Virtual).
  • *Lapkoff, M.A. and J.D. Wilcox, 2020, Modeling the impacts of stream incision on water levels in a Southern Appalachian fen. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting (Virtual).
  • *McDonald, N.J. and J.D. Wilcox, 2019, Hydrologic restoration of a rare Southern Appalachian wetland. Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Meeting, Charleston (SC).
  • *Ornelles, A.D. and J.D. Wilcox, 2019, Investigating potential competitive adsorption and facilitated transport of caffeine on mobile clay minerals. Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Meeting, Charleston (SC).
  • Wilcox, J.D. and R. Reid, 2018, Hydrologic monitoring and management of groundwater-fed wetlands in the Southern Appalachians. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Indianapolis (IN).
  • Ornelles, A.D* and J.D. Wilcox, 2018, Investigating the role of montmorillonite clay on the transport of caffeine, bisphenol A, sulfamethoxazole, and carbamazepine in groundwater. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Indianapolis (IN).
  • Wilcox, J.D. and A. Warwick, 2017, Hydrologic response to fire and drought in a Southern Appalachian wetland. Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Meeting, Richmond (VA).
  • Wilcox, J.D., 2016, A case for more data to assess variability and long-term trends for TCE in ambient and indoor air. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver (CO).
  • Anderson, S.* and J. Wilcox, 2016, Analyzing the relationship between bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) distribution, soil, and hydrologic conditions in Western North Carolina. National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Asheville (NC)
  • Landert, K, S.* and J. Wilcox, 2016, Comparing photographic and GIS-based applications for estimating canopy cover in Southern Appalachian bogs. National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Asheville (NC).