Dr. Joann Mossa

Professor

Fellow of the American Association of Geographers

Affiliated with Geological Sciences and Hydrologic Sciences, School of Natural Resources and the Environment

ORCID

Curriculum Vitae

LinkedIn, Bluesky

Focus Areas

Research Statement

My research focuses on river channel change and the forces that shape rivers over time, including floods, vegetation, and particularly human activities such as dredging, mining, dams, and other engineering modifications. Most of my work examines the impacts of human activities on large lowland rivers and their implications for water resources, ecosystems, and flood and drought management. I am also interested in the restoration of disturbed rivers, and have collaborated on a project regarding women in geography.

Recent Courses

  • GEO 3341 Extreme Floods
  • GEO 3343 Extreme Droughts
  • GEO 3352 Human Footprint on the Earth
  • GEO 4281 River Forms and Processes
  • GEO 6282 Fluvial Morphology and Processes
  • GEO 6348 Floods Seminar

Recent Funded Projects

  • Stabilizing Point Bars with Willows to Improve Riparian Habitat and Water Quality: Integrating Students and Other Stakeholders with Restoration and Geovisualization. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Program Cooperative Agreements (J. Mossa, PI), 2017-2023, $262,204
  • Apalachicola River Mussel Habitat Restoration including Fluvial Geomorphic Assessment, (J. Mossa, PI), 2015-2017, $206,134

Recent Publications

Alruzuq, A., & Mossa, J. (2026). Advancements in large floodplain inundation mapping: Integrated computational modeling and remote sensing techniques. Energy Nexus, 21, 1-17.

Dixon, B., Li, W., Mossa, J., Oberhauser, A. M., Rock, A. E., & Sultana, S. (2026). The Status of Women and Underrepresented Groups in Geography: A Multidimensional Analysis. AAG State of Geography Report. 1-105.

Dixon, B., Mossa, J., Sultana, S., Oberhauser, A. M., Li, W., Rock, A., & Mukherjee, F. (2026). Does gender matter? Barriers to Advancement in Academia: Faculty and Grad Students. The Professional Geographer, 1-26.

Kumar, L., Deitch, M. J., Amanambu, A. C., Jones Pe, W. K., Walls, S., Sharma, A., Mossa, J., Gebremicael, T. G., & Kumari, R. (2026). Restoration impacts on distributary slough floodplain inundation and connectivity. Ecological Engineering, 222, 107808.

Mossa, J. (2026). Becoming A Geographer: A Bo(U)lder Choice. Geographical Journeys. Geographers Tell Their Stories (pp. 268-276). Routledge.

Oberhauser, A. E., Dixon, B. D., Li, W., Mossa, J., Rock, A. E., & Sultana, S. (2026). In their Own Voices: The stories and status of women in geography. The Professional Geographer, 1-9.

Mossa, J., Dixon, B., Sultana, S. M., Rock, A., & Kar, B. (2026). Minding the Gender Gap: Working Toward Parity for Women in U.S. Academic Geography. Professional Geographer, 1-19.

Alruzuq, A. R., & Mossa, J. (2025). Machine learning algorithms of riverbed change and environments of the Lower Apalachicola River. Discover Applied Sciences, 7(5).

Alruzuq, A. R., Mossa, J., Amanambu, A. C., Chen, Y.-H., Brenner, M., & Brenner, M. (2025). Morphodynamics and riverbed elevation changes in the lower Apalachicola River: a study of large lowland river systems. Acta Geophysica, 74(1).

Amanambu, A. C., Mossa, J., & Chen, Y.-H. (2025). Redefining Bankfull Stage Using Machine Learning Prediction in a Large Lowland River. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 50(15).

Mossa, J., Chen, Y.-H., & Amanambu, A. C. (2025). Stage matters for hydrologic drought assessments: implications of anthropogenically-induced hydrologic drought in a low-lying river. Journal of Hydrology, 662, 133946.

Kumar, L., Deitch, M., Jones Pe, W. K., Walls, S., Kondolf, G. M., Mossa, J., & Kumari, R. (2025). Modeling Changes in Flow Dynamics From the Restoration of a Distributary Slough Along a Large Floodplain River. River Research and Applications, 41(7), 1400-1417.

Li, W., Mossa, J., Dixon, B., Oberhauser, A. M., Rock, A. E., Sultana, S., & Mukherjee, F. (2025). Experiences of Women AAG Presidents: Leading Through Diverse Voices. The Professional Geographer, 1-14.

Mossa, J., & Chen, Y.-H. (2025). Landslide at the River’s Edge: Alum Bluff, Apalachicola River, Florida. Geosciences, 15(4), 130.

Oberhauser, A. M., Dixon, B., Mossa, J., & Sultana, S. (2025). Enhancing the Climate in Geography Through Diversity and Inclusion. The Professional Geographer, 1-12.

Oberhauser, A. M., Dixon, B., & Mossa, J. (2025). Complicating Work–Life Balance in Higher Education: Perspectives from Geography. The Professional Geographer, 1-12.

Sultana, S., Dixon, B., Li, W., & Mossa, J. (2025). Gender and Knowledge Gatekeepers in Geography. The Professional Geographer, 1-18.

Tefera, B. B., Southworth, J., Mossa, J., Rahaman, M., Safaei, M., Yang, D., & Karuppannan, S. (2025). Predictive groundwater quality responses to land cover and lithology in the upper Awash River basin (Ethiopia) with stacking ensembles. Journal of Environmental Management, 394, 127572.

Educational Background

  • PhD in Geography, Louisiana State University, 1990
  • M.S. in Geography, Louisiana State University, 1983
  • B.A. in Geography, Rutgers College, 1980

Current Graduate Students

Recent Graduate Students

  • Maram Alrehaili
  • Ali Alruzuq
  • Amobichukwu Amanambu
  • Chia-Yu Wu