Steven W. Lyon

Steven W. Lyon serves as Professor and Assistant Director of Wooster Operations at Ohio State University's School of Environment and Natural Resources, where he leads research on hydrological processes and water resource sustainability in agricultural landscapes under climate change.

Dr. Lyon's academic credentials include:

• BSc in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
• MSc in Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
• PhD in Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University

His research employs innovative integration of water chemistry, hydrometric observations, GIS, remote sensing, and geostatistical approaches to characterize landscape-water interactions across scales. He focuses on improving water quality management through understanding coupled climate-land use dynamics, with significant work in Arctic permafrost regions, East African watersheds, and Midwest U.S. agricultural systems. Dr. Lyon's methodology emphasizes hypothesis testing via hydrological models validated with field data.

Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in drone-based river/lake monitoring, agricultural drainage impacts (particularly tile drainage in Ohio), and climate change effects on hydrological systems. His work spans diverse geographical contexts including the Arctic, Lake Victoria basin, and tropical high-mountain regions, consistently addressing water sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary approaches combining field measurements, remote sensing, and modeling.

Dr. Lyon actively recruits graduate students for hydrology research in working landscapes and maintains operational oversight of Wooster campus facilities as Assistant Director, supporting field studies and educational programs in environmental science.