Karen McLaughlin is an aquatic chemist specializing in the use of stable isotopic and chemical tracers for examining biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and organic matter in coastal systems. She received her B.S. in Geosciences from Penn State University in 1999, and her Ph.D. in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University in 2005. Karen joined SCCWRP in March 2007. Her present research efforts include nutrient dynamics in southern California coastal wetlands/watersheds and nutrient criteria to mitigate coastal eutrophication and nutrient loading.