The number of scientists engaged in studying climate change is growing exponentially. This page is designed to help you identify climate scientists conducting research in your region and in specific subject areas. All information about climate scientists is derived from publically available sources. Tribes and non-tribal entities engaging in climate science partnerships may also seek information on protection traditional knowledges in those research initiatives. Resources that may be of assistance include Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges in Climate Change Initiatives and the role of tribal Institutional Review Boards. An example is this Institutional Review Board Manual for the Northwest Indian College.
If you have suggested additions for this list, please fill out this form.
| Title | Organization | Description |
Category |
Geography | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arny Blanchard | University of Alaska Fairbanks, American Statistical Association |
I have been involved with taxonomic identification of Alaska marine invertebrates and monitoring marine environments for anthropogenic disturbances. I focus on sediment-dwelling organisms (the infauna) and how resource use alters communities. I manage a long-term environmental monitoring project in Port Valdez, Alaska (1971 to present) and am a member of the team working on a environmental assessment of the Chukchi Sea for ConocoPhillips, Shell Exploration and Production, and Statoil. |
Environmental Modeling, Marine, Coastal Ecosystem Impacts, Economic Impacts | Alaska | Link |
| Barbara Bond | Oregon State University, Climate Impacts Research Consortium |
Physiological processes, especially water and carbon relations, at whole tree and forest ecosystem scales. Development of new tools and techniques for measuring and monitoring physiological processes in forests. |
Environmental Monitoring | Northwest, Oregon | Link |
| Andrew Shirk | University of Washington, Climate Impacts Group |
Andrew Shirk is a research ecologist with the UW Climate Impacts Group. In collaboration with state and federal agencies and regional conservation groups, he studies the interacting effects of climate change, development, and natural processes on species and their habitats, with special focus on the demographic and genetic viability of populations, connectivity conservation and habitat modeling. He received a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University and a M.S. in Environmental Science from Western Washington University. His areas of expertise are in conservation biology, landscape ecology, population and landscape genetics, ecological modeling, and spatial analysis. |
Environmental Monitoring, conservation, landscape ecology, spatial analysis | Northwest, Washington | Link |
| David Lytle | Oregon State University, Department of Integrative Biology |
Our lab uses evolutionary ecology to understand how organisms and communities are shaped by disturbances such as floods, droughts, and dams. Much of our focus is on aquatic insects, but lab members also work on projects involving fish, frogs, and riparian plants. Current projects examine the evolution of flood and drought escape behaviors, population dynamics and biodiversity estimation in desert streams, management of dammed rivers using prescribed flow regimes, and computer vision methods for insect identification. |
Environmental Monitoring, Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Vegetation Modeling, Hydrologic Modeling | Northwest, Oregon | Link |
| Ana Aguilar-Islas | University of Alaska Fairbanks |
My research encompasses the marine biogeochemistry of trace metals with particular emphasis on high latitude regions. A combination of field and laboratory studies are used to understand how different physical, chemical and biological processes regulate trace metal speciation and distribution in the open ocean and coastal regions, and how these in turn affect the ecosystem. I am also interested in the cycling of trace metals in sea ice. |
Environmental Monitoring, Marine, Coastal Ecosystem Impacts, sea ice | Alaska, Pacific Ocean | Link |
| Bruce Menge | Oregon State University, Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) |
Structure and dynamics of marine meta-ecosystems, responses of coastal ecosystems to climate change, the relationship between scale and ecosystem dynamics, bottom-up and top-down control of community structure, recruitment dynamics, larval transport and connectivity, impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems, controls of productivity, population, community, and geographical ecology, and models of community regulation. |
Environmental Monitoring, Marine/Coastal Ecosystem Impacts, Estuaries, Ocean Acidification, Hypoxia | Northwest, Oregon, Pacific Ocean | Link |
| Tom P. Evans | Indiana University Bloomington, Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Environmental Change |
My research interests fall broadly within the area of human-environment relations and human dimensions of global change. Much of my past research has focused on household level analysis of land management decisions to explore the spatial dimensions of deforestation and reforestation, while more recent work addresses the intersection between agriculture, water and food security. |
Environmental Monitoring, Social Sciences, Planning/Adaptation/Mitigation, Agricultural Impacts | Midwest, National, International | Link |
| David Shaw | Oregon State University |
All aspects of forest health, including biology and management of Swiss needle cast in Douglas-fir, invasive insect and disease pests, silviculture and integrated pest management, the interactions of fire and forest pests, biology and ecology of native insect and disease organisms considered pests, and biology and ecology of mistletoes. |
Environmental Monitoring, Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts, Douglas-fire | Northwest, Oregon | Link |
| David Turner | Oregon State University, Climate Impacts Research Consortium |
Application of remote sensing and modeling to monitor land surface processes; Development of carbon budgets at landscape to regional scales; Biogeochemical modeling of the carbon, nitrogen and hydrologic cycles; Climate change assessment. |
Environmental Monitoring, Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts, Geology/Geomorphology | Northwest, National, Oregon | Link |
| Andrea S. Thorpe | The Washington Natural Heritage Program |
My research interests include rare species biology, conservation, and restoration; invasive species biology and control; and the interactions between plants and soil ecosystems. The central theme uniting most of my projects is using ecological theory to inform and improve conservation and restoration of native species and habitats. |
Environmental Monitoring, Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts, Planning/Adaptation/Mitigation | Northwest, Washington | Link |
| Mark Harmon | Oregon State University |
Ecosystem succession processes, decomposition, nutrient cycling, carbon dynamics, landscape dynamics. Long-term ecological research (LTER); long-term decomposition of woody detritus; long-term carbon and nitrogen dynamics of fine litter; above-ground production of PNW forests; modeling carbon stores of forests in the PNW and Russia. I also continue to study how forests grow and die, particularly in stands with minimal management. These two topics are linked in my studies of carbon dynamics of forests and I use a lot of modeling to achieve that blending. |
Environmental Monitoring, Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts, Vegetation Modeling | Northwest, International | Link |
| Scott Heppell | Oregon State University, International School of Conservation Biology |
My research interests are the physiological ecology of fishes, in particular how physiology, behavior, and life history traits affect the interactions between fish populations and their respective fisheries. |
Fisheries, Aquacultural Impacts, Marine/Coastal Ecosystem Impacts, Environmental Monitoring, Rockfish, Salmon | Northwest, Oregon, International, Japan, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico | Link |
| Michael Hudson | USFWS, Columbia River Fisheries Program Office |
Michael is a fish biologist on the Native Trout Program under the Conservation, Population and Habitat Assessment Team at the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office. He has worked in this position at CRFPO since summer 2004. |
Fisheries, Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Cutthroat Trout | Northwest, Columbia River Basin | Link |
| Kirk Krueger | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife |
Kirk Krueger has been a research scientist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Habitat Program, Habitat Assessment Section since 2003. His area of expertise is the intersection of statistical modeling and sampling methods with remotely sensed data and fish ecology. In that position he has been able to assist with research on the Intensively Monitored Watersheds Project that is assessing the effectiveness of stream restoration to increase salmon production. He has also helped conduct stream geomorphology and other research. |
Fisheries, Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Salmon, Hydrological Modeling, Eelgrass, Freshwater Mussels, Smelt | Northwest, Washington, Puget Sound | Link |
| Tim Beechie | Northwest Fisheries Science Center |
His research focuses on geomorphology and riparian vegetation as key drivers of riverine ecosystems. His current research interests include influences of valley and river channel morphology on salmon habitats and populations, using land use and restoration scenarios to estimate salmon population responses and evaluate restoration alternatives, and adapting river restoration plans and project designs for climate change. |
Fisheries, Geology/Geomorphology, Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Vegetation Modeling, Salmon | Northwest | Link |
| Philip Loring | NOAA RISA, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP); University of Saskatchewan |
Food systems and security; fisheries; local food movements; environmental justice; climatic and environmental change; indigenous cultures |
Fisheries; Cultural Resource Impacts; Food Security | Northwest, Alaska, British Columbia, Pacific Ocean | Link |
| Tiffany Garcia | Oregon State University |
My research encompasses a wide variety of biological disciplines, including aquatic, behavioral and community ecology, invasion biology, conservation biology, and herpetology. I typically work in freshwater habitats and address ecologically based questions using amphibian and invertebrate systems. I have projects quantifying predator/prey dynamics, competition regimes, stressor defense strategies, and microhabitat preference using observational, theoretical and empirical methods. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Agricultural Impacts, Environmental Monitoring | Northwest, National | Link |
| Christopher Donar | University of Alaska Southeast (Juneau) |
Dr. Donar's research interests are in the ecology, taxonomy and systematics of diatoms (Bacillariophyta) and other freshwater algae. He is particularly interested in paleolimnology and the use of diatoms to infer short-term historical changes in aquatic ecosystems due to human modification and long-term changes in response to climatic factors. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Algae | Alaska, Northwest, Florida | |
| Hiram W. LI | Oregon State University |
Hierarchical organization of land and rivers capes ("From the macroscope to microscope"). The role of stream temperature on aquatic communities of high desert streams. Factors affecting restoration of fish habitats. Qualitative mathematical analyses of aquatic communities, especially exotic species. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Environmental Monitoring | Northwest, International | Link |
| Mary Santelmann | Oregon State University |
Wetlands ecology, biogeography. Ecosystem response to human land use and management practices; use of alternative future scenarios combined with diverse evaluative approaches. Environmental and anthropogenic influences on species composition and species richness in agricultural, urban and wetland ecosystems, including effects of landscape composition and pattern on native biodiversity. Ecology and biogeochemistry of wetlands and riparian systems |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Environmental Monitoring, Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts | Northwest, National | Link |
| Amanda Rosenberger, Ph.D. | Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit |
Amanda's research interests are in the ecology and conservation of freshwater fishes with an emphasis on the role of ecological processes in shaping fish distributions, population characteristics, and community structure. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Estuaries, Fisheries | Missouri | Link |
| Mark Wipfli | University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit |
Freshwater Food webs, Marine-Derived Nutrients in Riverine Ecosystems, Trophic Relationships, and Riparian-Stream Interactions |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Estuaries, Fisheries, Salmon | Alaska, Arctic | Link |
| Robert T Lackey | Oregon State University (Courtesy Professor of Fisheries) |
Ecological Policy; science, policy, and environmental protection; biological resource management, fisheries management. Specific research includes, alternative ecological futures, salmon restoration, ecosystem management, ecological risk assessment, interface between science and policy |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Geology/Geomorphology, Water Resources Impacts, Planning/Adaptation/Mitigation, Aquacultural Impacts | Northwest, International | Link |
| Iris Stewart-Frey | Santa Clara University |
Freshwater aquatic and/or riparian, hydrology in the western US. My research interests encompass environmental issues that affect the water cycle and water supply. I have worked on both shallow groundwater pollution issues and surface water processes that are related to climate variability and climate change. I have developed a type transfer function model (TTF) to assess pesticide leaching to groundwater at the regional scale. More recently I have worked on assessing streamflow timing changes across western North America. My current work is focused on the physical processes and characteristics of watersheds which are particularly sensitive to climate change, and on expanding my runoff timing assessments to other arid places in the world. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Hydrologic Modeling, Water Resources Impacts | West, Northwest, Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington | Link |
| Alba Argerich | Oregon State University, Stream Chemistry Synthesis Project |
Effects of global change on stream ecosystems. Functional processes in stream ecosystems with major focus on nutrient cycling and ecosystem metabolism. Ecology of the hyporheic zone. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Hydrologic Monitoring, Stream Ecology, Biogeochemistry | Northwest, Oregon, International | Link |
| Trent Sutton | University of Alaska Fairbanks, American Fisheries Society, International Association of Great Lakes Research |
Current research interests focus on the ecology and population dynamics of freshwater and marine fishes, particularly whitefishes, salmon, lampreys, rockfishes, burbot, and northern pike. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Marine, Coastal Ecosystem Impacts, Salmon, Rockfish, Whitefish, Lamprey | Alaska, Great Lakes, Midwest, Northeast | Link |
| Jeremy Jones | University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology |
My research interests focus on two general themes: 1) carbon and nitrogen cycling in streams, rivers and soils (especially in the context of land-water interactions), and 2) watershed-scale carbon cycling and climate change. I am interested in carbon and nitrogen cycling at a range of scales ranging from the molecular composition and microbial use of dissolved organic molecules, to the biogeochemical cycling in streams and soil, to larger scale fluxes from watersheds and trace gas emissions to the atmosphere. |
Freshwater Ecosystem Impacts, Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts, Hydrologic Impacts, Water Resource Impacts | Alaska | Link |
| Glenn Howe | Oregon State University, Pacific Northwest Tree Improvement Research Cooperative |
Glenn's research focuses on the breeding, ecological genetics, and genomics of forest trees, including understanding climate-associated patterns of genetic variation, physiological adaptations to climate, and assisted migration. |
Genetics and Physiology of Trees, Terrestrial Ecosystem Impacts, Planning/Adaptation/Mitigation | Northwest, Oregon | Link |
| Dawn Wright | Oregon State University |
Geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis; marine geography; informatics and cyberinfrastructure; geographic information science in higher education. Benthic terrain characterization of coral reefs; processing, production, visualization, and interpretation of seafloor maps. |
Geology/Geomorphology | Northwest, Oregon, Pacific Ocean | Link |
| Robert Harris | Oregon State University |
I am interested in using thermal processes to understand the Earth. All geologic processes involve the transfer of energy. Heat (energy) and temperature are fundamental to many earth processes, and quantifying the flow of energy and thermal budgets leads to an appreciation and understanding of Earth dynamics. |
Geology/Geomorphology | Northwest, National, International | Link |
