Fields of interest:
Using a unique combination of measurement techniques, my research aims at improving our understanding of the multi-trophic level consequences of climate change, invasive species and urbanization in a range of contrasting ecosystems.
Using field surveys, remote sensing and bioacoustics, my research aims at improving our understanding of the multi-trophic level consequences of climate warming, invasive species and urbanization in the ecosystems in which each is most acute. Together with colleagues both at Lamont and at other institutions, I am currently exploring:
(1) The ecological impacts of a recent tundra fire that burned on the North Slope of Alaska, in the summer of 2007. This was a significant occurrence as it was the largest tundra fire in Alaska that summer, burning over 900 square kilometers; this is greater than the sum of all burned areas on the North Slope from 1950-2006. Recent studies show that higher temperatures have led to an increase in tundra fires, which release a tremendous amount of stored carbon dioxide, and suggest that greater fire activity will likely accompany the temperature-related increases in shrub-dominated tundra that is predicted for the 21st century and beyond. (in situ spectral surveys and satellite remote sensing)
(2) The impact of climate warming and changing seasonality, on the interactions among vegetation, insects and songbird communities in an Arctic tundra ecosystem, on the North Slope of Alaska. Arctic North America has been "greening" over the past several decades, with increases in relative abundance and size of shrubs documented in numerous locations. Much of the research on this topic examines how this shift toward more woody species affects element cycling, particularly carbon, with potential feedbacks to the atmosphere regionally and globally. To date, the response of higher trophic levels to such shifts in vegetation in the Arctic has not been well stidued. One group that has been almost completely ignored is migratory songbirds; they have a complex relationship with shrubs that provide both shelter and food, both of which are directly affected by weather patterns. We will characterize the interactions between tundra vegetation and migratory songbirds in habitats that differ in shrub dominance, for five consecutive growing seasons that will differ in timing and severity of weather events. (field surveys, in situ remote sensing, bioacoustics)
(3) How ecosystem structure and the influx of invasive floral and faunal species impact native and exotic bird communities on the Big Island of Hawaii (field surveys, hyperspectral airborne remote sensing, bioacoustics)
(4) The impact of urbanization on native tree growth along an Urban-to-Rural Transect, in the vicinity of New York City (Manhattan to the Catskills) (field surveys, in situ remote sensing, satellite remote sensing)
