We study the ecology and biogeochemistry of terrestrial ecosystems, including how they function and how they’re affected by climate change, land use, and pollution. We’re equally motivated by a raw fascination with nature and the belief that science can improve the wellbeing of humans and the natural systems we depend on.
Most of our work is in temperate forests, but our interests also pull us into grasslands, agricultural systems and neighboring climate zones. Our research methods include basic field measurements, eddy flux towers, remote sensing and modeling. Our Terrestrial Ecosystems Analysis Lab is a member of NASA’s North American Carbon Program, the AmeriFlux network and the Hubbard Brook and Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites.
Principal Investigators:
Scott Ollinger
Mary Martin
Andy Ouimette
Zaixing Zhou
Postdoctoral Researchers:
Rebecca Sanders-Demott
Graduate Students:
Jack Hastings
Conor Madison
Undergraduate Students:
Kaitlyn Baillargeon
Sean Fogarty
Kyle MacDonald
Affiliate Lab Members:
Heidi Asbjornsen
Alix Contosta
Erik Hobbie
Lucie Lepine
Michael Palace
Franklin Sullivan
Matt Vadeboncoeur
Jingfeng Xiao
Distinguished Alumni:
Rossella Guerrieri
Alexandra Thorn
Elizabeth Burakowski
Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Davila
Joao Filipe Tavares-Carreiro
Paul Pellissier
Haley Wicklein
Sarah Silverberg
Richard MacLean
Danielle Haddad
Julee Shamhart
Erica Cate
Julian Jenkins
Kathryn Berger
Kristen Lloyd
Our current research projects span the following themes:
- Carbon, nitrogen and water cycling at local to regional scales
- Remote sensing of canopy chemistry and associated plant traits
- Interactions between ecosystems, land use and climate
- Nitrogen retention in soils and terrestrial-aquatic linkages
- The use of stable isotopes in studies of C and N cycling
- The influence of winter climate change on ecosystems
