Dr. Kathleen C. Weathers
Ecologist
Ph.D., 1993, Rutgers University

Dr. Weathers' research focuses on quantifying cross-boundary nutrient fluxes (e.g., nutrient delivery from ocean to forest), examining how atmospheric inputs are influenced by landscape structure (e.g., the influence of landscape features such as elevation, forest edges, and vegetation type on atmospheric deposition), and understanding controls on nutrient and pollutant cycling within forested ecosystems.

Current Research

The Importance of Fogwater in the Maintenance of Ecosystems.
We are exploring the importance of fogwater inputs to coastal ecosystems by quantifying inputs and identifying sources (marine vs. terrestrial) of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and water. This work was inspired by our discovery that cloudwater from southern Chile has surprisingly high inorganic and organic nitrogen concentrations. Currently, we are attempting to determine if the ocean is "feeding" the forest through oceanic upwelling of nutrients (or organisms, such as bacteria) and subsequent fog deposition to adjacent ecosystems. This research will add to knowledge about cross-boundary transfers and shed light on the role fog water plays in the maintenance of ecosystems.

Nitrate Loss from Catskill Watersheds.
Due to their proximity to the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region, the Catskills receive high rates of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Our research is focused on identifying the major controls on nitrate export from these forested watersheds, and our preliminary data suggest that tree species and land-use history may exert the biggest influences on stream nitrate chemistry. Ultimately, we hope to predict which watersheds are likely to retain nitrate and for what time period. The Catskill watersheds provide 90% of the drinking water for New York City residents, making the results of our research relevant to land managers as well as ecologists.

The Role of Forest Change in the Catskill Forests.
This project is focused on the community- and ecosystem-level consequences of the invasion of the beech bark disease (BBD) in northern hardwood forests, which dominate the uplands of the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. We believe that the BBD may result in major ecological changes in northern hardwood forests and our research will be directed at quantifying the effects in the Catskills through a series of field and laboratory studies.

Atmospheric Deposition to Heterogeneous Terrain: Scaling up to the Landcape.
Building on our earlier research, which focused on how landscape features affect atmospheric deposition, we have developed a new modeling approach for scaling point measurements of atmospheric deposition to whole landscapes in Acadia and Great Smoky National Parks. These sites were chosen for their potential air pollutant impacts and terrain features that, in the past, have severely restricted where routine flux monitoring could be done. The results of this project are likely to represent a crucial step in atmospheric deposition research as well as offer an important tool for the management of ecosystems exposed to atmospheric deposition.

Selected Publications

• Gutiérrez, A. G., O. Barbosa, D. A. Christie, E. del-Val, H. A. Ewing, C. G. Jones, P. A. Marquet, K. C. Weathers, and J. J. Armesto. 2008. Regeneration patterns and persistence of the fog-dependent Fray Jorge forest in semiarid Chile during the past two centuries. Global Change Biol. 14:161–176.
• Uriarte, M., H. A. Ewing, V. T. Eviner, and K. C. Weathers. 2007. Constructing a broader and more inclusive value system in science. BioScience 57(1):71-78.
• Lovett, G.M., C.G. Jones, M.G. Turner and K.C. Weathers. 2005. Ecosystem function in heterogeneous landscapes. In: Lovett, G.M., C.G. Jones, M.G. Turner and K.C. Weathers (eds.). Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes. Springer-Verlag, NY.
• Weathers, K.C., S.M. Simkin, G.M. Lovett and S.E. Lindberg. 2006. Empirical modeling of atmospheric deposition in mountainous landscapes. Ecological Applications 16:1590-1607.
• Weathers, K.C., G.E. Likens, T.J. Butler and A. Elliott. 2006. Acid rain. pp. 1549-1561. In: W. Rom (ed.). Environmental and Occupational Medicine, 4th edition. Lippincott-Raven Publishers, Philadelphia, in press.
• Lovett, G.M., C.D. Canham, M.A. Arthur, K.C. Weathers, and R.D. Fitzhugh. 2006. Forest ecosystem responses to exotic pests and pathogens in eastern North America. BioScience 56:395-405.
• del-Val, E,. J J. Armesto, O. Barbosa, D. A. Christie, A. G. Gutiérrez, C. G. Jones, P. A. Marquet, K.C. Weathers. 2006. Rain forest islands in the Chilean semiarid region: fog-dependency, ecosystem persistence and tree regeneration. Ecosystems 9:598-608.
• Groffman, P.M., J.S. Baron, T. Blett, A.J. Gold, I. Goodman, L.H. Gunderson, B. Levinson, M. Palmer, H.W. Paerl, G.D. Peterson, N.L. Poff, D.W. Rejeski, J.F. Reynolds, M.G. Turner, K.C. Weathers, and J. Wiens. 2006. Ecological thresholds: An important concept with no practical application, or the key to successful environmental management? Ecosystems 9:1-13.
• Lovett, G. M., K. C. Weathers, M. A. Arthur, and J. C. Schultz. 2004. Nitrogen cycling in a northern hardwood forest: Do species matter? Biogeochemistry 67:289-308.
• Cadenasso, M.L., S.T.A. Pickett, K.C. Weathers, S.S. Bell, T.L. Benning, M.M. Carreiro, and T. Dawson. 2003. An Interdisciplinary and Synthetic Approach to Ecological Boundaries. BioScience 53:717-722.
• Weathers, K.C., M.L. Cadenasso, and S.T.A. Pickett. 2001. Forest edges as nutrient and pollutant concentrators: Potential synergisms between fragmentation, forest canopies, and the atmosphere. Conservation Biology 15:1506-1514.
• Driscoll, C.T., G. Lawrence, A. Bulger, T. Butler, C. Cronan, C. Eagar, K. Lambert, G. Likens, J. Stoddard, K. Weathers. 2001. Acidic deposition in the northeastern US: Sources, inputs, ecosystem effects, and management strategies. BioScience 51:180-198.
• Weathers, K.C., G.M. Lovett, G.E. Likens, and N.F.M. Caraco. 2000. Cloudwater inputs of nitrogen to forest ecosystems in southern Chile: Forms, fluxes and sources. Ecosystems 3:590-595.