Kathleen Weathers

Last updated
Kathleen Weathers
Born
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Alma mater Albion College, Yale University, Rutgers University
Known for Ecosystem ecology
Scientific career
Institutions Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Kathleen C. Weathers is an ecosystem scientist and the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Chair in Ecology at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. [1] Her expertise focuses on understanding the ecology of air-land-water interactions. Weathers is the current elected President of the Ecological Society of America (2020-2021). [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Weathers was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and raised in Ada, Michigan. She spent summers at a family residence on Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, which motivated her interest in ecology and ecosystem management. [4] She completed a B.A. in English at Albion College, M.F.S. in Forest Science at Yale University, and Ph.D. in Ecology at Rutgers University. [1] Her early research, published in Nature , was one of the first studies to show that fog, in addition to rain, can contribute to acid pollution to forests. [5]

Career and research

Weathers is an ecosystem ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, where she has spent most of her research career. Her research interests are broad and she has significantly contributed to our understanding of atmospheric ecology, terrestrial ecology, and aquatic ecology. To date, Weathers has written or contributed to over 200 peer-reviewed articles, which have received over 13,000 citations. [6] Her research is focused on understanding of how air-water-land interactions affect ecosystem functioning. For example, she has worked with colleagues to quantify how fog and precipitation can both provide critical nutrients to forest ecosystems, but also harmful pollutants. [7] [8] [9] Other notable research has studied the effects of storms on lake water quality [10] [11] and coupled human-ecosystem interactions. [12] [13]

She is the lead editor of the foundational textbook Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science with David Strayer and Gene Likens. [14] In addition to co-authoring the textbook, Weathers has led multiple synthesis efforts in ecosystem science, including setting a research agenda for the discipline. [15] [16]

Weathers has taken many leadership roles within the ecological community that have informed policy. Weathers is the current (elected) President of the Ecological Society of America (2020-2021) [2] [3] and was the elected Chair of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (2011-2012). She served on the EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee from 2009-2015 and was on the National Academy of Sciences' National Transportation Board Committee to evaluate the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program during 2000-2002. [17]

Weathers was the elected Co-Chair of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) from 2011-2018, where she led the 800-person grassroots network in developing a new training model for graduate students and team science approaches for scientific working groups. [18] Weathers' training model is to explicitly empower early career scientists to take leadership roles in collaborative research projects. [19] [20] Under Weathers' guidance, early career GLEON researchers have led many collaborative projects, including studies on how road salt and climate change affect lakes. [21] [22]

In addition to leading international research networks and scientific societies, Weathers is the Research Director of the Lake Sunapee Protective Association, where she facilitates scientific engagement between the public and researchers. [23] [24] As part of this role, Weathers has catalyzed multiple research studies on Lake Sunapee, which has led to new understanding on the sensitivity of low-nutrient lakes to land use change [22] and cyanobacterial blooms. [25] [26] Weathers also serves on the Mohonk Preserve Board of Directors, currently as its Vice Chair, and is a long-time member of the Mohonk Preserve Conservation Science Committee, currently serving as its Chair (as of Fall 2020). [27]

Awards and honors

Weathers has received many awards during her career, including Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2002, [28] Elected Fellow of the Ecological Society of America in 2015, [29] G. Evelyn Hutchinson Chair in Ecology at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in 2016, the Eugene P. Odum Education Award from the Ecological Society of America in 2017, [30] and the NSF Director's Award in 2010. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dr Kathleen C Weathers". Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  2. 1 2 "Presidents – The Ecological Society of America's History and Records" . Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  3. 1 2 "Kathleen Weathers to serve as President of the Ecological Society of America". Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  4. ↑ "Irene and Sandy show the effects of extreme weather on lakes". Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  5. ↑ Weathers, Kathleen C.; Likens, Gene E.; Bormann, F. Herbert; Eaton, John S.; Bowden, W. Breck; Andersen, Janet L.; Cass, Donald A.; Galloway, James N.; Keene, William C.; Kimball, Kenneth D.; Huth, Paul; Smiley, Daniel (February 1986). "A regional acidic cloud/fog water event in the eastern United States". Nature. 319 (6055): 657–658. Bibcode:1986Natur.319..657W. doi:10.1038/319657a0. S2CID   4255471.
  6. ↑ "Kathleen C? Weathers". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  7. ↑ Driscoll, Charles T.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Bulger, Arthur J.; Butler, Thomas J.; Cronan, Christopher S.; Eagar, Christopher; Lambert, Kathleen F.; Likens, Gene E.; Stoddard, John L.; Weathers, Kathleen C. (2001). "Acidic Deposition in the Northeastern United States: Sources and Inputs, Ecosystem Effects, and Management Strategies". BioScience. 51 (3): 180. doi: 10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0180:ADITNU]2.0.CO;2 .
  8. ↑ Pardo, Linda H.; Fenn, Mark E.; Goodale, Christine L.; Geiser, Linda H.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Allen, Edith B.; Baron, Jill S.; Bobbink, Roland; Bowman, William D.; Clark, Christopher M.; Emmett, Bridget; Gilliam, Frank S.; Greaver, Tara L.; Hall, Sharon J.; Lilleskov, Erik A.; Liu, Lingli; Lynch, Jason A.; Nadelhoffer, Knute J.; Perakis, Steven S.; Robin-Abbott, Molly J.; Stoddard, John L.; Weathers, Kathleen C.; Dennis, Robin L. (December 2011). "Effects of nitrogen deposition and empirical nitrogen critical loads for ecoregions of the United States". Ecological Applications. 21 (8): 3049–3082. doi:10.1890/10-2341.1. hdl: 2027.42/117159 . S2CID   45430360.
  9. ↑ Quinn Thomas, R.; Canham, Charles D.; Weathers, Kathleen C.; Goodale, Christine L. (January 2010). "Increased tree carbon storage in response to nitrogen deposition in the US". Nature Geoscience. 3 (1): 13–17. Bibcode:2010NatGe...3...13Q. doi:10.1038/ngeo721.
  10. ↑ Jennings, Eleanor; Jones, Stuart; Arvola, Lauri; Staehr, Peter A.; Gaiser, Evelyn; Jones, Ian D.; Weathers, Kathleen C.; Weyhenmeyer, Gesa A.; Chiu, Chih-Yu; De Eyto, Elvira (March 2012). "Effects of weather-related episodic events in lakes: an analysis based on high-frequency data: Episodic events in lakes" (PDF). Freshwater Biology. 57 (3): 589–601. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02729.x.
  11. ↑ Klug, Jennifer L.; Richardson, David C.; Ewing, Holly A.; Hargreaves, Bruce R.; Samal, Nihar R.; Vachon, Dominic; Pierson, Donald C.; Lindsey, Amanda M.; O’Donnell, David M.; Effler, Steven W.; Weathers, Kathleen C. (6 November 2012). "Ecosystem Effects of a Tropical Cyclone on a Network of Lakes in Northeastern North America". Environmental Science & Technology. 46 (21): 11693–11701. Bibcode:2012EnST...4611693K. doi:10.1021/es302063v. PMID   23016881.
  12. ↑ Weng, Weizhe; Boyle, Kevin J.; Farrell, Kaitlin J.; Carey, Cayelan C.; Cobourn, Kelly M.; Dugan, Hilary A.; Hanson, Paul C.; Ward, Nicole K.; Weathers, Kathleen C. (March 2020). "Coupling Natural and Human Models in the Context of a Lake Ecosystem: Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, USA". Ecological Economics. 169: 106556. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106556 . S2CID   214379320.
  13. ↑ Ward, Nicole K.; Fitchett, Leah; Hart, Julia A.; Shu, Lele; Stachelek, Joeseph; Weng, Weizhe; Zhang, Yu; Dugan, Hilary; Hetherington, Amy; Boyle, Kevin; Carey, Cayelan C.; Cobourn, Kelly M.; Hanson, Paul C.; Kemanian, Armen R.; Sorice, Michael G.; Weathers, Kathleen C. (October 2019). "Integrating fast and slow processes is essential for simulating human–freshwater interactions". Ambio. 48 (10): 1169–1182. doi:10.1007/s13280-018-1136-6. PMC   6722150 . PMID   30569439.
  14. ↑ Weathers, Kathleen C.; Strayer, David L.; Likens, Gene E. (2012). Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science. ISBN   978-0-12-088774-3.
  15. ↑ Weathers, K. C.; Groffman, P. M.; Van Dolah, E.; Bernhardt, E.; Grimm, N. B.; McMahon, K.; Schimel, J.; Paolisso, M.; Maranger, R.; Baer, S.; Brauman, K.; Hinckley, E. (August 2016). "Frontiers in Ecosystem Ecology from a Community Perspective: The Future is Boundless and Bright". Ecosystems. 19 (5): 753–770. doi: 10.1007/s10021-016-9967-0 .
  16. ↑ LaDeau, S. L.; Han, B. A.; Rosi-Marshall, E. J.; Weathers, K. C. (March 2017). "The Next Decade of Big Data in Ecosystem Science". Ecosystems. 20 (2): 274–283. doi: 10.1007/s10021-016-0075-y .
  17. ↑ "Dr Kathleen C Weathers". Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  18. ↑ Weathers, Kathleen C.; Hanson, Paul C.; Arzberger, Peter; Brentrup, Jennifer; Brookes, Justin; Carey, Cayelan C.; Gaiser, Evelyn; Gaiser, Evelyn; Hamilton, David P.; Hong, Grace S.; Ibelings, Bas; Istvánovics, Vera; Jennings, Eleanor; Kim, Bomchul; Kratz, Tim; Lin, Fang-Pang; Muraoka, Kohji; O'Reilly, Catherine; Rose, Kevin C.; Ryder, Elizabeth; Zhu, Guangwei (August 2013). "The Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (Gleon): The Evolution of Grassroots Network Science". Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin. 22 (3): 71–73. doi: 10.1002/lob.201322371 . hdl: 10289/8354 . S2CID   128791029.
  19. ↑ Cheruvelil, Kendra S; Soranno, Patricia A; Weathers, Kathleen C; Hanson, Paul C; Goring, Simon J; Filstrup, Christopher T; Read, Emily K (February 2014). "Creating and maintaining high‐performing collaborative research teams: the importance of diversity and interpersonal skills". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 12 (1): 31–38. doi: 10.1890/130001 .
  20. ↑ Read, E. K.; O'Rourke, M.; Hong, G. S.; Hanson, P. C.; Winslow, L. A.; Crowley, S.; Brewer, C. A.; Weathers, K. C. (March 2016). "Building the team for team science". Ecosphere. 7 (3). doi: 10.1002/ecs2.1291 .
  21. ↑ Dugan, Hilary A.; Bartlett, Sarah L.; Burke, Samantha M.; Doubek, Jonathan P.; Krivak-Tetley, Flora E.; Skaff, Nicholas K.; Summers, Jamie C.; Farrell, Kaitlin J.; McCullough, Ian M.; Morales-Williams, Ana M.; Roberts, Derek C.; Ouyang, Zutao; Scordo, Facundo; Hanson, Paul C.; Weathers, Kathleen C. (25 April 2017). "Salting our freshwater lakes". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114 (17): 4453–4458. Bibcode:2017PNAS..114.4453D. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1620211114 . PMC   5410852 . PMID   28396392.
  22. 1 2 Ward, Nicole K.; Steele, Bethel G.; Weathers, Kathleen C.; Cottingham, Kathryn L.; Ewing, Holly A.; Hanson, Paul C.; Carey, Cayelan C. (July 2020). "Differential Responses of Maximum Versus Median Chlorophyll‐ a to Air Temperature and Nutrient Loads in an Oligotrophic Lake Over 31 Years". Water Resources Research. 56 (7). Bibcode:2020WRR....5627296W. doi:10.1029/2020WR027296. hdl: 10919/100592 . S2CID   219747615.
  23. ↑ McGowan, Katharine A.; Westley, Frances; Fraser, Evan D. G.; Loring, Philip A.; Weathers, Kathleen C.; Avelino, Flor; Sendzimir, Jan; Roy Chowdhury, Rinku; Moore, Michele-Lee (2014). "The research journey: travels across the idiomatic and axiomatic toward a better understanding of complexity". Ecology and Society. 19 (3): art37. doi:10.5751/ES-06518-190337. hdl: 10535/9621 . S2CID   38932745.
  24. ↑ "Staff Contacts". LSPA. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  25. ↑ Cottingham, Kathryn L.; Ewing, Holly A.; Greer, Meredith L.; Carey, Cayelan C.; Weathers, Kathleen C. (January 2015). "Cyanobacteria as biological drivers of lake nitrogen and phosphorus cycling". Ecosphere. 6 (1): art1. doi:10.1890/ES14-00174.1. hdl: 10919/89390 . S2CID   53142142.
  26. ↑ Carey, C. C.; Weathers, K. C.; Cottingham, K. L. (6 May 2008). "Gloeotrichia echinulata blooms in an oligotrophic lake: helpful insights from eutrophic lakes". Journal of Plankton Research. 30 (8): 893–904. doi: 10.1093/plankt/fbn055 .
  27. ↑ "Board of Directors | Mohonk Preserve" . Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  28. ↑ "AAAS Honorary Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science". www.aaas.org. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  29. ↑ "ESA Fellows – The Ecological Society of America" . Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  30. ↑ "Kathleen Weathers receives ESA's 2017 Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education | EcoTone: News and Views on Ecological Science" . Retrieved 2020-11-13.
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