Kenneth R Smith
WELCOME TO THE NEW
KENNETH SMITH ECOLOGY
– global change impacts on terrestrial carbon cycling –
Research OverviewAs an ecosystem ecologist, I am interested in the effects of environmental change on Earth’s ecosystems. My research incorporates the disciplines of plant ecophysiology, soil microbial ecology, and biogeochemistry to study how terrestrial carbon (C) and nutrient cycling dynamics are influenced by rapid global change.
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Snowpack Biophysical Effects on Forest C Balance
My postdoctoral research in the Bowling Lab at the University of Utah leverages the wealth of eddy covariance data to examine how winter C fluxes are mediated by an ever-changing snowpack. |
Microbial Stabilization of Soil C
My postdoctoral research in the Waring Lab at Utah State University employs novel laboratory and field techniques to test emerging concepts on the role of soil microbes in mediating soil C losses and the formation of stable soil organic C (SOC). |
Plant Ecophysiological Responses to Global Change
For my dissertation work in the Thomas Lab at West Virginia University, I examined the legacy effects of nitrogen (N) deposition on C and N cycling patterns in high-elevation red spruce forests in central Appalachia. I have also worked in a number of mixed forests in the region to model how historical tree growth and physiology have been impacted through decades of acid deposition. |
Latest NewsMay 2022: Be sure to come visit ESA this August in Montreal, QC where I'll be presenting a short talk on how snowpack timing and duration influence whole ecosystem C fluxes.
Dec 2020: Check out the Bowling lab's latest research at this year's AGU (link)! Dec 2019: I'm happy to announce that I'll be joining the Bowling lab at the University of Utah studying snowpack dynamics on winter forest C fluxes! Aug 2018: Thanks to everyone who attended our ESA organized session discussing emerging paradigms of SOM formation! Check out the latest from the Waring Lab (link)! Aug 2018: And that's a wrap for Moab BLEACH! Stay tuned for more updates... Feb 2018: Soil sampling in Moab was a success! Check out the latest photos from our trip! Dec 2017: I had such a blast at the AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans! Check out the latest results from the soil microcosm study (link)! Aug 2017: Thanks to Drs. Christian Messier and Alain Paquette for hosting me during last week’s research trip! Be sure to check out the International Diversity Experiment Network with Trees (IDENT) webpage to learn more! Jul 2017: Moab BLEACH is now officially underway! A big thanks to everyone who helped with the project! May 2017: Check out the latest photos from my soil microcosm experiment! |