Nathaniel B. Weston, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Area of Expertise:
- Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Ecosystems
- Land Use Change
- Microbial Processes
- Nutrient Pollution
- Tidal Freshwater and Salt Marshes
Summary
Changes in tidal marsh ecosystems may be an early predictor of future scenarios of climate change and sea level rise. Dr. Weston is an expert in this area, focusing his ongoing research on the delicate microbial communities found in salt marshes. He can also discuss carbon cycling, or the exchange of carbon between the biosphere, atmosphere, oceans and geosphere, and nitrogen cycling, both vital to an ecologically healthy planet. The contributing effect of land use such as agriculture, deforestation and building development on climate is another area of Weston's expertise.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Georgia
- B.A., Hampshire College
Selected Publications
- Weston, N.B., Giblin, A.E., Banta,G., Hopkinson, C.S., Tucker, J., "The effects of varying salinity on ammonium exchange in estuarine sediments of the Parker River, Massachusetts," Estuaries and Coasts, In Press.
- Giblin, A.E., Weston, N.B., Banta, G.T., Tucker, J. and Hopkinson, C.S., "The effects of salinity on nitrogen losses from an oligohaline estuarine sediment," Estuaries and Coasts, In Press.
- Weston, N.B., Hollibaugh, J.T., and Joe, S.B., "Population growth away from the coastal zone. Thirty years of land use change and nutrient export in the Altamaha River, GA.", Science of the Total Environment 407: 3347-3356, 2009.
Selected Professional Experience
- Visiting Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, Villanova University
- Postdoctoral Scientist, Department of Biology, Villanova University
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Patrick Center for Environmental Research, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Selected Research
- National Science Foundation, Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics, "RUI: Integrating the Effects of Sea Level Rise on Tidal Freshwater and Salt Marsh Stability in the Delaware River Estuary," 2010-2012.
- Villanova University Summer Research Fellowship and Research Support Grant, "The Impacts of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise on Tidal Freshwater Marshes of the Delaware River Estuary," 2009.
