Overview
Curtis J. Richardson is Professor of Resource Ecology and founding Director of the Duke University Wetland Center in the Nicholas School of the Environment. Dr. Richardson earned his degrees from the State University of New York and the University of Tennessee. His research interests in applied ecology focus on long-term ecosystem response to large-scale perturbations such as climate change, toxic materials, trace metals, flooding, or nutrient additions. He has specific interests in phosphorus nutrient dynamics in wetlands and the effects of environmental stress on plant communities and ecosystem functions and services. The objectives of his research are to utilize ecological principles to develop new approaches to environmental problem solving. The goal of his research is to provide predictive models and approaches to aid in the management of ecosystems. Recent research activities: 1) wetland restoration of plant communities and its effects on regional water quality and nutrient biogeochemical cycles, 2) the development of ecosystem metrics as indices of wetland restoration success, 3) the effects of nanomaterial on wetland and stream ecosystem processes, 4) the development of ecological thresholds along environmental gradients, 5) wetland development trends and restoration in coastal southeastern United States, 6) the development of an outdoor wetland and stream research and teaching laboratory on Duke Forest, 7) differential nutrient limitation (DNL) as a mechanism to overcome N or P limitations across trophic levels in wetland ecosystems, and 8) carbon sequestration in coastal North Carolina pocosins.Richardson oversees the main analytical lab in NSOE, which is open to students and faculty. Dr. Richardson has been listed in Who's Who in Science™ annually since 1989 and was elected President of the Society of Wetland Scientists in 1987-88. He has served on many editorial review committees for peer-reviewed scientific journals, and he is a past Chair of the Nicholas School Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy. Dr. Richardson is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society of Wetland Scientists, and the Soil Science Society of America.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Research Professor of Resource Ecology
·
2024 - Present
Environmental Natural Science,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Core Faculty in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
·
2021 - Present
Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Recent Publications
Temperature and Water Levels Collectively Regulate Methane Emissions From Subtropical Freshwater Wetlands
Journal Article Global Biogeochemical Cycles · March 1, 2025 Wetlands are the largest and most climate-sensitive natural sources of methane. Accurately estimating wetland methane emissions involves reconciling inversion (“top-down”) and process-based (“bottom-up”) models within the global methane budget. However, es ... Full text CiteWater quality and wetland vegetation responses to water level variations in a university stormwater reuse reservoir: Nature-based approaches to campus water sustainability.
Journal Article The Science of the total environment · October 2024 In response to climate-driven water shortages, Duke University in 2014 constructed a water reuse reservoir and wetland complex (Pond) to capture urban stormwater and recycle water to provide campus cooling and reduce downstream loading of nutrients and sed ... Full text CiteIdentifying driving hydrogeomorphic factors of coastal wetland downgrading using random forest classification models.
Journal Article The Science of the total environment · October 2023 Coastal wetlands provide critical ecosystem services but are experiencing disruptions caused by inundation and saltwater intrusion under intensified climate change, sea-level rise, and anthropogenic activities. Recent studies have shown that these disturba ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Rewetting of Drained Pocosin Peatlands to Enhance Carbon Sequestration, and Reduce GHG Emissions and Increase Ecosystem Sustainability
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Pantheon Regeneration · 2024 - 2029Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology
ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2008 - 2021Phenolic Compounds and Black Carbon Feedback Controls on Peat Decomposition and Carbon Accumulation in Southeastern Peatlands under Regimes of Seasonal Drought, Drainage, and Frequent Fire: A New Model for Management of Carbon Sequestration
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Department of Energy · 2014 - 2018View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of Tennessee, Knoxville ·
1972
Ph.D.
State University of New York, Cortland ·
1966
B.S.