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Curtis J. Richardson

Research Professor of Resource Ecology
Environmental Natural Science
Box 90333, Durham, NC 27708-0333
A219A Lev Sci Res Ctr, Durham, NC 27708

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

In the News


Published July 28, 2023
Using North Carolina’s Peat Bogs to Help Fight Climate Change
Published September 6, 2022
Study: Rewetting Southern Peatlands Could Prevent Millions of Tons of Carbon Emissions
Published April 21, 2021
Earth Day: At Duke, We Reclaim Swamps

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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 Cite

Water 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 Cite

Identifying 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 Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Tennessee, Knoxville · 1972 Ph.D.
State University of New York, Cortland · 1966 B.S.