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Dean L. Urban

Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences and Policy
Environmental Sciences and Policy
Box 90328, Durham, NC 27708-0328
A320 Lev Sci Res Ctr, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


My interest in landscape ecology focuses on the agents and implications of pattern in forested landscapes. Increasingly, my research is in what has been termed "theoretical applied ecology," developing new analytic approaches to applications of immediate practical concern such as conservation planning. A hallmark of my Lab is the integration of field studies, spatial analysis, and simulation modeling in extrapolating our fine-scale empirical understanding of environmental issues to the larger space and time scales of management and policy.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences and Policy · 2023 - Present Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment

In the News


Published May 14, 2014
Alan Townsend Named Dean Of Nicholas School
Published June 13, 2013
A University Course on Water

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Recent Publications


The Contribution of Microrefugia to Landscape Thermal Inertia for Climate-Adaptive Conservation Strategies

Journal Article Earth's Future · June 1, 2023 Current temperatures in microrefugia may persist longer than in nearby areas as temperatures warm. However, locating and measuring the contribution of microrefugia to thermal inertia in a landscape is challenging. We measured the thermal buffering capacity ... Full text Cite

Agents and Implications of Landscape Pattern: Working Models for Landscape Ecology

Book · January 1, 2023 Featured Publication This is an ecology textbook focused on key principles that underpin research and management at the landscape scale. It covers (1) agents of pattern (the physical template, biotic processes, and disturbance regimes); (2) scale and pattern (why scale matters ... Full text Cite

The Nonpoint Sources and Transport of Baseflow Nitrogen Loading Across a Developed Rural-Urban Gradient

Journal Article Water Resources Research · July 1, 2022 Nonpoint source urban nutrient loading into streams and receiving water bodies is widely recognized as a major environmental management challenge. A dominant research and management paradigm assumes that loading primarily derives from elevated stormwater. ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Streams in urbanizing landscapes: from syndrome diagnosis to watershed prescription

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2013 - 2018

Assessing adaptative capacity in response to climate change:  terrestrial salamanders in an urban heat island mesocosm

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2015 - 2017

South Atlantic LLC-Need1

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · 2014 - 2016

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Tennessee, Knoxville · 1986 Ph.D.
Southern Illinois University · 1981 M.A.
Southern Illinois University · 1978 B.A.

External Links


deanurban.org