Research in the Turetsky laboratory centers on ecosystem analysis, with emphasis on the interactions between soil, water, plants, and the atmosphere that control biological communities and the cycling of nutrients. Our research focuses primarily on two study regions, including 1) the boreal forest region where we are conducting gradient-based, experimental, and modeling studies in Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. This work tries to understand state factor controls on biogeochemical cycles and how these controls will respond to climate change and other global change factors, 2) the Great Lakes region where we are developing projects that meld field- and remote sensing- approaches to understand climate and land-use controls on water and nutrient fluxes in wetlands. We also are interested in how the spread of invasive species such as Phragmites australis is impacting processes at the ecosystem level. In both study regions, lab members work on a diversity of topics that range from microbial and plant species controls on trace gas emissions to paleoecological analysis of peat deposits.

Ongoing research projects in our lab:

Soil climate controls on peatland carbon cycling- experimental manipulation of soil moisture and temperature regimes. Click here for more information on the APEX or the Alaskan peatland experiment

Boreal fire regimes and impacts on biogeochemical cycles. Click on the following names to contact Merritt Turetsky, Evan Kane, or Brian Benscoter for more information

Light and UV-B controls on carbon cycling processes in boreal wetlands. Contact Molly Conlin for more information

Invasive plant species controls on litter chemistry and soil climate in Michigan wetlands. Contact Jason Martina for more information