Eric Ward is a Research Ecologist at WARC in Lafayette, LA.
Eric J. Ward’s research focuses on the links between empirical studies and modeling in physiological and ecosystem ecology. The interpretation of field research and its efficient incorporation into projections of carbon and water cycling in managed and unmanaged ecosystems are critical to understanding ecosystem functions and services in a changing world. Dr. Ward’s current program addresses the effects of management and global change factors on carbon cycling in wetland ecosystems, with a focus on coastal wetlands of the SE United States. He works at a variety of field sites, ranging from freshwater floatant marsh to mangrove forests. He has contributed expertise in model-data synthesis to many collaborative efforts addressing ecosystem function in a changing world, such as his current efforts in the USGS LandCarbon National Assessment and the Powell Center Wetland FLUXNET Synthesis for Methane.
Background
Dr. Ward has been a collaborator in multiple large-scale ecosystem studies and experiments. Before USGS, he worked for Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the SPRUCE (Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments) experiment, which examined the effects of elevated carbon dioxide levels and whole ecosystem warming on a peatland forest in northern Minnesota. While a post-doctoral fellow at North Carolina State University, he worked on PINEMAP (Pine Integrated Network: Education, Mitigation, and Adaptation Project), a USDA Coordinated Agricultural Project that integrated research, extension, and education to adapt forest management approaches aimed at increasing forest resilience, sustainability and carbon sequestration over the coming decades. During his graduate studies at Duke University, Dr. Ward was part of the Duke FACE (Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) study, which focused on the effects of rising carbon dioxide levels on forests.
Education
PhD, Duke University, Ecology, 2012
BA, Kenyon College, Biology, 2003
Science and Products
Developing a Decision Support Tool to Inform Louisiana’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
Assessing Environmental Stress in Mature Mangrove Stands: Linkages to Nutrient Loading
Wetland Methane Emissions: Functional-type Modeling and Data-driven Parameterization
Wetland Carbon Working Group: Improving Methodologies and Estimates of Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Flux in Wetlands
Wetland Carbon Cycling: Monitoring and Forecasting in a Changing World
Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
Critical Coastal Habitats: Sustainability, Restoration and Forecasting
Impacts of coastal and watershed changes on upper estuaries: causes and implications of wetland ecosystem transitions along the US Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
Science to Inform the Management of Mangrove Ecosystems Undergoing Sea Level Rise at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, Florida
Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
Science and Products
- Science
Developing a Decision Support Tool to Inform Louisiana’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
In 2020, Governor Edwards of Louisiana issued two executive orders: establishing the Climate Initiatives Task Force to develop the state’s first ever Climate Action Plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to enhance coastal resilience in the state. Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and natural lands are of vital importance not just for hurricane protection, health and wellbeing, and...Assessing Environmental Stress in Mature Mangrove Stands: Linkages to Nutrient Loading
WARC Researchers are comparing tree and root growth, soil CO2 flux, and surface elevation change between fertilized and unfertilized mangrove forests to assess the potential impact of increased nutrient loading and to help rate mangrove stand vulnerability.Wetland Methane Emissions: Functional-type Modeling and Data-driven Parameterization
To better understand the environmental drivers of methane emissions in tidal saltmarsh, tidal freshwater swamp forest, tidal freshwater marsh, and non-tidal freshwater marsh habitats, researchers are collecting observations of CH4 emissions and porewater concentrations at research sites representative of each of these habitats.Wetland Carbon Working Group: Improving Methodologies and Estimates of Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Flux in Wetlands
WARC researchers are working to quantify the impacts of future climate and land use/land cover change on greenhouse gas emissions and reductions.Wetland Carbon Cycling: Monitoring and Forecasting in a Changing World
WARC's wetland carbon cycle science team is working to improve model parameterizations and formulations and reduce forecast uncertainty in ecosystem modeling.Understanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
To ensure successful restoration of coastal wetlands, WARC researchers will measure carbon cycling processes that indicate ecosystem health and sustainability.Critical Coastal Habitats: Sustainability, Restoration and Forecasting
USGS WARC scientists are monitoring both the long- and short-term effects of coastal restoration efforts on ecosystem health in coastal habitats of Louisiana’s Barataria Basin.Impacts of coastal and watershed changes on upper estuaries: causes and implications of wetland ecosystem transitions along the US Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are coastal transition zones where freshwater rivers meet tidal seawater. As sea levels rise, tidal forces move saltier water farther upstream, extending into freshwater wetland areas. Human changes to the surrounding landscape may amplify the effects of this tidal extension, impacting the resiliency and function of the upper estuarine wetlands. One visible...Science to Inform the Management of Mangrove Ecosystems Undergoing Sea Level Rise at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, Florida
Mangroves are forested tidal wetlands that occur in tropical, sub-tropical, and warm temperate coastal regions around the world. Mangroves occupy a significant area of coastlines globally and provide important ecosystem services to humans and wildlife. These services include aesthetic value, storm protection, food provisioning, recreation, critical wildlife habitat, and biological carbon sequestraUnderstanding Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Land Management on Critical Coastal Marsh Habitat
The Science Issue and Relevance: Coastal wetlands are some of the most productive and valuable habitats in the world. Louisiana contains 40% of the United States’ coastal wetlands, which provide critical habitat for waterfowl and fisheries, as well as many other benefits, such as storm surge protection for coastal communities. In terms of ecosystem services, biological resource production, and inf... - Data
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