Jill S Baron, PhD
Dr. Jill Baron is a senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and a Senior Research Ecologist with the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University.
Jill Baron is founder and Co-Director of the John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Science Analysis and Synthesis. She was the North American Director of the International Nitrogen Initiative 2014-2019 and is Co-Lead for Component 1 (Tools and methods for understanding the nitrogen cycle) of the International Nitrogen Management System. Baron was President of the Ecological Society of America in 2014, is a Certified Professional Ecologist, and a Fellow of the ESA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
She was named a Woman of Vision in 2015 by Colorado Women of Influence for her work advancing women’s role in science. Baron has been active in US National Climate Assessment efforts, has given testimony to Congress on western acid rain and climate change issues, and serves on a National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Assessing Causality from a Multidisciplinary Evidence Base for National Ambient Air Quality Standards. She is founder and Principal Investigator of the Loch Vale Watershed long-term ecological monitoring and research program in Rocky Mountain National Park, an instrumented catchment that in 2022 will celebrate 40 years of continuous records.
Professional Experience
2009-present Co-Director, John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Science Analysis and Synthesis
2016-present Senior Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins CO
1996-2015 Research Ecologist; U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO
1986-present Senior Research Scientist; Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
2000-present Advising faculty, CSU Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
1993-1996 Research Ecologist; National Biological Service, Mountain Ecosystems Section, Fort Collins, CO
1976-1993 Research Biologist-National Park Service; Great Smoky Mountains National Park TN; Gulf Islands National Seashore MS; Water Resources Division, Washington D.C. and CO
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Ecosystem Ecology, Colorado State University, 1991
M.S. Land Resources, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1979
B.S. Plant Sciences, Cornell University, 1976
Affiliations and Memberships*
Present: Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Senior Scientist
Present: Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Advising Faculty
Present: Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Faculty Affiliate
Science and Products
Spatial patterns of simulated transpiration response to climate variability in a snow dominated mountain ecosystem
Some guidelines for helping natural resources adapt to climate change
National parks: Chapter 4
Preliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources. A report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research
USGS goals for the coming decade
New ecological knowledge and practices for society and sustainability
Application of a coupled ecosystem-chemical equilibrium model, DayCent-Chem, to stream and soil chemistry in a Rocky Mountain watershed
Response of western mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and change: The Western Mountain Initiative
Nitrogen saturation in the Rocky Mountains: Linking emissions, deposition, and ecosystem effects using stable isotopes of nitrogen compounds
Response of western mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and change: The Western Mountain Initiative
Ecological thresholds: The key to successful enviromental management or an important concept with no practical application?
Hindcasting nitrogen deposition to determine an ecological critical load
Science and Products
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Spatial patterns of simulated transpiration response to climate variability in a snow dominated mountain ecosystem
Transpiration is an important component of soil water storage and stream-flow and is linked with ecosystem productivity, species distribution, and ecosystem health. In mountain environments, complex topography creates heterogeneity in key controls on transpiration as well as logistical challenges for collecting representative measurements. In these settings, ecosystem models can be used to accountAuthorsL. Christensen, C.L. Tague, Jill BaronSome guidelines for helping natural resources adapt to climate change
The changes occurring in mountain regions are an epitome of climate change. The dramatic shrinkage of major glaciers over the past century – and especially in the last 30 years – is one of several iconic images that have come to symbolize climate change. Climate creates the context for ecosystems, and climate variables strongly influence the structure, composition, and processes that characterizeAuthorsJill S. Baron, Susan Herrod Julius, Jordan M. West, Linda A. Joyce, Geoffrey Blate, Charles H. Peterson, Margaret Palmer, Brian D. Keller, Peter Kareiva, J. Michael Scott, Brad GriffithNational parks: Chapter 4
Covering about 4% of the United States, the 338,000 km² of protected areas in the National Park System contain representative landscapes of all of the nation’s biomes and ecosystems. The U.S. National Park Service Organic Act established the National Park System in 1916 “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the sAuthorsJill S. Baron, Craig D. Allen, Erica Fleishman, Lance Gunderson, Don McKenzie, Laura A. Meyerson, Jill Oropeza, Nathan L. StephensonPreliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources. A report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research
Climate variables are key determinants of geographic distributions and biophysical characteristics of ecosystems, communities, and species. Climate change is therefore affecting many species attributes, ecological interactions, and ecosystem processes. Because changes in the climate system will continue into the future regardless of emissions mitigation, strategies for protecting climate-sensitiveAuthorsJill S. Baron, Brad Griffith, Linda A. Joyce, Peter Kareiva, Brian D. Keller, Margaret A. Palmer, Charles H. Peterson, J. Michael ScottUSGS goals for the coming decade
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) proposes six strategic directions for managing ecosystems along with modernization of observation networks of land, water, and biological resources.AuthorsM.D. Myers, M. A. Ayers, Jill Baron, P.R. Beauchemin, Martin B. Goldhaber, Deborah R. Hutchinson, James W. LaBaugh, Roger G. Sayre, Steven E. Schwarzbach, Eugene S. Schweig, June M. Thormodsgard, Charles van Riper, W. WildeNew ecological knowledge and practices for society and sustainability
As attributes of the Earth's ecosystems shift in the face of human impact and sustainability of ecosystem services becomes less certain, one important tool at the disposal of the scientific community and other groups is a blueprint for understanding, evaluating, and communicating the value of ecological services. The blueprint presented here is based on (1) an examination of the ecological and socAuthorsErica Nichols, Jill Baron, Rodolfo Dirzo, Jose Sarukhan, Ana Persic, Salvatore AricoApplication of a coupled ecosystem-chemical equilibrium model, DayCent-Chem, to stream and soil chemistry in a Rocky Mountain watershed
Atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen species have the potential to acidify terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, but nitrate and ammonium are also critical nutrients for plant and microbial productivity. Both the ecological response and the hydrochemical response to atmospheric deposition are of interest to regulatory and land management agencies. We developed a non-spatial biogeochemical mAuthorsM.D. Hartman, Jill Baron, D.S. OjimaResponse of western mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and change: The Western Mountain Initiative
Mountain ecosystems within our national parks and other protected areas provide valuable goods and services such as clean water, biodiversity conservation, and recreational opportunities, but their potential responses to expected climatic changes are inadequately understood. The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is a collaboration of scientists whose research focuses on understanding and predictinAuthorsNathan L. Stephenson, Dave Peterson, Daniel B. Fagre, Craig D. Allen, Donald McKenzie, Jill Baron, Kelly O'BrianNitrogen saturation in the Rocky Mountains: Linking emissions, deposition, and ecosystem effects using stable isotopes of nitrogen compounds
Elevated levels of atmospheric N deposition are affecting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems at high elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park and adjacent areas of the Front Range of Colorado. Federal and state agencies are now working together to develop cost-effective means for reducing atmospheric N deposition. A discussion on N saturation covers the need for better understanding of N emissioAuthorsK. Campbell, L. Nanus, J.K. Böhlke, K. Harlin, J. CollettResponse of western mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and change: The Western Mountain Initiative
Mountain ecosystems within our national parks and other protected areas provide valuable goods and services such as clean water, biodiversity conservation, and recreational opportunities, but their potential responses to expected climatic changes are inadequately understood. The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is a collaboration of scientists whose research focuses on understanding and predictinAuthorsNathan L. Stephenson, David A. Peterson, Daniel B. Fagre, Craig D. Allen, Donald McKenzie, Jill Baron, K. O'BrienEcological thresholds: The key to successful enviromental management or an important concept with no practical application?
An ecological threshold is the point at which there is an abrupt change in an ecosystem quality, property or phenomenon, or where small changes in an environmental driver produce large responses in the ecosystem. Analysis of thresholds is complicated by nonlinear dynamics and by multiple factor controls that operate at diverse spatial and temporal scales. These complexities have challenged the useAuthorsP.M. Groffman, Jill Baron, T. Blett, A.J. Gold, I. Goodman, L.H. Gunderson, B.M. Levinson, Margaret A. Palmer, H.W. Paerl, G.D. Peterson, N.L. Poff, D.W. Rejeski, J.F. Reynolds, M.G. Turner, K.C. Weathers, J. WiensHindcasting nitrogen deposition to determine an ecological critical load
Using an estimated background nitrogen (N) deposition value of 0.5 kg N·ha−1·yr−1 in 1900, and a 19-year record of measured values from Loch Vale (Colorado, USA; NADP site CO98), I reconstructed an N-deposition history using exponential equations that correlated well with EPA-reported NOx emissions from Colorado and from the sum of emissions of 11 western states. The mean wet N-deposition values fAuthorsJill Baron - News
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government