Ken Krauss, Ph.D.
Ken Krauss is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2004
M.S., Forestry, Louisiana State University, 1997
B.S., Biology, University of Southwestern Louisiana, 1994
RESEARCH
Ken Krauss' research spans several habitats, from mangroves to tidal freshwater forested wetlands and marshes. His research takes a multi-tiered approach to understanding eco-physiological processes in coastal wetland forests; defining gas exchange between the soil and atmosphere, and among the leaf, tree, and atmosphere. Research has defined thresholds to tidal freshwater forested wetland habitat change in the face of persistent environmental drivers (esp. sea level rise and salinity), defined the potential of forested wetlands to influence water cycling in coastal areas, and has begun to establish the potential of other wetland types to contribute to water conservation, especially under drought and perennial salinization. Krauss also focuses on the vulnerability of coastal swamp forests and mangroves to sea-level rise, and on how science can inform management and restoration activity within the coastal zone.
BACKGROUND
He has been a scientist with the federal government since 1997, first with the USDA Forest Service in Stoneville, Mississippi and, then, in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he studied sedimentation, systematics, regeneration, growth, invasion biology, and ecophysiology of Pacific island forested wetlands in the Federated States of Micronesia and Hawaii. Krauss began working at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center in 2001 (renamed to USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, or WARC, in 2015), where he maintains an expertise in forest ecology and ecophysiology, and serves as one of WARC's climate change scientists focusing on mangroves and tidal freshwater forested wetlands.
2004-present, Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana
2001-2004, Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana
1997-2001, Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Honolulu, Hawaii
1996-1997, Ecophysiologist Technician, USDA Forest Service, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Forestry, Stoneville, Mississippi
1995-1996, Graduate Research Assistant, Louisiana State University, School of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Science and Products
Modeling soil porewater salinity response to drought in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
Rapid peat development beneath created, maturing mangrove forests: Ecosystem changes across a 25-year chronosequence
Tidal wetland gross primary production across the continental United States, 2000–2019
Soil surface elevation dynamics in a mangrove-to-marsh ecotone characterized by vegetation shifts
The potential resiliency of a created tidal marsh to sea-level rise
Tropical cyclones and the organization of mangrove forests: A review
The long-term effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on soil elevation change in Everglades mangrove forests
The state of the world’s mangrove forests: Past, present, and future
A 3-year in-situ measurement of CO2 efflux in coastal wetlands: Understanding carbon loss through ecosystem respiration and its partitioning
FLUXNET-CH4 synthesis activity: Objectives, observations, and future directions
Carbon dioxide emissions and methane flux from forested wetland soils of the Great Dismal Swamp, USA
Global patterns of tree stem growth and stand aboveground wood production in mangrove forests
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Modeling soil porewater salinity response to drought in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
There is a growing concern about the adverse effects of saltwater intrusion via tidal rivers, streams and creeks into tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFW) due to sea‐level rise (SLR) and intense and extended drought events. However, the magnitude and duration of porewater salinity in exceedance of plant salinity stress threshold (2 practical salinity units, psu) and the controlling factors reAuthorsHongqing Wang, Ken W. Krauss, Gregory B. Noe, Camille L. Stagg, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Jamie A. Duberstein, William H. Conner, Donald L. DeAngelisRapid peat development beneath created, maturing mangrove forests: Ecosystem changes across a 25-year chronosequence
Mangrove forests are among the world’s most productive and carbon‐rich ecosystems. Despite growing understanding of factors controlling mangrove forest soil carbon stocks, there is a need to advance understanding of the speed of peat development beneath maturing mangrove forests— especially in created and restored mangrove forests that are intended to compensate for ecosystem functions lost duringAuthorsMichael J. Osland, Laura C. Feher, Amanda C. Spivak, Janet A. Nestlerode, Alejandro E. Almario, Nicole Cormier, Andrew From, Ken W. Krauss, Marc J. Russell, Federico Alvarez, Darrin D. Dantin, James E. Harvey, Camille L. StaggTidal wetland gross primary production across the continental United States, 2000–2019
We mapped tidal wetland gross primary production (GPP) with unprecedented detail for multiple wetland types across the continental United States (CONUS) at 16‐day intervals for the years 2000–2019. To accomplish this task, we developed the spatially explicit Blue Carbon (BC) model, which combined tidal wetland cover and field‐based eddy covariance tower data into a single Bayesian framework, and uAuthorsR.A. Feagin, I. Forbrich, T. P. Huff, J.G. Barr, J. Ruiz-Plancarte, J.D. Fuentes, R.G. Najjar, R. Vargas, A. Vazquez Lule, L. Windham-Myers, Kevin D. Kroeger, E. J. Ward, G. W. Moore, M. Leclerc, K. W. Krauss, C.L. Stagg, M. Alber, S. H. Knox, K. V. R. Schafer, T.S. Bianchi, J. A. Hutchings, H. Nahrawi, A. Noormets, B. Mitra, A. Jaimes, A.L. Hinson, Brian A. Bergamaschi, J.S. King, G. MiaoSoil surface elevation dynamics in a mangrove-to-marsh ecotone characterized by vegetation shifts
Mangrove forest encroachment into coastal marsh habitats has been described in subtropical regions worldwide in recent decades. To better understand how soil processes may influence vegetation change, we studied soil surface elevation change, accretion rates, and soil subsurface change across a coastal salinity gradient in Florida, USA, an area with documented mangrove encroachment into saline marAuthorsRebecca J. Howard, Andrew From, Ken W. Krauss, Kimberly D. Andres, Nicole Cormier, Larry K. Allain, Michael SavareseThe potential resiliency of a created tidal marsh to sea-level rise
The purpose of this study was to determine the elevation dynamics of a created tidal marsh on the North Carolina coast. Deep rod surface elevation tables (RSET) and feldspar marker horizons (MH) were installed in plots to measure net surface elevation changes and to quantify contributing processes. Twelve total plots were placed on four elevation gradient transects (three transects within the creaAuthorsBrock J. W. Kamrath, Michael R. Burchell, Nicole Cormier, Ken W. Krauss, Darren JohnsonTropical cyclones and the organization of mangrove forests: A review
Background Many mangrove ecosystems are periodically exposed to high velocity winds and surge from tropical cyclones and often recover with time and continue to provide numerous societal benefits in the wake of storm events. Scope This review focuses on the drivers and disturbance mechanisms (visible and functional) that tropical cyclones of various intensities have on mangrove ecosystem propertiAuthorsKen Krauss, Michael OslandThe long-term effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on soil elevation change in Everglades mangrove forests
Mangrove forests in the Florida Everglades (USA) are frequently affected by hurricanes that produce high-velocity winds, storm surge, and extreme rainfall, but also provide sediment subsidies that help mangroves adjust to sea-level rise. The long-term influence of hurricane sediment inputs on soil elevation dynamics in mangrove forests are not well understood. Here, we assessed the effects of sediAuthorsLaura Feher, Michael Osland, Gordon Anderson, William Vervaeke, Ken Krauss, Kevin R. T. Whelan, Karen M. Balentine, Ginger Tiling-Range, Thomas J. Smith, Donald CahoonThe state of the world’s mangrove forests: Past, present, and future
Intertidal mangrove forests are a dynamic ecosystem experiencing rapid changes in extent and habitat quality over geological history, today and into the future. Climate and sea level have drastically altered mangrove distribution since their appearance in the geological record ∼75 million years ago (Mya), through to the Holocene. In contrast, contemporary mangrove dynamics are driven primarily byAuthorsDaniel A. Friess, Kerrylee Rogers, Catherine E. Lovelock, Ken Krauss, Stuart E. Hamilton, Shing Yip Lee, Richard Lucas, Jurgenne Primavera, Anusha Rajkaran, Suhua ShiA 3-year in-situ measurement of CO2 efflux in coastal wetlands: Understanding carbon loss through ecosystem respiration and its partitioning
Understanding the link between ecosystem respiration (Reco) and its influential factors is necessary to evaluate the sources of gaseous carbon loss in coastal wetlands. Seablite (Suaeda salsa Pall.) is the main vegetation type pioneering temperate coastal wetlands in northeast China, and is generally an understudied wetland type. To evaluate the influence of environmental factors on Reco, a multi-AuthorsXueyang Yu, Siyuan Ye, Linda Olsson, Mengjie Wei, Ken Krauss, Hans BrixFLUXNET-CH4 synthesis activity: Objectives, observations, and future directions
This paper describes the formation of, and initial results for, a new FLUXNET coordination network for ecosystem-scale methane (CH4) measurements at 60 sites globally, organized by the Global Carbon Project in partnership with other initiatives and regional flux tower networks. The objectives of the effort are presented along with an overview of the coverage of eddy covariance (EC) CH4 flux measurAuthorsSara H. Knox, Robert B. Jackson, Benjamin Poulter, Gavin McNicol, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Zhen Zhang, Gustaf Hugelius, Philippe Bousquet, Josep G Canadell, Marielle Saunois, Dario Papale, Housen Chu, Trevor F. Keenan, Dennis Baldocchi, Margaret S. Torn, Ivan Mammarella, Carlo Trotta, Mika Aurela, Gil Bohrer, David I. Campbell, Alessandro Cescatti, Samuel D. Chamberlain, Jiquan Chen, Weinan Chen, Sigrid Dengel, Ankur R. Desai, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Thomas Friborg, Daniele Gasbarra, Ignacio Goded, Mathias Goeckede, Martin Heimann, Manuel Helbig, Takashi Hirano, David Y. Hollinger, Hiroki Iwata, Minseok Kang, Janina Klatt, Ken Krauss, Lars Kutzbach, Annalea Lohila, Bhaskar Mitra, Timothy H Morin, Mats B. Nilsson, Shuli Niu, Asko Noormets, Walter C. Oechel, Matthias Peichl, Olli Peltola, Michele L. Reba, Andrew D. Richardson, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Youngryel Ryu, Torsten Sachs, Karina V R Schäfer, Hans Peter Schmid, Narasinha Shurpali, Oliver Sonnentag, Angela C I Tang, Masahito Ueyama, Rodrigo Vargas, Timo Vesala, Eric Ward, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Georg Wohlfahrt, Donatella ZonaCarbon dioxide emissions and methane flux from forested wetland soils of the Great Dismal Swamp, USA
The Great Dismal Swamp, a freshwater forested peatland, has accumulated massive amounts of soil carbon since the postglacial period. Logging and draining have severely altered the hydrology and forest composition, leading to drier soils, accelerated oxidation, and vulnerability to disturbance. The once dominant Atlantic white cedar, cypress, and pocosin forest types are now fragmented, resulting iAuthorsLaurel Gutenberg, K. W. Krauss, John Qu, Changwoo Ahn, Dianna M. Hogan, Zhiliang Zhu, Chenyang XuGlobal patterns of tree stem growth and stand aboveground wood production in mangrove forests
Mangrove forests provide important ecological and economic services including carbon sequestration and storage. The conservation and restoration of mangroves are expected to play an important role in mitigating climate change, and understanding the factors influencing mangrove stem growth and wood production are important in predicting and improving mangrove carbon sequestration and responses to eAuthorsYanmei Xiong, Roxelane Cakir, Sang Minh Phan, Anne Ola, Ken Krauss, Catherine E. LovelockNon-USGS Publications**
Kumara, M.P., L.P. Jayatissa, K.W. Krauss, D.H. Phillips, & M. Huxham. 2010. High mangrove density enhances surface accretion, surface elevation change, and tree survival in coastal areas susceptible to sea-level rise. Oecologia 164: 545-553.Huxham, M., M. Kumara, L. Jayatissa, K.W. Krauss, J. Kairo, J. Langat, M. Mencuccini, M. Skov & B. Kirui. 2010. Intra and inter-specific facilitation in mangroves may increase resilience to climate change threats. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 365: 2127-2135.Krauss, K.W. 2009. Mangrove energetics. Ecology 90: 3588-3589. [book review]Krauss, K.W., C.E. Lovelock, K.L. McKee, L. López-Hoffman, S.M.L. Ewe & W.P. Sousa. 2008. Environmental drivers in mangrove establishment and early development: a review. Aquatic Botany 89: 105-127.Conner, W.H., T.W. Doyle & K.W. Krauss, Eds., 2007. Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Krauss, K.W., J.L. Chambers & D. Creech. 2007. Selection for salt tolerance in tidal freshwater swamp species: advances using baldcypress as a model for restoration. Pages 385-410 in W.H. Conner, T.W. Doyle, K.W. Krauss (eds.), Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Conner W.H., K.W. Krauss & T.W. Doyle. 2007. Ecology of tidal freshwater forests in coastal deltaic Louisiana and northeastern South Carolina. Pages 223-253 in W.H. Conner, T.W. Doyle, K.W. Krauss (eds.), Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Conner, W.H., C.T. Hackney, K.W. Krauss & J.W. Day, Jr. 2007. Tidal freshwater forested wetlands: future research needs and an overview of restoration. Pages 461-485 in W.H. Conner, T.W. Doyle, K.W. Krauss (eds.), Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands of the Southeastern United States. Springer. 505 p.Gardiner, E.S. & K.W. Krauss. 2001. Photosynthetic light response of flooded cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda) seedlings grown in two light regimes. Tree Physiology 21: 1103-1111.Krauss, K.W., R.A. Goyer, J.A. Allen & J.L. Chambers. 2000. Tree shelters effective in coastal swamp restoration (Louisiana). Ecological Restoration18: 200-201.Allen, J.A., K.W. Krauss, N.C. Duke, O. Björkman, D.R. Herbst & C. Shih. 2000. Bruguiera species in Hawai’i: systematic considerations and ecological implications. Pacific Science 54: 331-343.Doyle, T.W. & K.W. Krauss. 1999. The sands and sambars of St. Vincent Island. Florida Wildlife 53: 22-25.Krauss, K.W., J.L. Chambers & J.A. Allen. 1998. Salinity effects and differential germination of several half-sib families of baldcypress from different seed sources. New Forests 15: 53-68.Allen, J.A., W.H. Conner, R.A. Goyer, J.L. Chambers & K.W. Krauss. 1998. Chapter 4: Freshwater forested wetlands and global climate change. Pages 33-44 in G.R. Guntenspergen and B.A Vairin (eds.), Vulnerability of coastal wetlands in the Southeastern United States: climate change research results, 1992-97. U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division Biological Science Report USGS/BRD/BSR-1998-0002. 101 p.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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