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Meredith Richardson Martin, PhD

Meredith Martin (she/her) is the Science Advisor to the Associate Director for Water Resources.

Meredith Martin started at USGS in June 2022 as the Science Advisor to the Associate Director for Water Resources. Meredith comes to USGS after spending two years at the Department of Commerce. Meredith first came into the federal government through NOAA’s Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. As a Fellow in the Department’s Office of the Chief Data Officer, Meredith was instrumental in solidifying the role of the Commerce Data Governance Board and developing the Department’s first Commerce Data Strategy, and she supported Admiral Gallaudet (former NOAA Deputy Administrator) as he stood up NOAA’s Science and Technology Synergy Committee under the NOAA Science Council.  Meredith then served as the Senior Advisor to the Chief Data Officer for Climate and Environment. In this role, Meredith led the writing for the data-related sections of the Commerce Strategic Plan and served as the Department-level technical expert on climate and environment-related policy issues. Further, she led efforts at Commerce to expand climate data access to underserved communities through public-private partnerships and served on the US Global Change Research Program’s Climate Resilience Information System (CRIS) Leadership Team.

Meredith has seven years of experience in ecohydrology designing and performing novel research for understanding the impacts of human activities on natural ecosystems. This was achieved through numerical modeling of ecosystem nutrient dynamics, water and energy balance, and theoretically-derived thermodynamic properties at representative study sites, including forested, alpine, logged, burned, and agricultural ecosystems. Her dissertation, Thermodynamics to determine emergent vegetation and ecosystem responses to human-induced perturbations, studied the role of temperature and changing environmental conditions on the existence and stability of vegetation in a variety of climates. Additional research projects include cost-benefit analyses to study green infrastructure options as well as ecosystem services studies and life cycle assessments to compare alternative uses for agricultural products.

Education and Certifications

  • Legislative Studies Certificate from the Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University

  • Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Water Resources Engineering and Science), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • M.S. in Civil Engineering (Environmental Hydrology & Hydraulic Engineering), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • B.S. in Civil Engineering (Water Resources) and minor in Music (Vocal Performance), North Carolina State University

Science and Products

Non-USGS Publications**

Richardson Martin, M., P. Kumar, O. Sonnentag, and P. Marsh (2022). Thermodynamic basis for the demarcation of Arctic and alpine treelines. Nature Scientific Reports, 12(1), 1-14. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16462-2
Richardson, M. (2021). Thermodynamics to determine emergent vegetation and ecosystem responses to human-induced perturbations. Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Richardson, M. and P. Kumar (2020). Discerning the thermodynamic feasibility of the spontaneous coexistence of multiple functional vegetation groups. Nature Scientific Reports, 10, 18321. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75050-4
Richardson, M. and P. Kumar (2017). Critical Zone services as environmental assessment criteria in intensively managed landscapes. Earths Future, 5(6), 617–632. DOI: 10.1002/2016EF000517
William, R., A. Goodwell, M. Richardson, P. V. V. Le, P. Kumar, and A. S. Stillwell (2016). An environmental cost-benefit analysis of alternative green roofing strategies. Ecological Engineering, 95, 1-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.06.091

**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.

Science and Products

  • Publications

    Non-USGS Publications**

    Richardson Martin, M., P. Kumar, O. Sonnentag, and P. Marsh (2022). Thermodynamic basis for the demarcation of Arctic and alpine treelines. Nature Scientific Reports, 12(1), 1-14. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16462-2
    Richardson, M. (2021). Thermodynamics to determine emergent vegetation and ecosystem responses to human-induced perturbations. Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
    Richardson, M. and P. Kumar (2020). Discerning the thermodynamic feasibility of the spontaneous coexistence of multiple functional vegetation groups. Nature Scientific Reports, 10, 18321. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75050-4
    Richardson, M. and P. Kumar (2017). Critical Zone services as environmental assessment criteria in intensively managed landscapes. Earths Future, 5(6), 617–632. DOI: 10.1002/2016EF000517
    William, R., A. Goodwell, M. Richardson, P. V. V. Le, P. Kumar, and A. S. Stillwell (2016). An environmental cost-benefit analysis of alternative green roofing strategies. Ecological Engineering, 95, 1-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.06.091

    **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.