Mike Duniway, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael (Mike) Duniway is a soil scientist focused on soils and soil processes in dryland environments. His work provides crucial information for stakeholders, agencies and the public to assess and manage lands across the Colorado Plateau and southwest US.
In his research and outreach activities, Dr. Duniway seeks to provide information for land managers and owners to facilitate sustainable land-use activities. He works closely with federal and state agency partners and others in designing research studies, conducting technology transfer, and outreach activities. His research focuses include understanding the impacts of drought on Colorado Plateau rangelands, evaluating the recovery of oil and gas pads and seeking opportunities for improved reclamation practices, and developing new maps and tools for land management. In his work, he is interested in maintaining and balancing the important ecosystem services these landscapes provide, including clean water and air, food and fiber, tourism and cultural values, and energy.
Professional Experience
2011-Present: Research Ecologist, USGS Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT
2010-2011: Research Soil Scientist, US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Jornada, Las Cruces, NM
2006-2010: Research Soil Scientist (post doc), US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Jornada, Las Cruces, NM
2012-Present: Adjunct Faculty, Utah State University, Logan, UT
2007-Present: Adjunct Faculty, NM State University, Las Cruces, NM
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2006 — Agronomy (Soil Science), New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
B.S., 1994 — Environmental Resource Science, University of California, Davis, CA
Science and Products
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The automated reference toolset: A soil-geomorphic ecological potential matching algorithm The automated reference toolset: A soil-geomorphic ecological potential matching algorithm
Ecological inventory and monitoring data need referential context for interpretation. Identification of appropriate reference areas of similar ecological potential for site comparison is demonstrated using a newly developed automated reference toolset (ART). Foundational to identification of reference areas was a soil map of particle size in the control section (PSCS), a theme in US Soil...
Authors
Travis Nauman, Michael Duniway
Testing the apparent resistance of three dominant plants to chronic drought on the Colorado Plateau Testing the apparent resistance of three dominant plants to chronic drought on the Colorado Plateau
Many drylands, including the south-western United States, are projected to become more water-limited as these regions become warmer and drier with climate change. Such chronic drought may push individual species or plant functional types beyond key thresholds leading to reduced growth or even mortality. Indeed, recent observational and experimental evidence from the Colorado Plateau...
Authors
David Hoover, Michael Duniway, Jayne Belnap
Small-scale barriers mitigate desertification processes and enhance plant recruitment in a degraded semiarid grassland Small-scale barriers mitigate desertification processes and enhance plant recruitment in a degraded semiarid grassland
Anthropogenic desertification is a problem that plagues drylands globally; however, the factors which maintain degraded states are often unclear. In Canyonlands National Park on the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah, many degraded grasslands have not recovered structure and function >40 yr after release from livestock grazing pressure, necessitating active restoration. We...
Authors
Stephen E. Fick, Cheryl Decker, Michael Duniway, Mark Miller
The National Wind Erosion Research Network: Building a standardized long-term data resource for aeolian research, modeling and land management The National Wind Erosion Research Network: Building a standardized long-term data resource for aeolian research, modeling and land management
The National Wind Erosion Research Network was established in 2014 as a collaborative effort led by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, to address the need for a long-term research program to meet critical challenges in wind...
Authors
Nicholas P. Webb, Jeffrey Herrick, Justin W. Van Zee, Ericha M. Courtright, Ted Hugenholtz, Ted Zobeck, Gregory Okin, Thomas Barchyn, Benjamin J Billings, Robert A. Boyd, Scott Clingan, Brad Cooper, Michael Duniway, Justin Derner, Fred Fox, Kris Havstad, Philip Heilman, Valerie LaPlante, Noel Ludwig, Loretta Metz, Mark Nearing, M Norfleet, Frederick B Pierson, Matt Sanderson, Brenton Sharrat, Jean L Steiner, John Tatarko, Negussie H Tedela, David Todelo, Robert Unnasch, R Scott Van Pelt, Larry Wagner
Spatially explicit rangeland erosion monitoring using high-resolution digital aerial imagery Spatially explicit rangeland erosion monitoring using high-resolution digital aerial imagery
Nearly all of the ecosystem services supported by rangelands, including production of livestock forage, carbon sequestration, and provisioning of clean water, are negatively impacted by soil erosion. Accordingly, monitoring the severity, spatial extent, and rate of soil erosion is essential for long-term sustainable management. Traditional field-based methods of monitoring erosion...
Authors
Jeffrey Gillan, Jason W. Karl, Nichole N. Barger, Ahmed Elaksher, Michael Duniway
Rangeland monitoring reveals long-term plant responses to precipitation and grazing at the landscape scale Rangeland monitoring reveals long-term plant responses to precipitation and grazing at the landscape scale
Managers of rangeland ecosystems require methods to track the condition of natural resources over large areas and long periods of time as they confront climate change and land use intensification. We demonstrate how rangeland monitoring results can be synthesized using ecological site concepts to understand how climate, site factors, and management actions affect long-term vegetation...
Authors
Seth Munson, Michael Duniway, Jamin Johanson
Non-USGS Publications**
Browning, D.M., Duniway, M.C., Laliberte, A., and Rango, A., 2012, Hierarchical analysis of vegetation dynamics over 71 years: Soil-rainfall interactions in a Chihuahuan desert ecosystem: Ecological Applications, v. 22, p.909-926.
Duniway, M., Karl, J., Schrader, S., Baquera, N., and Herrick, J., 2012, Rangeland and pasture monitoring: an approach to interpretation of high-resolution imagery focused on observer calibration for repeatability: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, v. 184, p. 3789-3804.
Karl, J., Duniway, M.C., Nusser, S.M., Opsomer, J.D., and Unnasch, R.S., 2012, Using Very-Large-Scale Aerial Imagery for Rangeland Monitoring and Assessment: Some Statistical Considerations: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 330-339.
Karl, J.W., Duniway, M.C., and Schrader, T.S., 2012, A Technique for Estimating Rangeland Canopy-Gap Size Distributions From High-Resolution Digital Imagery: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 196-207.
Browning, D.M., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Digital soil mapping in the absence of field training data: a case study using terrain attributes and semiautomated soil signature derivation to distinguish ecological potential: Applied and Environmental Soil Science.
Duniway, M.C., and Herrick, J.E., 2011, Disentangling road network impacts: the need for a holistic approach: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, v. 66, p. 31A-36A.
Peters, D.P.C., Lugo, A.E., Chapin, F.S., Pickett, S.T.A., Duniway, M.C., Rocha, A.V., Swanson, F.J., Laney, C., and Jones, J., 2011, Cross-system comparisons elucidate disturbance complexities and generalities: Ecosphere, v. 2, art. 81.
Schrader, T.S., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Image Interpreter Tool: An ArcGIS tool for estimating vegetation cover from high-resolution imagery: Rangelands, v. 33, p. 35-40.
Duniway, M., Herrick, J., and Monger, H., 2010, Spatial and temporal variability of plant-available water in calcium carbonate-cemented soils and consequences for arid ecosystem resilience: Oecologia, v. 163, p. 215-226.
Duniway, M.C., Bestelmeyer, B.T., and Tugel, A., 2010, Soil processes and properties that distinguish ecological sites and states: Rangelands, v. 32, p. 9-15.
Duniway, M.C., Snyder, K.A., and Herrick, J.E., 2010, Spatial and temporal patterns of water availability in a grass–shrub ecotone and implications for grassland recovery in arid environments: Ecohydrology, v. 3, p. 55-67.
Duniway, M.C., Herrick, J.E., and Monger, H.C., 2007, The high water-holding capacity of petrocalcic horizons: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 71, p. 812-819.
Duniway, M.C., 2006, The functional role of petrocalcic horizons in desert ecosystems: spatial and temporal dynamics of plant water availability [Ph.D. Dissertation]: New Mexico State Univeristy, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
**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
Filter Total Items: 23
Filter Total Items: 40
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 127
The automated reference toolset: A soil-geomorphic ecological potential matching algorithm The automated reference toolset: A soil-geomorphic ecological potential matching algorithm
Ecological inventory and monitoring data need referential context for interpretation. Identification of appropriate reference areas of similar ecological potential for site comparison is demonstrated using a newly developed automated reference toolset (ART). Foundational to identification of reference areas was a soil map of particle size in the control section (PSCS), a theme in US Soil...
Authors
Travis Nauman, Michael Duniway
Testing the apparent resistance of three dominant plants to chronic drought on the Colorado Plateau Testing the apparent resistance of three dominant plants to chronic drought on the Colorado Plateau
Many drylands, including the south-western United States, are projected to become more water-limited as these regions become warmer and drier with climate change. Such chronic drought may push individual species or plant functional types beyond key thresholds leading to reduced growth or even mortality. Indeed, recent observational and experimental evidence from the Colorado Plateau...
Authors
David Hoover, Michael Duniway, Jayne Belnap
Small-scale barriers mitigate desertification processes and enhance plant recruitment in a degraded semiarid grassland Small-scale barriers mitigate desertification processes and enhance plant recruitment in a degraded semiarid grassland
Anthropogenic desertification is a problem that plagues drylands globally; however, the factors which maintain degraded states are often unclear. In Canyonlands National Park on the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah, many degraded grasslands have not recovered structure and function >40 yr after release from livestock grazing pressure, necessitating active restoration. We...
Authors
Stephen E. Fick, Cheryl Decker, Michael Duniway, Mark Miller
The National Wind Erosion Research Network: Building a standardized long-term data resource for aeolian research, modeling and land management The National Wind Erosion Research Network: Building a standardized long-term data resource for aeolian research, modeling and land management
The National Wind Erosion Research Network was established in 2014 as a collaborative effort led by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, to address the need for a long-term research program to meet critical challenges in wind...
Authors
Nicholas P. Webb, Jeffrey Herrick, Justin W. Van Zee, Ericha M. Courtright, Ted Hugenholtz, Ted Zobeck, Gregory Okin, Thomas Barchyn, Benjamin J Billings, Robert A. Boyd, Scott Clingan, Brad Cooper, Michael Duniway, Justin Derner, Fred Fox, Kris Havstad, Philip Heilman, Valerie LaPlante, Noel Ludwig, Loretta Metz, Mark Nearing, M Norfleet, Frederick B Pierson, Matt Sanderson, Brenton Sharrat, Jean L Steiner, John Tatarko, Negussie H Tedela, David Todelo, Robert Unnasch, R Scott Van Pelt, Larry Wagner
Spatially explicit rangeland erosion monitoring using high-resolution digital aerial imagery Spatially explicit rangeland erosion monitoring using high-resolution digital aerial imagery
Nearly all of the ecosystem services supported by rangelands, including production of livestock forage, carbon sequestration, and provisioning of clean water, are negatively impacted by soil erosion. Accordingly, monitoring the severity, spatial extent, and rate of soil erosion is essential for long-term sustainable management. Traditional field-based methods of monitoring erosion...
Authors
Jeffrey Gillan, Jason W. Karl, Nichole N. Barger, Ahmed Elaksher, Michael Duniway
Rangeland monitoring reveals long-term plant responses to precipitation and grazing at the landscape scale Rangeland monitoring reveals long-term plant responses to precipitation and grazing at the landscape scale
Managers of rangeland ecosystems require methods to track the condition of natural resources over large areas and long periods of time as they confront climate change and land use intensification. We demonstrate how rangeland monitoring results can be synthesized using ecological site concepts to understand how climate, site factors, and management actions affect long-term vegetation...
Authors
Seth Munson, Michael Duniway, Jamin Johanson
Non-USGS Publications**
Browning, D.M., Duniway, M.C., Laliberte, A., and Rango, A., 2012, Hierarchical analysis of vegetation dynamics over 71 years: Soil-rainfall interactions in a Chihuahuan desert ecosystem: Ecological Applications, v. 22, p.909-926.
Duniway, M., Karl, J., Schrader, S., Baquera, N., and Herrick, J., 2012, Rangeland and pasture monitoring: an approach to interpretation of high-resolution imagery focused on observer calibration for repeatability: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, v. 184, p. 3789-3804.
Karl, J., Duniway, M.C., Nusser, S.M., Opsomer, J.D., and Unnasch, R.S., 2012, Using Very-Large-Scale Aerial Imagery for Rangeland Monitoring and Assessment: Some Statistical Considerations: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 330-339.
Karl, J.W., Duniway, M.C., and Schrader, T.S., 2012, A Technique for Estimating Rangeland Canopy-Gap Size Distributions From High-Resolution Digital Imagery: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 196-207.
Browning, D.M., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Digital soil mapping in the absence of field training data: a case study using terrain attributes and semiautomated soil signature derivation to distinguish ecological potential: Applied and Environmental Soil Science.
Duniway, M.C., and Herrick, J.E., 2011, Disentangling road network impacts: the need for a holistic approach: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, v. 66, p. 31A-36A.
Peters, D.P.C., Lugo, A.E., Chapin, F.S., Pickett, S.T.A., Duniway, M.C., Rocha, A.V., Swanson, F.J., Laney, C., and Jones, J., 2011, Cross-system comparisons elucidate disturbance complexities and generalities: Ecosphere, v. 2, art. 81.
Schrader, T.S., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Image Interpreter Tool: An ArcGIS tool for estimating vegetation cover from high-resolution imagery: Rangelands, v. 33, p. 35-40.
Duniway, M., Herrick, J., and Monger, H., 2010, Spatial and temporal variability of plant-available water in calcium carbonate-cemented soils and consequences for arid ecosystem resilience: Oecologia, v. 163, p. 215-226.
Duniway, M.C., Bestelmeyer, B.T., and Tugel, A., 2010, Soil processes and properties that distinguish ecological sites and states: Rangelands, v. 32, p. 9-15.
Duniway, M.C., Snyder, K.A., and Herrick, J.E., 2010, Spatial and temporal patterns of water availability in a grass–shrub ecotone and implications for grassland recovery in arid environments: Ecohydrology, v. 3, p. 55-67.
Duniway, M.C., Herrick, J.E., and Monger, H.C., 2007, The high water-holding capacity of petrocalcic horizons: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 71, p. 812-819.
Duniway, M.C., 2006, The functional role of petrocalcic horizons in desert ecosystems: spatial and temporal dynamics of plant water availability [Ph.D. Dissertation]: New Mexico State Univeristy, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
**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.