Mike Duniway, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael (Mike) Duniway is a soil scientist focused on soils and soil processes in dryland ecosystems and the interactions between environmental and land-use drivers, vegetation, soils, and geomorphology. His areas of focus include restoration, ecohydrology, effects of land-use (grazing, energy, and recreation), dust production, plant-soil feedbacks, and soil mapping and interpretations.
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 agency partners (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, National Resource Conservation Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and others such as The Nature Conservancy's Canyonlands Research Center) in designing research studies, conducting technology transfer, and outreach activities. Some primary current research focuses include understanding the impacts of drought on Colorado Plateau landscapes, evaluating the recovery of oil and gas pads on the Colorado Plateau and opportunities for improved restoration practices, developing novel restoration techniques for highly disturbed lands using biological soil crusts and physical barriers, and basic research into the importance of soils for dryland ecosystem processes.
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
Adapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Elevated aeolian sediment transport on the Colorado Plateau, USA: The role of grazing, vehicle disturbance, and increasing aridity
Life history characteristics may be as important as climate projections for defining range shifts: An example for common tree species in the intermountain western US
Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Landsat time series analysis of fractional plant cover changes on abandoned energy development sites
Soil water dynamics at 15 locations distributed across a desert landscape: insights from a 27‐yr dataset
Insights from long-term ungrazed and grazed watersheds in a salt desert Colorado Plateau ecosystem
Identifying optimal remotely-sensed variables for ecosystem monitoring in Colorado Plateau drylands
Functional group, biomass, and climate change effects on ecological drought in semiarid grasslands
Future soil moisture and temperature extremes imply expanding suitability for rainfed agriculture in temperate drylands
Fine-resolution repeat topographic surveying of dryland landscapes using UAS-based structure-from-motion photogrammetry: Assessing accuracy and precision against traditional ground-based erosion measurements
Enhancing wind erosion monitoring and assessment for U.S. rangelands
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.
Science and Products
Adapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Elevated aeolian sediment transport on the Colorado Plateau, USA: The role of grazing, vehicle disturbance, and increasing aridity
Life history characteristics may be as important as climate projections for defining range shifts: An example for common tree species in the intermountain western US
Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Landsat time series analysis of fractional plant cover changes on abandoned energy development sites
Soil water dynamics at 15 locations distributed across a desert landscape: insights from a 27‐yr dataset
Insights from long-term ungrazed and grazed watersheds in a salt desert Colorado Plateau ecosystem
Identifying optimal remotely-sensed variables for ecosystem monitoring in Colorado Plateau drylands
Functional group, biomass, and climate change effects on ecological drought in semiarid grasslands
Future soil moisture and temperature extremes imply expanding suitability for rainfed agriculture in temperate drylands
Fine-resolution repeat topographic surveying of dryland landscapes using UAS-based structure-from-motion photogrammetry: Assessing accuracy and precision against traditional ground-based erosion measurements
Enhancing wind erosion monitoring and assessment for U.S. rangelands
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.