Seth Munson, Ph.D.
Seth Munson is a plant and ecosystem ecologist with the Southwest Biological Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. His research focuses on how dryland ecosystems respond to drought, wildfire, invasive species, and land-use to assist land management decision-making.
Much of Dr. Munson's research aims to understand the dynamics of dryland ecosystems at long temporal and broad spatial scales, and employs a multidisciplinary approach. His work seeks to improve the management of arid and semi-arid lands, including mitigating the impacts of disturbances and determining effective ecological restoration strategies to promote productive ecosystems.
Check the Science Tab Below for a List of Current Research Projects.
Research Interests: Plant Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology, Dryland Ecology, Restoration Ecology, Soil Erosion
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ
Adjunct Faculty, Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, Flagstaff, AZ
Adjunct Faculty, Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ
Jan 2011 - Dec 2013: Research Ecologist (Mendenhall Fellow), US Geological Survey, Geology and Environmental Change Science Center, Denver, CO
Dec 2008 - Jan 2011: Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Canyonlands Research Station, Moab, Utah
May 2004 - Nov 2008; Research Assistant, Colorado State University, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Fort Collins, CO
Sep 2002 – May 2004; Research Associate, University of New Mexico, Biology Department, Albuquerque, NM
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, May 2009
B.A. Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, May 2001
Science and Products
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Remote sensing of Sonoran Desert vegetation structure and phenology with ground-based LiDAR Remote sensing of Sonoran Desert vegetation structure and phenology with ground-based LiDAR
Long-term vegetation monitoring efforts have become increasingly important for understanding ecosystem response to global change. Many traditional methods for monitoring can be infrequent and limited in scope. Ground-based LiDAR is one remote sensing method that offers a clear advancement to monitor vegetation dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolution. We determined the...
Authors
Joel Sankey, Seth Munson, Robert H. Webb, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Cesar Duran
Climate change and plant community composition in national parks of the southwestern US: forecasting regional, long-term effects to meet management needs Climate change and plant community composition in national parks of the southwestern US: forecasting regional, long-term effects to meet management needs
The National Park Service (NPS) faces tremendous management challenges in the future as climates alter the abundance and distribution of plant species. These challenges will be especially daunting in the southwestern U.S., where large increases in aridity are forecasted. The expected reduction in water availability will negatively affect plant growth and may result in shifts of plant...
Authors
Seth Munson, Jayne Belnap, Robert H. Webb, J. Hubbard, M. Hildegard Reiser, Kirsten Gallo
Controls of vegetation structure and net primary production in restored grasslands Controls of vegetation structure and net primary production in restored grasslands
1. Vegetation structure and net primary production (NPP) are fundamental properties of ecosystems. Understanding how restoration practices following disturbance interact with environmental factors to control these properties can provide insight on how ecosystems recover and guide management efforts. 2. We assessed the relative contribution of environmental and restoration factors in...
Authors
Seth Munson, William Lauenroth
Controls on sediment production in two U.S. deserts Controls on sediment production in two U.S. deserts
Much of the world’s airborne sediment originates from dryland regions. Soil surface disturbances in these regions are ever-increasing due to human activities such as energy and mineral exploration and development, recreation, suburbanization, livestock grazing and cropping. Sediment production can have significant impacts to human health with particles potentially carrying viruses such...
Authors
Jayne Belnap, Beau Walker, Seth Munson, Richard Gill
The role of dust storms in total atmospheric particle concentrations at two sites in the western U.S. The role of dust storms in total atmospheric particle concentrations at two sites in the western U.S.
Mineral aerosols are produced during the erosion of soils by wind and are a common source of particles (dust) in arid and semiarid regions. The size of these particles varies widely from less than 2 µm to larger particles that can exceed 50 µm in diameter. In this study, we present two continuous records of total suspended particle (TSP) concentrations at sites in Mesa Verde and...
Authors
Jason Neff, Richard L. Reynolds, Seth Munson, Daniel Fernandez, Jayne Belnap
Plant responses, climate pivot points, and trade-offs in water-limited ecosystems Plant responses, climate pivot points, and trade-offs in water-limited ecosystems
Plant species in dryland ecosystems are limited by water availability and may be vulnerable to increases in aridity. Methods are needed to monitor and assess the rate of change in plant abundance and composition in relation to climate, understand the potential for degradation in dryland ecosystems, and forecast future changes in plant species assemblages. I employ nearly a century of...
Authors
Seth Munson
Regional signatures of plant response to drought and elevated temperature across a desert ecosystem Regional signatures of plant response to drought and elevated temperature across a desert ecosystem
The performance of many desert plant species in North America may decline with the warmer and drier conditions predicted by climate change models, thereby accelerating land degradation and reducing ecosystem productivity. We paired repeat measurements of plant canopy cover with climate at multiple sites across the Chihuahuan Desert over the last century to determine which plant species...
Authors
Seth Munson, Esteban Muldavin, Jayne Belnap, Debra Peters, John Anderson, M. Reiser, Kirsten Gallo, Alicia Melgoza-Castillo, Jeffrey Herrick, Tim Christiansen
Employing lidar to detail vegetation canopy architecture for prediction of aeolian transport Employing lidar to detail vegetation canopy architecture for prediction of aeolian transport
The diverse and fundamental effects that aeolian processes have on the biosphere and geosphere are commonly generated by horizontal sediment transport at the land surface. However, predicting horizontal sediment transport depends on vegetation architecture, which is difficult to quantify in a rapid but accurate manner. We demonstrate an approach to measure vegetation canopy architecture...
Authors
Joel Sankey, Darin J. Law, David Breshears, Seth Munson, Robert H. Webb
Forecasting climate change impacts to plant community composition in the Sonoran Desert region Forecasting climate change impacts to plant community composition in the Sonoran Desert region
Hotter and drier conditions projected for the southwestern United States can have a large impact on the abundance and composition of long-lived desert plant species. We used long-term vegetation monitoring results from 39 large plots across four protected sites in the Sonoran Desert region to determine how plant species have responded to past climate variability. This cross-site analysis
Authors
Seth Munson, Robert H. Webb, Jayne Belnap, J. Hubbard, Don Swann, Sue Rutman
Aeolian and fluvial processes in dryland regions: The need for integrated studies Aeolian and fluvial processes in dryland regions: The need for integrated studies
Aeolian and fluvial processes play a fundamental role in dryland regions of the world and have important environmental and ecological consequences from local to global scales. Although both processes operate over similar spatial and temporal scales and are likely strongly coupled in many dryland systems, aeolian and fluvial processes have traditionally been studied separately, making it...
Authors
Jayne Belnap, Seth Munson, Jason P. Field
On the brink of change: Plant responses to climate on the Colorado Plateau On the brink of change: Plant responses to climate on the Colorado Plateau
The intensification of aridity due to anthropogenic climate change in the southwestern U.S. is likely to have a large impact on the growth and survival of plant species that may already be vulnerable to water stress. To make accurate predictions of plant responses to climate change, it is essential to determine the long‐term dynamics of plant species associated with past climate...
Authors
Seth Munson, Jayne Belnap, Charles Schelz, Mary Moran, Tara Carolin
Responses of wind erosion to climate-induced vegetation changes on the Colorado Plateau Responses of wind erosion to climate-induced vegetation changes on the Colorado Plateau
Projected increases in aridity throughout the southwestern United States due to anthropogenic climate change will likely cause reductions in perennial vegetation cover, which leaves soil surfaces exposed to erosion. Accelerated rates of dust emission from wind erosion have large implications for ecosystems and human well-being, yet there is poor understanding of the sources and magnitude...
Authors
Seth Munson, Jayne Belnap, Gregory Okin
Non-USGS Publications**
Bontti, E.E., J.P. DeCant, S.M. Munson, M.A. Gathany, A. Przeszlowska, M.L. Haddix, S. Owens, I.C. Burke, W.J. Parton, and M.E. Harmon. 2009. Litter decomposition in grasslands of Central North America (US Great Plains). Global Change Biology 15: 1356–1363.
Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2009. Plant population and community responses to removal of the dominant species in the shortgrass steppe. Journal of Vegetation Science 20: 224–232.
Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2012. Plant community recovery following restoration in semiarid grasslands. Restoration Ecology 20: 656–663.
Munson, S.M., W.K. Lauenroth, and I.C. Burke. 2012. Soil carbon and nitrogen recovery on semiarid Conservation Reserve Program lands. Journal of Arid Environments 79: 25–31
Munson, S.M. 2013. Plant responses, climate pivot points, and tradeoffs in water-limited ecosystems. Ecosphere 4: 109.
Li, J., G.S. Okin, J.E. Herrick, J. Belnap, S.M. Munson, and M.E. Miller. 2010. A simple method to estimate threshold friction velocity of wind erosion in the field. Geophysical Research Letters 37: L10402.
**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.
Filter Total Items: 20
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 18
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No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 123
Remote sensing of Sonoran Desert vegetation structure and phenology with ground-based LiDAR Remote sensing of Sonoran Desert vegetation structure and phenology with ground-based LiDAR
Long-term vegetation monitoring efforts have become increasingly important for understanding ecosystem response to global change. Many traditional methods for monitoring can be infrequent and limited in scope. Ground-based LiDAR is one remote sensing method that offers a clear advancement to monitor vegetation dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolution. We determined the...
Authors
Joel Sankey, Seth Munson, Robert H. Webb, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Cesar Duran
Climate change and plant community composition in national parks of the southwestern US: forecasting regional, long-term effects to meet management needs Climate change and plant community composition in national parks of the southwestern US: forecasting regional, long-term effects to meet management needs
The National Park Service (NPS) faces tremendous management challenges in the future as climates alter the abundance and distribution of plant species. These challenges will be especially daunting in the southwestern U.S., where large increases in aridity are forecasted. The expected reduction in water availability will negatively affect plant growth and may result in shifts of plant...
Authors
Seth Munson, Jayne Belnap, Robert H. Webb, J. Hubbard, M. Hildegard Reiser, Kirsten Gallo
Controls of vegetation structure and net primary production in restored grasslands Controls of vegetation structure and net primary production in restored grasslands
1. Vegetation structure and net primary production (NPP) are fundamental properties of ecosystems. Understanding how restoration practices following disturbance interact with environmental factors to control these properties can provide insight on how ecosystems recover and guide management efforts. 2. We assessed the relative contribution of environmental and restoration factors in...
Authors
Seth Munson, William Lauenroth
Controls on sediment production in two U.S. deserts Controls on sediment production in two U.S. deserts
Much of the world’s airborne sediment originates from dryland regions. Soil surface disturbances in these regions are ever-increasing due to human activities such as energy and mineral exploration and development, recreation, suburbanization, livestock grazing and cropping. Sediment production can have significant impacts to human health with particles potentially carrying viruses such...
Authors
Jayne Belnap, Beau Walker, Seth Munson, Richard Gill
The role of dust storms in total atmospheric particle concentrations at two sites in the western U.S. The role of dust storms in total atmospheric particle concentrations at two sites in the western U.S.
Mineral aerosols are produced during the erosion of soils by wind and are a common source of particles (dust) in arid and semiarid regions. The size of these particles varies widely from less than 2 µm to larger particles that can exceed 50 µm in diameter. In this study, we present two continuous records of total suspended particle (TSP) concentrations at sites in Mesa Verde and...
Authors
Jason Neff, Richard L. Reynolds, Seth Munson, Daniel Fernandez, Jayne Belnap
Plant responses, climate pivot points, and trade-offs in water-limited ecosystems Plant responses, climate pivot points, and trade-offs in water-limited ecosystems
Plant species in dryland ecosystems are limited by water availability and may be vulnerable to increases in aridity. Methods are needed to monitor and assess the rate of change in plant abundance and composition in relation to climate, understand the potential for degradation in dryland ecosystems, and forecast future changes in plant species assemblages. I employ nearly a century of...
Authors
Seth Munson
Regional signatures of plant response to drought and elevated temperature across a desert ecosystem Regional signatures of plant response to drought and elevated temperature across a desert ecosystem
The performance of many desert plant species in North America may decline with the warmer and drier conditions predicted by climate change models, thereby accelerating land degradation and reducing ecosystem productivity. We paired repeat measurements of plant canopy cover with climate at multiple sites across the Chihuahuan Desert over the last century to determine which plant species...
Authors
Seth Munson, Esteban Muldavin, Jayne Belnap, Debra Peters, John Anderson, M. Reiser, Kirsten Gallo, Alicia Melgoza-Castillo, Jeffrey Herrick, Tim Christiansen
Employing lidar to detail vegetation canopy architecture for prediction of aeolian transport Employing lidar to detail vegetation canopy architecture for prediction of aeolian transport
The diverse and fundamental effects that aeolian processes have on the biosphere and geosphere are commonly generated by horizontal sediment transport at the land surface. However, predicting horizontal sediment transport depends on vegetation architecture, which is difficult to quantify in a rapid but accurate manner. We demonstrate an approach to measure vegetation canopy architecture...
Authors
Joel Sankey, Darin J. Law, David Breshears, Seth Munson, Robert H. Webb
Forecasting climate change impacts to plant community composition in the Sonoran Desert region Forecasting climate change impacts to plant community composition in the Sonoran Desert region
Hotter and drier conditions projected for the southwestern United States can have a large impact on the abundance and composition of long-lived desert plant species. We used long-term vegetation monitoring results from 39 large plots across four protected sites in the Sonoran Desert region to determine how plant species have responded to past climate variability. This cross-site analysis
Authors
Seth Munson, Robert H. Webb, Jayne Belnap, J. Hubbard, Don Swann, Sue Rutman
Aeolian and fluvial processes in dryland regions: The need for integrated studies Aeolian and fluvial processes in dryland regions: The need for integrated studies
Aeolian and fluvial processes play a fundamental role in dryland regions of the world and have important environmental and ecological consequences from local to global scales. Although both processes operate over similar spatial and temporal scales and are likely strongly coupled in many dryland systems, aeolian and fluvial processes have traditionally been studied separately, making it...
Authors
Jayne Belnap, Seth Munson, Jason P. Field
On the brink of change: Plant responses to climate on the Colorado Plateau On the brink of change: Plant responses to climate on the Colorado Plateau
The intensification of aridity due to anthropogenic climate change in the southwestern U.S. is likely to have a large impact on the growth and survival of plant species that may already be vulnerable to water stress. To make accurate predictions of plant responses to climate change, it is essential to determine the long‐term dynamics of plant species associated with past climate...
Authors
Seth Munson, Jayne Belnap, Charles Schelz, Mary Moran, Tara Carolin
Responses of wind erosion to climate-induced vegetation changes on the Colorado Plateau Responses of wind erosion to climate-induced vegetation changes on the Colorado Plateau
Projected increases in aridity throughout the southwestern United States due to anthropogenic climate change will likely cause reductions in perennial vegetation cover, which leaves soil surfaces exposed to erosion. Accelerated rates of dust emission from wind erosion have large implications for ecosystems and human well-being, yet there is poor understanding of the sources and magnitude...
Authors
Seth Munson, Jayne Belnap, Gregory Okin
Non-USGS Publications**
Bontti, E.E., J.P. DeCant, S.M. Munson, M.A. Gathany, A. Przeszlowska, M.L. Haddix, S. Owens, I.C. Burke, W.J. Parton, and M.E. Harmon. 2009. Litter decomposition in grasslands of Central North America (US Great Plains). Global Change Biology 15: 1356–1363.
Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2009. Plant population and community responses to removal of the dominant species in the shortgrass steppe. Journal of Vegetation Science 20: 224–232.
Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2012. Plant community recovery following restoration in semiarid grasslands. Restoration Ecology 20: 656–663.
Munson, S.M., W.K. Lauenroth, and I.C. Burke. 2012. Soil carbon and nitrogen recovery on semiarid Conservation Reserve Program lands. Journal of Arid Environments 79: 25–31
Munson, S.M. 2013. Plant responses, climate pivot points, and tradeoffs in water-limited ecosystems. Ecosphere 4: 109.
Li, J., G.S. Okin, J.E. Herrick, J. Belnap, S.M. Munson, and M.E. Miller. 2010. A simple method to estimate threshold friction velocity of wind erosion in the field. Geophysical Research Letters 37: L10402.
**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.
Filter Total Items: 20