Thomas Doyle, Ph.D.
Prior to his retirement in 2021, Thomas Doyle's research focused on developing integrated simulation models of plant growth and succession at the leaf, tree, stand and landscape levels.
RESEARCH
Thomas Doyle's models have predicted effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on the structure and function of coastal and floodplain forests. He applied dendroecological techniques of tree-ring analysis for climate reconstruction, disturbance interventions of floods and hurricanes, and forest model validation. Current ecosystem model applications include projected impacts of global climate change, sea-level rise, elevated carbon dioxide, and hurricane impact along with resource management issues of wetland restoration, fire, wastewater pollution, and landscape fragmentation.
Ecosystem analysis and modeling with a special emphasis on tree-ring applications, forest succession, and landscape simulation models, role of natural and anthropogenic disturbance and climate change on forest structure and diversity of coastal ecosystems of the southeastern United States and Caribbean regions.
SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT IMPACT
Doyle's research spans several decades of developing spatial simulation models for temperate and tropical ecosystems from mangroves, tidal freshwater forested wetlands and marshes to floodplain swamp forests, pine flatwoods, and montane eastern deciduous and tropical rain forests. His field and modeling research takes an integrated hierarchical approach to understanding physiological processes at the leaf layer and plant level, to competition and spatial relations of tree canopy and species dynamics at the stand and forest level, and landscape scale exchange of physical forcings of climate, flooding, fire, storms, and management of riverine and coastal systems. His dendrochronology research has shown that hurricane wind and surge evidence is imprinted in the growth record of surviving trees in coastal counties and that tree-ring chronologies from coastal locations are problematic for climate reconstruction for confounding storm influences. His tree-ring collections in riverine floodplains shows that streamflow records are valuable climate proxies for rainfall distribution annually and seasonally, and that different tree species respond to temperature and precipitation to different degrees such that multi-species approach is more comprehensive for climate reconstruction than single species models. His hurricane research and models are based on dozens of post-storm assessments in mangrove and tidal freshwater forests across the southeastern U.S., Caribbean, and Central America. These investigations and tools have shown that hurricane intensity and frequency are important determinants of ecosystem type and structure based on measured species sensitivity to windthrow and surge impact.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Systems Ecology, University of Tennessee, 1983
M.S., Systems Ecology, University of Tennessee, 1980
B.S., Biology, Northeast Louisiana University, 1976
Science and Products
Measuring mercury and other elemental components in tree rings
Measuring mercury and other elemental components in tree rings
Preparing for climate change: The potential consequences of climate variability and change
Integrated assessment of the climate change impacts on the Gulf Coast Region of the United States
Predicting coastal retreat in the Florida Big Bend region of the Gulf Coast under climate change induced sea-level rise
Modeling mangrove forest migration along the southwest coast of Florida under climate change
Impacts of Hurricane Mitch on seagrass beds and associated shallow reef communities along the Carribbean coast of Honduras and Guatemala
Predicting future mangrove forest migration in the Everglades under rising sea level
Effects of hydrology on red mangrove recruits
Water depth tolerances of dominant tree island species: What do we know?
Modeling the bathymetry of Catahoula Lake: Specialized technology for wetland management
History and ecology of mangroves in the Dry Tortugas
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 68
Measuring mercury and other elemental components in tree rings
There has been considerable interest in measuring heavy metal pollution, such as mercury, using tree ring analysis. Since 1970, this method has provided a historical snapshot of pollutant concentrations near hazardous waste sites. Traditional methods of analysis have long been used with heavy metal pollutants such as mercury. These methods, such as atomic fluorescence and laser ablation, are sometAuthorsC. Gillan, W.A. Hollerman, T.W. Doyle, T.E. LewisMeasuring mercury and other elemental components in tree rings
There has been considerable interest in measuring heavy metal pollution, such as mercury, using tree ring analysis. Since 1970, this method has provided a historical snapshot of pollutant concentrations near hazardous waste sites. Traditional methods of analysis have long been used with heavy metal pollutants such as mercury. These methods, such as atomic fluorescence and laser ablation, are sometAuthorsC. Gillan, W.A. Hollerman, T.W. Doyle, T.E. LewisPreparing for climate change: The potential consequences of climate variability and change
Over the past decades, scientific research has greatly advanced the knowledge and understanding of global environmental change. Research supported by the U. S. Global Change Research Programme (USGCRP) and research and assessment results by international organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), and the International GeosAuthorsZhu Ning, R. E. Turner, T.W. Doyle, Kamran Abdollahi, Alma Thornton, Enrique Reyes, D. Justic, E. Swenson, Wael Khairy, Kam-Biu LiuIntegrated assessment of the climate change impacts on the Gulf Coast Region of the United States
No abstract available.AuthorsZhu Ning, R. Eugene Turner, Thomas W. Doyle, Kamran Abdollahi, Alma Thornton, Enrique Reyes, D. Justic, Erick Swenson, Wael Khairy, Kam-Biu LiuPredicting coastal retreat in the Florida Big Bend region of the Gulf Coast under climate change induced sea-level rise
Many wildlife preserves and refuges in coastal areas of our nation are slowly being inundated by rising sea-level. Land elevation and tidal flooding are key factors controlling the extent and zonation of coastal habitats. Warming of our global environment threatens to speed the rate of sea-level rise and perhaps further amplify the detrimental effects of tropical storms, droughts, and lightning fiAuthorsThomas W. Doyle, Richard H. Day, Janelda M. BiagasModeling mangrove forest migration along the southwest coast of Florida under climate change
Mangrove forests dominate in the intertidal zones of the tropical extent of the coast about the Gulf of Mexico, USA. Global climate change forecasts suggest that these coastal forests will be among those ecosystems most immediately threatened by projected increases in sea level and hurricanes. The interactive effects of environmental conditions that prevail in these forests and the changes that arAuthorsThomas W. Doyle, Garrett F. Girod, Mark A. BooksImpacts of Hurricane Mitch on seagrass beds and associated shallow reef communities along the Carribbean coast of Honduras and Guatemala
No abstract available.AuthorsThomas C. Michot, James N. Burch, Alejandro Arrivillaga, Patricia S. Rafferty, Thomas W. Doyle, R. Scott KemmererPredicting future mangrove forest migration in the Everglades under rising sea level
Mangroves are highly productive ecosystems that provide valued habitat for fish and shorebirds. Mangrove forests are universally composed of relatively few tree species and a single overstory strata. Three species of true mangroves are common to intertidal zones of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico Coast, namely, black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), and redAuthorsThomas W. DoyleEffects of hydrology on red mangrove recruits
Coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico have been experiencing significant shifts in hydrology and salinity levels over the past century as a result of changes in sea level and freshwater drainage patterns. Local land management in coastal zones has also impacted the hydrologic regimes of salt marshes and mangrove areas. Parks and refuges in south Florida that contain mangrove forests have, in sAuthorsThomas W. DoyleWater depth tolerances of dominant tree island species: What do we know?
Common woody species growing on tree islands in the Water Conservation Areas of South Florida include redbay, sweetbay, coastal-plain willow, wax myrtle, dahoon holly, cocoplum, pond-apple, red maple, cypress, gumbo-limbo, strangler fig and buttonbush. Very little is known about the flooding tolerance of most of these species. In this paper, we review flooding impact studies, describe the most comAuthorsWilliam H. Conner, Thomas W. Doyle, Daniel MasonModeling the bathymetry of Catahoula Lake: Specialized technology for wetland management
Catahoula Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Louisiana, covering more than 46 square miles (120 km2) (fig. 1). The lake is a principal stopover and wintering site for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Scientists from the USGS National Wetlands Research Center are applying some of the research facility's specialties?wetland plant research, aerial and ground suAuthorsT.W. Doyle, T.C. Michot, C. WellsHistory and ecology of mangroves in the Dry Tortugas
Dry Tortugas National Park, which includes Bush, Long, Loggerhead, Garden, and Bird Keys, is a cluster of islands and coral reefs approximately 112.9 km (70 miles) west of Key West, Florida (fig. 1). These islands were explored in 1513 by Ponce de León, who named them for the abundance of sea turtles, “tortugas,” and the lack of fresh water in the area. Historically, the Tortugas shoals have beenAuthorsT.W. Doyle, T.C. Michot, Richard H. Day, C.J. Wells - Science
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