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Brian HelmuthSchool of the Environment Ph.D., 1997, University of Washington Room 709 Earth and Water Science |
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Brian HelmuthSchool of the Environment Ph.D., 1997, University of Washington Room 709 Earth and Water Science |
My research explores the effects of climate and climate change on the physiology and ecology of marine organisms. Specifically, I use thermal engineering techniques, including a combination of field work, remote sensing and mathematical modeling, to explore the ways in which the environment determines the body temperatures of coastal marine animals such as mussels and seastars. A major goal of this approach (funded by NASA and NOAA) is to predict where and when the effects of climate change are likely to occur so that we can mitigate these effects, a method of "ecological triage". To date my work has centered primarily on temperate rocky intertidal systems in the United States and Europe, but recent work funded by the NOAA Ecofore Program has expanded to include salt marsh ecosystems throughout the U.S.
Our work has shown some surprising results, and has suggested that our expectations of where to look for the effects of climate change in nature can be more complex than previously anticipated. For example, our research has shown that along the Pacific coast of the U.S., animal temperatures at sites in Oregon and Washington can be as hot or hotter than sites much farther to the south in California, due to the complex interaction of weather and tides in the region. As a result, we should not necessarily expect to see mortality at the southern ends of species range boundaries, but also at these "hot spots." This complexity suggests that unless we know where and when to look for impacts of climate change, many early impacts could go unnoticed.
My students and I also work with local teachers to develop educational materials relevant to national science standards, and to bring the excitement of science to the classroom. We regularly include teachers as part of our research program, and I am actively involved in the South Carolina chapter of the National Marine Educators Association. Moreoever, a major goal of our approach is to make our research relevant to policy makers, resource managers, and the general public at large.
Representative Publications:
Helmuth, B., N. Mieszkowska, P. Moore and S.J. Hawkins. 2006. Living on the edge of two changing worlds: forecasting the responses of rocky intertidal ecosystems to climate change. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 37: 373-404.
Gilman, S., D.S. Wethey and B. Helmuth. 2006. Variation in the sensitivity of organismal body temperature to climate change over local and geographic scales. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 103(25):9560-9565.
Helmuth, B., J.G. Kingsolver and E. Carrington. 2005. Biophysics,
physiological ecology, and climate change: Does mechanism matter?
Ann. Rev. Physiol., 67: 177-201.
Helmuth, B., C.D.G. Harley, P. Halpin, M. O'Donnell, G.E. Hofmann and
C. Blanchette. 2002.
Climate change and latitudinal patterns of intertidal thermal stress.
Science 298:1015-1017.
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