The global nitrogen cycle helps determine plant growth, climate change, and human health. Many of the key unknowns in the global nitrogen cycle can only be addressed with targeted local studies. In this online lecture I will discuss a few of our lab group’s projects in Black Rock that help us understand key pieces of the global nitrogen cycle.
Dr. Duncan Menge is a Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology at Columbia University. After dabbling in chemistry, physics, computer science, and music in high school and early college, he got a B.A. in Earth Systems from Stanford University in 2003, followed by a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University in 2008. He has pursued the mysteries of the natural world ever since. His work focuses on the ecology and biogeochemistry of ecosystems around the world. He has field experience in forests, tundra, grasslands, and rocky shores of New Zealand, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama, New York, Oregon, California, and other places. Along with many members of his lab group and his classes, he has conducted research at Black Rock Forest since 2013. His work has won a number of awards. He is a father, a husband, a son, and a friend.