Stephen K. Hamilton

Professor

Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara, 1994

W. K. Kellogg Biological Station
Office Telephone: 269-671-2231
hamilton@kbs.msu.edu
Research website

Aquatic Ecology & Biogeochemistry

My principal research interests involve ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, with particular attention to aquatic environments and the movement of water through landscapes. I am especially interested in running waters, wetlands and floodplains because they represent an interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that is often biologically diverse and productive. I also like to consider ecosystem processes at the landscape or watershed scale, and I prefer to do research that contributes to our understanding of environmental problems or improves our ability to manage ecosystems.

I believe that to understand how ecosystems work, we frequently need to integrate approaches from varied disciplines such as geology, chemistry, remote sensing, and hydrology as well as ecology. Therefore I encourage multidisciplinary investigations that seek to improve our understanding of ecosystems and environmental problems. Stable isotopes are one of my favorite tools for ecological investigations.

I am presently devoting much of my time to the study of various aspects of aquatic ecosystems in southern Michigan, including wetlands, streams, lakes, and watersheds. I also work on tropical ecosystems in South America and dryland river ecosystems in Australia.

Representative Publications

Hamilton, S.K., J. Kellndorfer, B. Lehner, and M. Tobler. 2007. Remote sensing of floodplain geomorphology as a surrogate for habitat diversity in a tropical river system (Madre de Dios, Peru). Geomorphology (in press).

Hamilton, S.K., A.L. Kurzman, C. Arango, L. Jin, and G.P. Robertson. 2007. Evidence for carbon sequestration by agricultural liming. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 21, GB2021, doi:10.1029/2006GB002738.

Burgin, A.J. and S.K. Hamilton. 2007. Have we overemphasized the role of denitrification in aquatic ecosystems? A review of nitrate removal pathways. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5: 89-96.

Thieme, M., B. Lehner, R. Abell, S.K. Hamilton, J. Kellndorfer, G. Powell, and J.C. Riveros. 2007. Freshwater conservation planning in data-poor areas: An example from a remote Amazonian basin (Madre de Dios River, Peru and Bolivia). Biological Conservation 135: 500-517.

Whitmire, S. L., and S. K. Hamilton. 2005. Rapid removal of nitrate and sulfate by freshwater wetland sediments. Journal of Environmental Quality 34: 2062-2071.

Hamilton, S. K., and P. Gehrke. 2005. Australia's tropical river systems: Current scientific understanding and critical knowledge gaps for sustainable management. Marine and Freshwater Research 56: 243-252.

Hamilton, S.K., S.E. Bunn, M. Thoms, and J.C. Marshall. 2005. Persistence of aquatic refugia between flow pulses in a dryland river system (Cooper Creek, Australia). Limnology and Oceanography 50: 743-754.

Hamilton, S.K., S.J. Sippel, and S.E. Bunn. 2005. Separation of algae from detritus for stable isotope or ecological stoichiometry studies using density fractionation in colloidal silica. Limnology and Oceanography Methods 3: 149-157.

Sarnelle, O., A.E. Wilson, S.K. Hamilton, L.B. Knoll, and D.F. Raikow. 2005. Complex interactions between the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, and the harmful phytoplankter, Microcystis aeruginosa. Limnology and Oceanography 50: 896-904.