Dr. Stephen K. Hamilton

Ecosystem Ecologist, Biogeochemist | PhD, University of California at Santa Barbara

Expertise
wetlands, streams, rivers and lakes, agricultural ecology, water quality, tropical rivers, floodplains

845 677-7600 x237

Email Download CV
  • Profile
  • Publications

Stephen Hamilton’s principal research interests involve ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, with particular emphasis on water. He has studied wetlands, streams, lakes, reservoirs, and watersheds, as well as agricultural cropping systems and their effects on water and climate. His research draws on multiple disciplines to understand and mitigate environmental problems and inform environmental protection and conservation.

Hamilton’s research publications include studies of nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas emissions, invasive species, food webs, remote sensing, conservation planning, and hydrology. He has received awards for his engagement with environmental issues from the Michigan Environmental Council and the Society for Freshwater Science, and is a Fellow of that society.

Hamilton has conducted a variety of studies in tropical floodplain and river ecosystems of South America and Australia, and presently works with several research groups in Brazil on hydropower effects on river systems.

Hamilton also works part-time as a Professor at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station. Here, Hamilton has recently served as the Lead Principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research site. He is also a Project Leader in the Department of Energy’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.

Stream denitrification across biomes and its response to anthropogenic nitrate loading
Mulholland, Patrick J., Ashley M. Helton, Geoffrey C. Poole, Robert O. Hall, Stephen K. Hamilton, Bruce J. Peterson, Jennifer L. Tank, et al. 2008. “Stream Denitrification across Biomes and Its Response to Anthropogenic Nitrate Loading”. Nature 452: 202-5. doi:10.1038/nature06686.
Assimilatory uptake rather than nitrification and denitrification determines nitrogen removal patterns in streams of varying land use
Arango, Clay P., J.L. Tank, L. T. Johnson, and Stephen K. Hamilton. 2008. “Assimilatory Uptake Rather Than Nitrification and Denitrification Determines Nitrogen Removal Patterns in Streams of Varying Land Use”. Limnology and Oceanography 53 (6): 2558-72. doi:10.4319/lo.2008.53.6.2558.
Invasive zebra mussels (<i>Dreissena polymorpha</i>) increase cyanobacterial toxin concentrations in low-nutrient lakes
Knoll, Lesley B., Orlando Sarnelle, Stephen K. Hamilton, Carrie E. H. Kissman, Alan E. Wilson, Joan B. Rose, and Mechelle R. Morgan. 2008. “Invasive Zebra Mussels (<i>Dreissena polymorpha< I>) Increase Cyanobacterial Toxin Concentrations in Low-Nutrient Lakes”. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65 (3): 448-55. doi:10.1139/F07-181.
Mineral weathering rates in glacial drift soils (SW Michigan, USA): New constraints from seasonal sampling of waters and gases at soil monoliths
Jin, Lixin, Stephen K. Hamilton, and Lynn M. Walter. 2008. “Mineral Weathering Rates in Glacial Drift Soils (SW Michigan, USA): New Constraints from Seasonal Sampling of Waters and Gases at Soil Monoliths”. Chemical Geology 249 (1-2): 129-54. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2007.12.002.
NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>-driven SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup> production in freshwater ecosystems: Implications for N and S cycling
Burgin, Amy J., and Stephen K. Hamilton. 2008. “NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>-Driven/SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>/Production/in/Freshwater/Ecosystems:/Implications/for/N/and/S/Cycling”. Ecosystems 11 (6): 908-22. doi:10.1007/s10021-008-9169-5.
The production and emission of nitrous oxide from headwater streams in the Midwestern United States
Beaulieu, J. J., Clay P. Arango, Stephen K. Hamilton, and J.L. Tank. 2008. “The Production and Emission of Nitrous Oxide from Headwater Streams in the Midwestern United States”. Global Change Biology 14 (4): 878-94. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01485.x.
Ecosystem services and agriculture: Cultivating agricultural ecosystems for diverse benefits
Swinton, Scott M., Frank Lupi, Philip Robertson, and Stephen K. Hamilton. 2007. “Ecosystem Services and Agriculture: Cultivating Agricultural Ecosystems for Diverse Benefits”. Ecological Economics 64 (2): 245-52. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.09.020.
Evidence for carbon sequestration by agricultural liming
Hamilton, Stephen K., Amanda L. Kurzman, Clay P. Arango, Lixin Jin, and Philip Robertson. 2007. “Evidence for Carbon Sequestration by Agricultural Liming”. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 21 (2). doi:10.1029/2006GB002738.
Freshwater conservation planning in data-poor areas: An example from a remote Amazonian basin (Madre de Dios River, Peru and Bolivia)
Thieme, Michele, Bernhard Lehner, Robin Abell, Stephen K. Hamilton, Josef Kellndorfer, George Powell, and Juan Carlos 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 (4): 484-501. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.10.054.
Have we overemphasized the role of denitrification in aquatic ecosystems? A review of nitrate removal pathways
Burgin, Amy J., and Stephen 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 (2): 89-96. doi:10.1890/1540-9295(2007)5[89:HWOTRO]2.0.CO;2.