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.

Temporal and spatial variation in ecosystem metabolism and food web carbon transfer in a wet-dry tropical river
Hunt, Richard J., Timothy D. Jardine, Stephen K. Hamilton, and Stuart E. Bunn. 2011. “Temporal and Spatial Variation in Ecosystem Metabolism and Food Web Carbon Transfer in a Wet-Dry Tropical River”. Freshwater Biology 57 (3): 435-50. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02708.x.
Abiotic factors controlling the establishment and abundance of the invasive golden mussel <i>Limnoperna fortunei</i>
Oliveira, Marcia D., Debora F. Calheiros, Claudia M. Jacobi, and Stephen K. Hamilton. 2011. “Abiotic Factors Controlling the Establishment and Abundance of the Invasive Golden Mussel <i>Limnoperna fortunei< I&gt”;. Biological Invasions 13 (3): 717-29. doi:10.1007/s10530-010-9862-0.
Thinking outside the channel: modeling nitrogen cycling in networked river ecosystems
Helton, Ashley M., Geoffrey C. Poole, Judy L. Meyer, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Bruce J. Peterson, Patrick J. Mulholland, Emily S. Bernhardt, et al. 2011. “Thinking Outside the Channel: Modeling Nitrogen Cycling in Networked River Ecosystems”. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9 (4): 229-38. doi:10.1890/080211.
Beyond carbon and nitrogen: how the microbial energy economy couples elemental cycles in diverse ecosystems
Burgin, Amy J., Wendy H. Yang, Stephen K. Hamilton, and Whendee L. Silver. 2011. “Beyond Carbon and Nitrogen: How the Microbial Energy Economy Couples Elemental Cycles in Diverse Ecosystems”. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9 (1): 44-52. doi:10.1890/090227.
Water and energy footprints of bioenergy crop production on marginal lands
Bhardwaj, A. K., T. Zenone, P. Jasrotia, G. P. Robertson, J. Chen, and Stephen K. Hamilton. 2011. “Water and Energy Footprints of Bioenergy Crop Production on Marginal Lands”. Global Change Biology - Bioenergy 3 (3): 208-22. doi:10.1111/j.1757-1707.2010.01074.x.
Biogeochemical implications of climate change for tropical rivers and floodplains
Hamilton, Stephen K. 2010. “Biogeochemical Implications of Climate Change for Tropical Rivers and Floodplains”. Hydrobiologia 657 (1): 19-35. doi:10.1007/s10750-009-0086-1.
Forecasting the expansion of the invasive golden mussel <i>Limnoperna fortunei</i> in Brazilian and North American rivers based on its occurrence in the Paraguay River and Pantanal wetland of Brazil
Oliveira, Marcia D., Stephen K. Hamilton, and Claudia M. Jacobi. 2010. “Forecasting the Expansion of the Invasive Golden Mussel <i>Limnoperna fortunei< i> In Brazilian and North American Rivers Based on Its Occurrence in the Paraguay River and Pantanal Wetland of Brazil”. Aquatic Invasions 5 (1): 59-73. doi:10.3391/ai.2010.5.1.8.
Modeling the potential distribution of the invasive golden mussel <i>Limnoperna fortunei</i> in the Upper Paraguay River system using limnological variables
Oliveira, M. D., Stephen K. Hamilton, D. F. Calheiros, C. M. Jacobi, and R. O. Latini. 2010. “Modeling the Potential Distribution of the Invasive Golden Mussel <i>Limnoperna fortunei< i> In the Upper Paraguay River System Using Limnological Variables”. Brazilian Journal of Biology 70 (3): 831-40. doi:10.1590/S1519-69842010000400014.
Oxygen depletion events control the invasive golden mussel (<i>Limnoperna fortunei</i>) in a tropical floodplain
Oliveira, Marcia D., Stephen K. Hamilton, Debora F. Calheiros, and Claudia M. Jacobi. 2010. “Oxygen Depletion Events Control the Invasive Golden Mussel (<i>Limnoperna fortunei< I>) in a Tropical Floodplain”. Wetlands 30 (4): 705-16. doi:10.1007/s13157-010-0081-3.
Small-scale spatial variation of inundation dynamics in a floodplain of the Pantanal (Brazil)
Girard, Pierre, Ibraim Fantin-Cruz, Simoni M. Loverde de Oliveira, and Stephen K. Hamilton. 2010. “Small-Scale Spatial Variation of Inundation Dynamics in a Floodplain of the Pantanal (Brazil)”. Hydrobiologia 638 (1): 223-33. doi:10.1007/s10750-009-0046-9.