Breadcrumb

Bio
I am a broadly trained ecosystem ecologist with interests in plant ecology, biogeochemistry, and global change.
My students and I use a variety of approaches, from large-scale manipulations to laboratory experiments and paleoecological reconstructions, to understand the resilience of communities and ecosystems to environmental change.
We tend to work on a variety of research issues including permafrost degradation and changing wildfire regimes that are important to global change and environmental policy arenas. In both northern Canada and Alaska, my research is moving towards fundamental research questions that also are of interest to stakeholders in the north. Northerners are experiencing the most rapid climate change on the planet, and my research interests are aimed at helping them address what these rapid changes mean for their land, traditional foods and the quality of their water. Landscape changes associated with climate warming also will influence the resilience of power and energy systems in northern regions. For example, permafrost thaw is leading to land subsidence (thermokarst) and affects the ability of subsidence harvesters to travel across their land and access traditional foods. By conducting user-driven research that also addresses fundamental questions in ecology and global change biology, I strive to build knowledge and capacity for northern communities and governments.
Key accomplishments
- Founding member, Permafrost Carbon Network
- Member, Permafrost Action Team (SEARCH)
- Member, National Academies' Polar Research Board
- Steering committee to create the Canadian Permafrost Association
- Senior scientist, Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Program
- Academic liaison to NASA’s Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)
- AAAS Leshner Leadership Institute Science Engagement Fellow
Please visit my lab website (www.turetskylab.com) to see examples of research projects, products (including conference posters) and videos and photos of field sites.
Education
- Mendenhell Fellow: U.S. Geological Survey, 2004
- PhD: University of Alberta, 2002
Awards
Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate, 2020
Research
Ecosystem ecology, wetland ecology, carbon cycling, permafrost science, fire ecology, biogeochemistry
With more than 20 years of experience working in boreal and arctic ecosystems, my work contributes to theoretical predictions of ecosystem structure and function, but it also applies to regulation of carbon in a global change world. I am passionate about northern ecosystems and the people who depend on them. Through research, engagement, and teaching, my primary aim is to train the next generation of scientists in the interdisciplinary skills required to tackle ongoing challenges in the north related to food and water security, energy sustainability, carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, and landscape change.
Please visit my lab website (www.turetskylab.com) to see examples of research projects, products (including conference posters) and videos and photos of field sites.
Publications
For additional publications, see Merritt's Google Scholar list.
Circumpolar assessment of permafrost C quality and its vulnerability over time using long-term incubation data
Publication Date: 2014-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Altered Composition and Microbial versus UV-Mediated Degradation of Dissolved Organic Matter in Boreal Soils Following Wildfire
Publication Date: 2013-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Controls on ecosystem and root respiration across a permafrost and wetland gradient in interior Alaska
Publication Date: 2013-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Modeling the effects of fire severity and climate warming on active layer thickness and soil carbon storage of black spruce forests across the landscape in interior Alaska
Genet H; McGuire AD; Barrett K; Breen A; Euskirchen ES; Johnstone JF; Kasischke ES; Melvin AM; Bennett A; Mack MC...
- Genet H
- McGuire AD
- Barrett K
- Breen A
- Euskirchen ES
- Johnstone JF
- Kasischke ES
- Melvin AM
- Bennett A
- Mack MC
Publication Date: 2013-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Expert assessment of vulnerability of permafrost carbon to climate change
Schuur EAG; Abbott BW; Bowden WB; Brovkin V; Camill P; Canadell JG; Chanton JP; Chapin FS; Christensen TR; Ciais P...
- Schuur EAG
- Abbott BW
- Bowden WB
- Brovkin V
- Camill P
- Canadell JG
- Chanton JP
- Chapin FS
- Christensen TR
- Ciais P
Publication Date: 2013-07-01
Type: Journal Article
The ecohydrology of forested peatlands: Simulating the effects of tree shading on moss evaporation and species composition
Publication Date: 2013-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Response of anaerobic carbon cycling to water table manipulation in an Alaskan rich fen
Publication Date: 2013-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Algal community response to experimental and interannual variation in hydrology in an Alaskan boreal fen
Publication Date: 2013-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Environmental and physical controls on northern terrestrial methane emissions across permafrost zones
Publication Date: 2013-02-01
Type: Journal Article
The response of soil organic carbon of a rich fen peatland in interior Alaska to projected climate change
Publication Date: 2013-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Sources and fate of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon in lakes of a Boreal Plains region recently affected by wildfire
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Type: Journal Article
The resilience and functional role of moss in boreal and arctic ecosystems
Publication Date: 2012-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Bacterial and enchytraeid abundance accelerate soil carbon turnover along a lowland vegetation gradient in interior Alaska
Waldrop MP; Harden JW; Turetsky MR; Petersen DG; McGuire AD; Briones MJI; Churchill AC; Doctor DH; Pruett LE...
- Waldrop MP
- Harden JW
- Turetsky MR
- Petersen DG
- McGuire AD
- Briones MJI
- Churchill AC
- Doctor DH
- Pruett LE
Publication Date: 2012-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Contributions of algae to GPP and DOC production in an Alaskan fen: effects of historical water table manipulations on ecosystem responses to a natural flood
Publication Date: 2012-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Abundance of microbial genes associated with nitrogen cycling as indices of biogeochemical process rates across a vegetation gradient in Alaska
Publication Date: 2012-04-01
Type: Journal Article
Effects of trees on the burning of organic layers on permafrost terrain
Publication Date: 2012-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Effects of soil rewetting and thawing on soil gas fluxes: a review of current literature and suggestions for future research
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Examining the utility of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System in boreal peatlands
Waddington JM; Thompson DK; Wotton M; Quinton WL; Flannigan MD; Benscoter BW; Baisley SA; Turetsky MR...
- Waddington JM
- Thompson DK
- Wotton M
- Quinton WL
- Flannigan MD
- Benscoter BW
- Baisley SA
- Turetsky MR
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Experimental drying intensifies burning and carbon losses in a northern peatland
Publication Date: 2011-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Soil carbon distribution in Alaska in relation to soil-forming factors
Johnson KD; Harden J; McGuire AD; Bliss NB; Bockheim JG; Clark M; Nettleton-Hollingsworth T; Jorgenson MT; Kane ES; Mack...
- Johnson KD
- Harden J
- McGuire AD
- Bliss NB
- Bockheim JG
- Clark M
- Nettleton-Hollingsworth T
- Jorgenson MT
- Kane ES
- Mack M
Publication Date: 2011-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Vulnerability of high-latitude soil organic carbon in North America to disturbance
Grosse G; Harden J; Turetsky M; McGuire AD; Camill P; Tarnocai C; Frolking S; Schuur EAG; Jorgenson T; Marchenko S...
- Grosse G
- Harden J
- Turetsky M
- McGuire AD
- Camill P
- Tarnocai C
- Frolking S
- Schuur EAG
- Jorgenson T
- Marchenko S
Publication Date: 2011-07-28
Type: Journal Article
Model comparisons for estimating carbon emissions from North American wildland fire
French NHF; de Groot WJ; Jenkins LK; Rogers BM; Alvarado E; Amiro B; de Jong B; Goetz S; Hoy E; Hyer E...
- French NHF
- de Groot WJ
- Jenkins LK
- Rogers BM
- Alvarado E
- Amiro B
- de Jong B
- Goetz S
- Hoy E
- Hyer E
Publication Date: 2011-05-25
Type: Journal Article
Conceptual frameworks in peatland ecohydrology: looking beyond the two-layered (acrotelm-catotelm) model
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Interactive effects of vegetation, soil moisture and bulk density on depth of burning of thick organic soils
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Recent acceleration of biomass burning and carbon losses in Alaskan forests and peatlands
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Pages
Teaching
Current students
Alumni
For former students, see a list near the bottom of the Turetsky Lab people page
Outreach
I frequently engage with the media and have even produced my own science segment on live TV! Check out short clips of science communication on our lab website (www.turetskylab.com/media) or https://www.clippings.me/turetsky.
News