Daniel D. Richter Jr.

Bio and Research:

Research interests are to apply principles of soil and ecosystem sciences to management problems of forests, soils, and watersheds. Recent research has focused on Ultisols and Inceptisols in the southeastern United States, boreal forest Gelisols in interior Alaska, and a wide range of soils in the humid tropics of Indonesia and Costa Rica. Research centers on biogeochemical change in soil over three time scales: (1) decadal time scales, in which contemporary ecosystems and their management affect on-going physical, chemical, and biological dynamics of soil; (2) centuries time scales, in which a legacy of past land-use practices affect soil properties and processes; and (3) millennial time scales, in which ecosystem processes form soils, especially those with advanced stages of weathering. Three main issues are studied: carbon sequestration, soil-nutrient regeneration, and soil-ecosystem acidification. Teaching focuses on soils and forests with an emphasis on the science and management of soil-plant and soil-water systems. Various teaching methods are used, including lectures, laboratories, field trips, and seminar-discussions.