Gabriel G. Katul, Paul M. Gross Distinguished Professor

Gabriel G. Katul

Please note: Gabriel has left the "CNCS: Center for nonlinear and complex systems" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

Gabriel G. Katul received his B.E. degree in 1988 at the American University of Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon), his M.S. degree in 1990 at Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR) and his Ph.D degree in 1993 at the University of California in Davis (Davis, CA).  He currently holds the Theodore S. Coile Professor of Hydrology and Micrometeorology at the Nicholas School of the Environment and at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University (Durham, NC).   He was a visiting fellow at University of Virginia (USA) in 1997, the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organization (Australia) in 2002, the University of Helsinki (Finland) in 2009,  the FulBright-Italy Distinguished Fellow at Politecnico di Torino (Italy) in 2010, the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) in 2013,  Nagoya University (Japan) in 2014, University of Helsinki (Finland) in 2017, the Karlsruher Institute for Technology (Germany) in 2017, and Princeton University (USA) in 2020. He received several honorary awards, including an honorary certificate by La Seccion de Agrofisica de la Sociedad Cubana de Fisica in Habana (in 1998), the Macelwane medal and became thereafter a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (in 2002), the editor’s citation for excellence in refereeing from the American Geophysical Union (in 2008), the Hydrologic Science Award from the American Geophysical Union (in 2012), the John Dalton medal from the European Geosciences Union (in 2018), and the Outstanding Achievements in Biometeorology Award from the American Meteorological Society (in 2021).  Katul was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (in 2023) for his contributions in eco-hydrology and environmental fluid mechanics.  He served as the Secretary General for the Hydrologic Science Section at the American Geophysical Union (2006-2008).  Research in Katul's lab focuses on micro-meteorology and near-surface hydrology with emphasis on heat, momentum, carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone, particulate matter (including aerosols, pollen, and seeds) and water transport in the soil-plant-atmosphere system as well as their implications to a plethora of hydrological, ecological, atmospheric and climate change related problems.

Office Location:  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 121 Hudson Hall, Box 90287, D
Office Phone:  (919) 613-8033
Email Address: send me a message
Web Pages:  https://nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/katul/
https://publons.com/researcher/2893004/gabriel-g-katul/

Teaching (Fall 2024):

Education:

Ph.D.University of California - Davis1993
MSOregon State University1990
BEAmerican University of Beirut, Lebanon1988
Specialties:

hydrology
Hydrology
atmospheric science
Atmospheric Science
terrestrial ecosystems
soil science
Research Interests: Micrometeorology and surface hydrology. Carbon and water cycling. Environmental fluid dynamics.

Keywords:

Acclimatization • Adaptation, Biological • Agriculture • Air • Air Movements • Air Pollutants • Ammonia • Animals • Atmosphere • Beetles • Biodiversity • Biological Evolution • Biological Transport • Biomass • Boundary layer (Meteorology) • Carbon • Carbon Dioxide • Carbon Sequestration • Climate • Climate Change • Computer Simulation • Crops and climate • Demography • Diffusion • Droughts • Ecology • Ecosystem • Environment • Environmental Monitoring • Extinction, Biological • Feedback • Fertility • Fertilizers • Forestry • Gases • Geography • Germination • Greenhouse Effect • Gymnosperms • Host-Parasite Interactions • Humans • Hydrology • Kinetics • Light • Mexico • Micrometeorology • Models, Biological • Models, Statistical • Models, Theoretical • Monte Carlo Method • Movement • Nitrates • Nitrogen • North America • North Carolina • Particle Size • Particulate Matter • Photosynthesis • Pinus • Pinus taeda • Plant Leaves • Plant Physiological Phenomena • Plant Roots • Plant Stomata • Plant Transpiration • Plants • Plants, Genetically Modified • Poaceae • Population Control • Population Dynamics • Population Growth • Reproducibility of Results • Resins, Plant • Rheology • Seasons • Seed Dispersal • Seeds • Shear Strength • Sheep, Bighorn • Soil • Soil moisture • Southeastern United States • Spacecraft • Spectrum Analysis • Statistics, Nonparametric • Surface Properties • Tabebuia • Temperature • Time Factors • Trees • Tropical Climate • Turbulence • United States • Vapor Pressure • Volatilization • Water • Water Supply • Weather • Wind • Xylem • Zea mays

Postdocs Mentored

Representative Publications

  1. Katul, GG; Porporato, A; Nikora, V, Existence of k⁻¹ power-law scaling in the equilibrium regions of wall-bounded turbulence explained by Heisenberg's eddy viscosity., Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics, vol. 86 no. 6 Pt 2 (December, 2012), pp. 066311, ISSN 1539-3755 [23368042], [doi]  [abs]
  2. Cava, D; Katul, GG, On the scaling laws of the velocity-scalar cospectra in the canopy sublayer above tall forests, Boundary Layer Meteorology, vol. 145 no. 2 (May, 2012), pp. 351-367, Springer Nature, ISSN 0006-8314 [doi]  [abs]
  3. Li, D; Katul, GG; Bou-Zeid, E, Mean velocity and temperature profiles in a sheared diabatic turbulent boundary layer, Physics of Fluids, vol. 24 no. 10 (October, 2012), pp. 105105-105105, AIP Publishing, ISSN 1070-6631 [doi]  [abs]
  4. Manes, C; Ridolfi, L; Katul, G, A phenomenological model to describe turbulent friction in permeable-wall flows, Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 39 no. 14 (July, 2012), pp. n/a-n/a, American Geophysical Union (AGU), ISSN 0094-8276 [doi]  [abs]
  5. Katul, GG; Oren, R; Manzoni, S; Higgins, C; Parlange, MB, Evapotranspiration: A process driving mass transport and energy exchange in the soil-plant-atmosphere-climate system, Reviews of Geophysics, vol. 50 no. 3 (September, 2012), American Geophysical Union (AGU), ISSN 8755-1209 [doi]  [abs]
  6. Detto, M; Molini, A; Katul, G; Stoy, P; Palmroth, S; Baldocchi, D, Causality and persistence in ecological systems: a nonparametric spectral granger causality approach., The American Naturalist, vol. 179 no. 4 (April, 2012), pp. 524-535, ISSN 0003-0147 [22437181], [doi]  [abs]
  7. Katul, GG; Konings, AG; Porporato, A, Mean velocity profile in a sheared and thermally stratified atmospheric boundary layer., Phys Rev Lett, vol. 107 no. 26 (December, 2011), pp. 268502 [22243189], [doi]  [abs]