2008 An Environmental Crossroads

site

people

Global warming clouds our future. Pollution degrades our air, soil and water. Environmental toxins compromise the health of our children. Misuse threatens the sustainability of our forests, fisheries, wetlands and coasts, and the health of species that live there.

But there is reason for hope.

Through sound science and policy research, we're finding answers to these problems. Airborne lead and acid rain have been dramatically reduced. Industrial water pollution has decreased. Habitats are being preserved.

Faculty members from the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University are part of the effort to help find these answers and establish new environmental practices and policies to safeguard our natural resources for generations to come.

To contact our experts or learn more about what we're doing in states across the nation, click on the state you're interested in.

Wetlands
Of South Carolina’s original 6.4 million acres of wetlands, only 4.7 million, or about 73 percent, remain. Preserving these remaining wetlands could yield impressive economic and environmental payoffs: Economists estimate the value of these “swampy wastelands” at about $27.7 billion, much of which comes from their role in supporting health of the state’s fisheries and protecting environmental quality at its coast. More than 120 species of rare plant and animal species are dependent on the wetlands for survival.

James Pahl is an expert on wetland ecology and estuarine plants. He has conducted extensive field studies on restored wetland and riparian ecosystems.
tel:(919) 613-8007 : e: jimpahl@duke.edu

Research focus: Pahl’s general academic interests are the influence of both abiotic and biotic factors on the ecology of wetland and estuarine plant communities and how this information can be applied to natural resource management. He has conducted field studies in the Everglades and North Carolina.

Curt Richardson studies long-term ecosystem response to large-scale distrurbances such as acid rain, toxic materials, trace metals, flooding or nutrient additions. He is director of the Duke University Wetland Center.
tel: (919) 613-8006 : e: curtr@duke.edu

Research focus: Wetland ecology and restoration. Role of wetlands in water quality, environmental health and flood mitigation. Phosphorus biogeochemistry.