Nature Paper by William Schlesinger is Named One of Environmental Science’s Most Influential Articles

Wednesday, March 23/ DURHAM, N.C. – A Nature article on carbon sequestration by William H. Schlesinger, James B. Duke Professor of Biogeochemistry and dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University, has been named one of the most influential papers in the field of environmental sciences.

According to Essential Science Indicators, an online tracking database of scientific literature, Schlesinger’s article, “Limited Carbon Storage in Soil and Litter of Experimental Forest Plots Under Increased Atmospheric CO₂,” has been cited 81 times since its publication on May 24, 2001.

That places it in the top 1 percent of all peer-reviewed studies in its field.

John Lichter, assistant professor of biology and environmental studies at Bowdoin College co-authored the paper with Schlesinger.

Their article, considered a seminal work in the study of carbon sequestration, was the first to call into question the role of forest soils as long-term carbon sinks. Previously, many scientists and policy makers had believed forest vegetation and soils could play a significant role in removing excess carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.

Schlesinger and Lichter’s three-year study, however, showed that no more carbon accumulated in the soil of experimental forest plots exposed to high concentrations of CO₂ than in control plots – a finding that suggested significant, long-term carbon sequestration by forest soils was unlikely. Their research was conducted at the FACE site in Duke Forest.

In addition to being recognized for the individual paper, Schlesinger is one of three Nicholas School faculty members who recently were named to the list of the world’s most highly cited researchers by the international research database “ISI Highly Cited.”

Others named to the ISI list were Stuart L. Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology, and Robert B. Jackson, professor of environmental sciences and biology. Jackson holds a joint appointment at the Nicholas School and Duke’s Department of Biology.

These recognitions underscore the fact that Nicholas School research is “highly influential and makes a significant impact in environmental and earth sciences,” Schlesinger said. “No other environmental school has the breadth of faculty expertise that you find here.”

For additional information, contact Tim Lucas at the Nicholas School’s Office of Communications, at (919) 613-8084 or tdlucas@duke.edu.