Institution: University of New Hampshire
Department: Earth Systems Research Center
8 College Road
Durham, NH
Hubbard Brook Role: Investigator
AlixContosta

Research Interests

Alix Contosta is an ecosystem ecologist who explores fundamental topics in ecology and biogeochemistry within the context of societal grand challenges. Key themes of her research program include changing winters and changing seasonality, declining resilience in natural and human systems, and interactions between land use and climate. Alix uses a combination of field experimentation, environmental sensing, data synthesis to pursue her research agenda.

Hubbard Brook Publications by this Author

Contosta, A. R., Battles, J. J., Campbell, J. L., Driscoll, C. T., Garlick, S. R., Holmes, R. T., Likens, G. E., Rodenhouse, N. L., Rogers, S. H., Templer, P. H., Vadeboncoeur, M. A., & Groffman, P. M. (2023). Early warning signals of changing resilience in the biogeochemistry and biology of a northern hardwood forest. Environmental Research Letters, 18(9), 094052. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf3fe
Creed, I. F., Hewitt, C. M., Casson, N. J., Contosta, A. R., Campbell, J. L., Lutz, D., & Morzillo, A. T. (2023). Coupled human-natural system impacts of a winter weather whiplash event. Ecology and Society, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-14174-280230
Creed, I. F., Hewitt, C. M., Casson, N. J., Contosta, A. R., Campbell, J. L., Lutz, D., & Morzillo, A. T. (2023). Coupled human-natural system impacts of a winter weather whiplash event. Ecology and Society, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-14174-280230
Lawrence, G., Fernandez, I., Bailey, S., Beier, C., Contosta, A., Lane, E., Murdoch, P., Nave, L., Quintana, A., Ross, D., & White, A. (2023). Forming regional soil carbon networks to support effective climate change solutions. Soil Science Society of America Journal, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20551
Burakowski, E. A., Contosta, A. R., Grogan, D., Nelson, S. J., Garlick, S., & Casson, N. (2022). Future of Winter in Northeastern North America: Climate Indicators Portray Warming and Snow Loss that will Impact Ecosystems and Communities. Northeastern Naturalist, 28(Special Issue 11), 180–207. https://eaglehill.us/NENAonline/articles/NENA-28-sp-11/19-Burakowski.shtml
Casson, N. J., Contosta, A. R., Burakowski, E. A., Campbell, J. L., Crandall, M. S., Creed, I. F., Eimers, M. C., Garlick, S., Lutz, D. A., Morison, M. Q., Morzillo, A. T., & Nelson, S. J. (2019). Winter Weather Whiplash: Impacts of Meteorological Events Misaligned With Natural and Human Systems in Seasonally Snow-Covered Regions. Earth’s Future, 7(12), 1434–1450. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EF001224
Contosta, A. R., Casson, N. J., Garlick, S., Nelson, S. J., Ayres, M. P., Burakowski, E. A., Campbell, J., Creed, I., Eimers, C., Evans, C., Fernandez, I., Fuss, C., Huntington, T., Patel, K., Sanders‐DeMott, R., Son, K., Templer, P., & Thornbrugh, C. (2019). Northern forest winters have lost cold, snowy conditions that are important for ecosystems and human communities. Ecological Applications, 29(7), e01974. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1974
Contosta, A. R., Adolph, A., Burchsted, D., Burakowski, E., Green, M., Guerra, D., Albert, M., Dibb, J., Martin, M., McDowell, W. H., Routhier, M., Wake, C., Whitaker, R., & Wollheim, W. (2016). A longer vernal window: the role of winter coldness and snowpack in driving spring transitions and lags. Global Change Biology, n/a-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13517