Stephen Frolking
I am a Research Professor of Earth System Science in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, jointly appointed in the Dept. of Earth Sciences, and Faculty Chair of the interdisciplinary Natural Resources and Earth System Science PhD Program. I earned a B.S./M.S. in Physics from UNH, a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences/Biogeochemistry from UNH, and was a post-doc in NOAA’s Program in Climate and Global Change. My research focus is on the interaction between natural and/or managed terrestrial ecosystems and the climate system, in the context of climate and global change. I have active research in several areas within the broader field of Earth System Science: (1) peatland carbon balance and long-term carbon accumulation, including consequences of land use and permafrost thaw; (2) water resources and sustainability in the 21st century; (3) global land use, including carbon and nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems at regional to global scales; and (4) remote sensing analyses of global urban change. Research tools include ecosystem and hydrological modeling, remote sensing, and data analysis, and generally involve interdisciplinary collaborations.
Courses Taught
- ESCI/NR 796/896/744/844: Top/Biogeochemistry
- NRES 997: Interdisciplinary Research
- NRES 999: Doctoral Research
Selected Publications
Dommain, R., Frolking, S., Jeltsch-Thoemmes, A., Joos, F., Couwenberg, J., & Glaser, P. H. (2018). A radiative forcing analysis of tropical peatlands before and after their conversion to agricultural plantations. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 24(11), 5518-5533. doi:10.1111/gcb.14400
Warren, M., Frolking, S., Dai, Z., & Kurnianto, S. (2017). Impacts of land use, restoration, and climate change on tropical peat carbon stocks in the twenty-first century: implications for climate mitigation. MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES FOR GLOBAL CHANGE, 22(7), 1041-1061. doi:10.1007/s11027-016-9712-1
Heinimann, A., Mertz, O., Frolking, S., Christensen, A. E., Hurni, K., Sedano, F., . . . Hurtt, G. (2017). A global view of shifting cultivation: Recent, current, and future extent. PLOS ONE, 12(9). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184479
Hu, L., Ligang, W., Jianzheng, L., Maofang, G., Jing, Z., Jianfeng, Z., . . . Frolking, S. (2017). The development of China-DNDC and review of its applications for sustaining Chinese agriculture. ECOLOGICAL MODELLING, 348, 1-13. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.01.003
Grogan, D. S., Wisser, D., Prusevich, A., Lammers, R. B., & Frolking, S. (2017). The use and re-use of unsustainable groundwater for irrigation: a global budget. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 12(3). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa5fb2
Zaveri, E., Grogan, D. S., Fisher-Vanden, K., Frolking, S., Lammers, R. B., Wrenn, D. H., . . . Nicholas, R. E. (2016). Invisible water, visible impact: groundwater use and Indian agriculture under climate change. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 11(8). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084005
Gray, J. M., Frolking, S., Kort, E. A., Ray, D. K., Kucharik, C. J., Ramankutty, N., & Friedl, M. A. (2014). Direct human influence on atmospheric CO2 seasonality from increased cropland productivity. NATURE, 515(7527), 398-+. doi:10.1038/nature13957
Frolking, S., Milliman, T., Seto, K. C., & Friedl, M. A. (2013). A global fingerprint of macro-scale changes in urban structure from 1999 to 2009. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 8(2). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/024004
Frolking, S., Roulet, N. T., Tuittila, E., Bubier, J. L., Quillet, A., Talbot, J., & Richard, P. J. H. (2010). A new model of Holocene peatland net primary production, decomposition, water balance, and peat accumulation. EARTH SYSTEM DYNAMICS, 1(1), 1-21. doi:10.5194/esd-1-1-2010
FROLKING, S., & ROULET, N. T. (2007). Holocene radiative forcing impact of northern peatland carbon accumulation and methane emissions. Global Change Biology, 13(5), 1079-1088. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01339.x
Frolking, S., & Roulet, N. T. (2007). Holocene radiative forcing impact of northern peatland carbon accumulation and methane emissions. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 13(5), 1079-1088. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01339.x
Li, C. S., Frolking, S., & Butterbach-Bahl, K. (2005). Carbon sequestration in arable soils is likely to increase nitrous oxide emissions, offsetting reductions in climate radiative forcing. CLIMATIC CHANGE, 72(3), 321-338. doi:10.1007/s10584-005-6791-5
LI, C. S., FROLKING, S., & FROLKING, T. A. (1992). A MODEL OF NITROUS-OXIDE EVOLUTION FROM SOIL DRIVEN BY RAINFALL EVENTS .1. MODEL STRUCTURE AND SENSITIVITY. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES, 97(D9), 9759-9776. doi:10.1029/92JD00509