Kenneth Dunton
Principle Investigator
Ken Dunton is a biological oceanographer whose research is focused on estuarine, coastal, and shelf processes. His continuous studies of the Arctic coastal ecosystem have spanned over four decades and over 3000 research dives. He first worked on the Beaufort Sea coast in 1977 as a graduate student and then dove in the Antarctic in 1989 and in 1996 - 1997 with a focus on benthic algal populations and trophic ecology. Ken is an avid swimmer, having swam competitively at the University of Maine (200 m butterfly). He loves to fly his Cessna-182RG, having earned his pilot’s license in 1980 in Washinton. Ken loves working with kids, having initiated and directed multiple K-12 programs from south Texas to Arctic Alaska. He obtained his B.S. in Biology from the University of Maine, his M.S. from Western Washington, and his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Ken is currently a professor in Marine Science at The University of Texas at Austin.
Research Focus
Coastal Ecosystem Processes:
Coastal marine systems, from tropical to polar latitudes, play critical roles in the global cycling of carbon, habitats for commercially important species of fish and shellfish, and as a hydrological link between terrestrial and oceanic environments. Research in Dunton’s Lab evaluates aspects of ecosystem resilience, in particular how changes in regional climate are redefining plant species composition, carbon storage, and benthic community structure. A strong research focus is how the transfer of carbon to the benthos affects the food web structure of our lagoons, bays, and estuaries. We use stable isotopic signatures to identify the major sources of organic carbon that are assimilated by consumers and look for patterns of dependence across broad geospatial scales.
Aquatic Plant Physiological Ecology:
Aquatic plants, including seaweeds (especially kelp), seagrasses, and emergent vascular plants all make major contributions to ecosystem productivity. Environmental factors (e.g. light, temperature, inorganic-C) ultimately play a significant role in regulating rates of carbon fixation, carbon storage, and ultimately, plant biomass. Our lab is particularly interested in the light and nutrient requirements for photosynthesis and growth and how environmental stressors regulate the overall productivity and distribution of these foundation species.
Current funded projects include:
In the Arctic, (1) studies that examine the linkages between watersheds and shelf ecosystems of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea to specifically address whether terrestrial subsidies of carbon from run-off and erosion are incorporated into Arctic lagoon and coastal food webs (see https://ble.lternet.edu, (2) the benthic community structure and trophic energetics of the Chukchi Sea ecosystem (see: http://arcticstudies.org/index.html and (3) the biology of an isolated Arctic kelp community in the Beaufort Sea (see: http://arcticstudies.org/boulderpatch/
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In the Gulf of Mexico, (1) a coast-wide seagrass monitoring program in Texas(see www.texasseagrass.org), (2) the development of indicators of seagrass condition and ecosystem function based on plant and water quality indices, and (3) the effect of drought and freshwater inflows on the production ecology of a subtropical estuarine marsh and mangrove systems based on measurements of in situ photosynthesis and respiration of emergent vascular plants.
Research Areas
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Oceans and Freshwater
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Biodiversity, Ecology or Sustainability
Fields of Interest
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Marine Botany
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Nutrient Cycling
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Coastal Ecosystem Processes
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Marine Ecosystem Dynamics
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Marine Population Dynamics
Education
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Ph.D., University of Alaska (1985)
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M.S., Western Washington University (1977)
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B.S., University of Maine-Orono (1975)
Awards
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2016 Ramón Margalef Award for Excellence in Education, Association for the Sciences in Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)
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2015 President’s Award for Conservation and Environmental Stewardship, Coastal Bend Bays Foundation
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2013 Director’s Excellence Award, USF&WS, Alaska Region 7.
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2012 Outreach Award, College of Natural Sciences, UT-Austin
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2011 Department of the Interior Appointee: Bureau at Ocean Management, OCS Scientific Committee
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2009 National Honor Society, Induction Ceremony Speaker, Port Aransas High School
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2008 Department of the Interior Appointee: Minerals Management Service, OCS Scientific Committee
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2007 Commencement Speaker, Port Aransas High School
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2005 Teaching Excellence Award, College of Natural Sciences, UT-Austin
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2003 Outreach Award, College of Natural Sciences, UT-Austin
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2000 Teaching Excellence Award, College of Natural Sciences, UT-Austin
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1999 Antarctica Service Medal of the United States of America, National Science Foundation
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1996 Station Leader, Palmer Station, NSF (OPP), Antarctica
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1996 Jerry McDonald Good Citizen Award, Port Aransas
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1990 Antarctic Service Medal of the United States of America
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1990 National Academy of Sciences, Exchange Scientist, Soviet Union
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1985 National Academy of Sciences, Exchange Scientist, Soviet Union
Meet the Rest of the Team
Welcome to our lab, where collaboration is key! Our talented team is made up of dedicated technicians, graduate students, and support staff, all working together to push the boundaries of research.
Research Fellow
Susan Schonberg
Susan made her first of many field collection trips to the Beaufort Sea, Alaska in 1978
as a newly minted marine science graduate from Western Washington University. After
a move to Fairbanks, Alaska in 1980 she worked in an invertebrate taxonomy lab at the
University of Alaska working up samples collected after the disastrous Valdez Oil Spill in
Prince William Sound. Other projects followed that encompassed studies from the
Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. In 1986 Susan moved to Port Aransas and joined
the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. She continued to work in the Alaskan
seas collecting samples from various research vessels including 6-week cruises on the
USCG ice breaker, Healy. Benthic grabs and pelagic nets were deployed to collect
samples for isotopic analyses to elucidate food web structure and additional grabs were
collected for benthic community structure studies. In addition to the Alaska projects, she
employed GIS to quantitatively assess prop scars in South Texas seagrass beds and
produce maps of Nueces marsh vegetation. In 1990 she completed an M.S. in computer
science at Texas A&M University and to increase her proficiency in ArcGIS mapping,
and modeling, nonparametric statistics, and database management. She continues to
provide her taxonomic expertise to identify and enumerate the benthic fauna collected in
grab samples for the BLE LTER project.
Research Engineering/ Scientist Assistant
Lisa Young
Lisa is the Research Scientist Assistant for the Dunton Coastal Ecology Lab. Helping to manage the team with various lab processes, leading various field work projects, and assisting graduate students with their research. Her work involves seagrass surveys along the south Texas coast and local salt marsh vegetation surveys in the Nueces Delta to determine the ecosystem response to climate change. She also brings her passion of Marine Science to the local K-12 outreach program in Port Aransas to show the importance of our marine ecosystem, and how it impacts daily lives. During her past time, Lisa enjoys traveling, fishing, camping, and hiking with her husband, and serving at her local church.
Research Engineering/ Scientist Associate I
Kaylie Plumb
Kaylie is a Research Associate working in support of the Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystem LTER. The interdisciplinary project links biology, chemistry, physics, and ecology to build a more complete picture of the functioning of Arctic lagoons along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea Coast. In addition to supporting the project’s core program, she is heavily involved with k-12 schoolyard programs and other community engagement practices in villages near the field stations.
Graduate Research Fellow
Berit Batterton
Berit is a 5th year PhD candidate from Baltimore, MD. Her research utilizes an interdisciplinary approach, combining ecophysiology, biogeochemistry, and GIS techniques, to track vegetation and ecosystem resilience in Texas coastal wetlands. She mainly focuses on the effects of regional climate change on salt marsh community composition, primary production, and carbon sequestration capacity. Outside of the marsh, Berit is passionate about STEM education and mentoring, university-community partnerships, and open science.
For a list of Berit’s Publications and Reports see her Publication Page.
Laboratory Research Assistant I
Courtney Bass
Courtney is a research assistant in the Dunton Lab, where she focuses on marsh plant ecology and coastal ecosystem dynamics. Originally from Georgia, she has come to Texas to join the lab. Her work contributes to projects on wetland habitats along the Texas coast, while looking at plant communities and their ecological roles.
Graduate Research Assistant/ Laboratory Research Assistant 1
Anastasia Canu
Anastasia is currently a Laboratory Technician for the Dunton Lab as well as a first-year master's Student at TAMUCC with Co-Advising done by Dr. Dunton. Her work focuses on seagrass habitats health along the Texas coast. As a student, Anastasia is looking at the long-term seagrass health in highly industrialized areas. As a technician, she is working on long term projects like the Tier 2 Texas Seagrass Monitoring Program and shorter-term projects like the Triangle Tree Rookery Island Restoration Project with CBBEP.
Laboratory Research Assistant I
Daniel Fraser
​Danny earned a BS in Marine Science from UT Austin and a master’s from UTMSI. His research spans from the Arctic to the Texas coast, including work with the Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystem LTER and The Boulder Patch, an Arctic kelp bed study. Danny is also involved in ecotoxicology research within the Nielsen Lab at UTMSI, investigating PFAS contamination in South Texas coastal lagoons and heavy metal pollution in South Central Alaska. Outside of research, he enjoys bike rides, playing video games, and playing guitar.
Graduate Research Assistant
Mathea Kurtz-Shaw
Mathea is a second-year Master's student in the Dunton Lab at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. Her research examines the impacts of seasonality on benthic lagoon ecology as part of Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research (BLE LTER) program. She is using stable isotope techniques to develop DIC and microphytobenthos isoscapes along the Alaskan Arctic coast.
To learn more about Mathea, take a look at these resources:
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Laboratory Research Assistant 1
Madeline Shepard
Madeline graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Marine Science and is currently exploring pursuing a master’s or doctorate. In the meantime, she is thoroughly enjoying field work in the marsh and the island lifestyle. Some research interests of hers include marine heat waves, invasive species, and biological responses to dynamic environments.
Graduate Student
Maggie McLaughlin
Maggie is a first year Master’s student in the Dunton Lab studying marsh response to restoration efforts in the Nueces Delta. She did her undergraduate studies at Lehigh University and graduated with a B.S. in Earth & Environmental Science and a B.A. in Environmental Policy.
