James S Latimer

Summary

Dr. Latimer has had extensive experience in the field of marine biogeochemistry, ecology, and management: the study of the sources, transport, fate, and effects of environmental contaminants in marine systems with application to ecosystem management. He has planned and executed major interdisciplinary studies involving the quantification of atmospheric inputs, freshwater sources, spatial and temporal distributions and ecological effects of nutrients, toxic organics, and metals in the coastal marine environment. He and his colleagues' work was one of the first to show nonpoint sources of pollution as significant to the coastal marine environment. In addition, his experience in multiple aspects of the nature of marine environmental pollution has allowed him to contribute to many EPA and other governmental panels for the formulation of regulatory frameworks useful to the states/tribes and regional offices. Recently he led a team of scientists and managers in the development of the Long Island Sound Study’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and was also the senior editor on a scientific synthesis book on Long Island Sound. Currently, besides his scientific work on watershed-estuary interactions, he has been active in the Gulf of Maine Council’s EcoSystem Indicator Partnership as the US Chair, leading the group in the development of environmental and ecosystem services indicators, as well as digital tools for use by citizen scientists.

Aquatic & Marine Chemistry Biogeochemistry Climate Change Biology Ecosystem Science Environmental Contamination & Remediation Environmental Impacts Natural Resource Management Spatial & Geographic Information Science

Work details

Research Physical Scientist

US Environmental Protection Agency

May 1995

National Center for Measurement and Modeling

The Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division (ACESD): > Conducts coastal watershed, freshwater, estuarine, and coastal ecological research; > Develops theories, methods, models, and data to better understand the cumulative effects of stressors and extreme weather events on the coastal waters and watersheds of the Atlantic seaboard; > Helps develop methods to measure the ecological effects of nutrients and other pollutants and to determine the effects of biogeochemical processes on stressors; > Uses social-ecological systems approaches to restore and enhance the resilience of the coastal environment and to characterize the tradeoffs inherent to decision making; > Conducts place-based research to resolve key problems identified by stakeholders and which are transferable to other parts of the nation; and > Provides research support to states and communities on issues related to the protection and restoration of coastal watersheds and marine ecosystems.