John Melack

Biography

John Melack attended Cornell University (B.A. in Biological Sciences) and Duke University (Ph.D. in Limnology), held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan and has been on the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara, since 1977. During his career he has published over 260 scientific papers, edited four books, and written numerous book reviews, and technical, workshop and committee reports. He played a seminal role in the creation and development of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management.

Research

Prof. Melack researches ecological processes in lakes, wetlands, and streams, and hydrological and biogeochemical aspects of catchments. He has conducted studies in eastern Africa, tropical South America, Japan, Australia and California, including on-going research at Mono Lake, on Amazon wetlands, on high-elevation ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada, and on the hydrology and solutes of streams bordering the Santa Barbara Channel. His research combines state-of-the-art measurements, modeling, experiments and remote sensing and examines ecological processes at the population and ecosystem levels.