George Perkins Marsh Institute

Christopher Williams
Research Assistant Professor

The George Perkins Marsh Institute
Clark University
Worcester, MA 01610-1477
508.793.7336 phone
email: cwilliams@clarku.edu

Curriculum Vitae
Faculty Page

Current Research Interests

Professor Christopher A. Williams earned a B.A. in Biology/Environmental Studies, Bucknell University, M.S. in Watershed Science, Colorado State University, and Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Duke University. He joined the faculty in the Graduate School of Geography in Fall 2008. Prior to coming to Clark University he was a Research Scientist at Colorado State University's Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, followed by faculty appointment as Assistant Research Scientist with the Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center of the University of Maryland Baltimore County and based in the Biospheric Sciences Branch of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Trained as a land surface hydrologist and ecosystem scientist, Chris investigates how earth's biosphere responds to natural and human perturbations. His approach combines field, lab, and remote sensing data with process-based modeling aimed at understanding how terrestrial biophysical and biogeochemical processes are influenced by hydroclimatic variability and disturbance. Spanning leaf to global scales, his research is staged around the world, primarily in Africa, Europe, and North America.

Selected Publications

Williams, C.A., N.P. Hanan, I. Baker, A.S. Denning, G.J. Collatz, J.A. Berry and R.J. Scholes. (in prep) Interannual variability of photosynthesis in Africa as induced by climate oscillations.

Williams, C.A., N.P. Hanan, I. Baker, A.S. Denning, G.J. Collatz and J.A. Berry. (in review) Inter-annual variability in photosynthesis and carbon dynamics across Africa.

Williams, C.A., A. Porporato and J.D. Albertson. (in review) Tree-grass competition for stochastic soil moisture: Possible coexistence from fluctuations.

Williams, C.A., N.P. Hanan and R.J. Scholes. (in review) How much complexity is needed to model water and carbon dioxide fluxes following rain pulses in an African savanna?

Williams, C.A., N.P. Hanan, R.J. Scholes, A.S. Denning, J.A. Berry and J. Neff. 2007. Africa and the global carbon cycle. Carbon Balance and Management 2 no. 3. Download pdf copy

Williams, C.A., T.M. Scanlon, and J.D. Albertson. 2007. Influence of surface heterogeneity on scalar similarity in the canopy sublayer. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 122 no. 1, doi:10.1007.s10546-006-9091-3. Download pdf copy