Ronald Thom

Marine Sciences Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
1529 West Sequim Bay Road
Sequim, Washington 98382
ron.thom@pnl.gov

Biography

Dr. Thom, who leads the Coastal Assessment and Restoration technical group at the Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Washington, has conducted research in coastal and estuarine ecosystems since 1971. His research includes habitat construction and restoration; adaptive management of restored systems; effects of pollution; benthic primary production; climate change; and ecology of fisheries resources. He has worked on programs in systems in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Massachusetts, New York, Nebraska, Alabama, and most recently in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Ron has directed approximately 200 multidisciplinary ecological studies. He has published sixteen book chapters, over 60 peer reviewed journal articles, hundreds of reports, and made hundreds of professional presentations. Ron serves as an Affiliate Associate Professor, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington, and as an Adjunct Professor for Western Washington University Huxley Environmental Studies program. He also serves as subject editor for the journal Marine Biology Research. From 1985-1989 he chaired the Technical Advisory Committee of the Puget Sound Estuary Program. Ron was recently appointed to serve on the new Science Team of the Straits Commission.

Research Interests

Ecology of seagrasses, seaweed, salt marshes and tide flats
Restoration of estuarine and coastal ecosystems
Effects of climate change on estuarine and coastal ecosystems
Adaptive management of restored ecosystems

Education and Credentials

Ph.D., Fisheries, University of Washington, 1978
M.S., Marine Algal Ecology, California State University, Long Beach, 1976
B.S., Biological Sciences, California State College, Dominguez Hills, 1971
A.S., Natural Sciences, Long Beach City College, 1969

Affiliations and Professional Service

American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation
Pacific Estuarine Research Society
Society of Wetland Scientists
Affiliate Associate Professor, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington 1993 - present
Adjunct Faculty, Western Washington University 1994 - present
Instructor, Chapman College 1986 - 1987

Awards and Recognitions

National Research Council Panel (organized by National Academy of Sciences) on Erosion of Protected Shorelines 2005

Selected Publications

2009

Diefenderfer HL, KL Sobocinski, RM Thom, CW May, AB Borde, SL Southard, J Vavrinec, III, and NK Sather. 2009. "Multiscale Analysis of Restoration Priorities for Marine Shoreline Planning." Environmental Management 44(4 ):712-731. doi:10.1007/s00267-009-9298-4
Thom RM, MG Anderson, D Tyre, and CA Fleming. 2009. Adaptive Management for Decision Making at the Program and Project Levels of the Missouri River Recovery Program. PNNL-18261, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.

2008

Thom RM. 2008. "A.W.D., Larkum, R.J. Orth, C.M. Duarte (eds.), 2006, Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation, Springer, ISBN: 978-1-4020-2942-4 (hardback), US$ 99.00, 691 pages." Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 354(1):160.
Johnson GE, HL Diefenderfer, AB Borde, EM Dawley, BD Ebberts, DA Putman, GC Roegner, M Russell, JR Skalski, RM Thom, and J Vavrinec, III. 2008. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2007. PNNL-17437, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Roegner GC, HL Diefenderfer, AB Borde, RM Thom, EM Dawley, AH Whiting, SA Zimmerman, and GE Johnson. 2008. Protocols for Monitoring Habitat Restoration Projects in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary. PNNL-15793, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Thom RM, SL Southard, AB Borde, and P Stoltz. 2008. "Light Requirements for Growth and Survival of Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) in Pacific Northwest (USA) Estuaries." Estuaries and Coasts 31(5):969-980. doi:10.1007/s12237-008-9082-3
Thom RM, SS Southard, AB Borde, and P Stoltz. 2008. "Light Requirements for Growth and Survival of Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) in Pacific Northwest (USA) Estuaries." Estuaries and Coasts 31(5):969-980. doi:10.1007/s12237-008-9082-3

2007

Johnson GE, AB Borde, E Dawley, HL Diefenderfer, BD Ebberts, DA Putman, GC Roegner, RM Thom, J Vavrinec, III, and AH Whiting. 2007. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2006. PNNL-16561, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.

2006

Diefenderfer HL, RM Thom, AB Borde, GC Roegner, AH Whiting, GE Johnson, E Dawley, JR Skalski, J Vavrinec, III, and BD Ebberts. 2006. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2005. PNNL-15934, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.

2005

Diefenderfer HL, C Roegner, RM Thom, EM Dawley, AH Whiting, GE Johnson, KL Sobocinski, MG Anderson, and B Ebberts. 2005. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2004. PNNL-15102, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Diefenderfer HL, RM Thom, and K Hofseth. 2005. "A Framework for Risk Analysis for Ecological Restoration Projects in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ." Chapter 4 in Economics and Ecological Risk Assessment: Applications to Watershed Management, Environmental and Ecological Risk Assessment Series, vol. 5, ed. Randall J. F. Bruins, Matthew T. Heberling, pp. 57-105. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Thom RM, GD Williams, AB Borde, JA Southard, SL Sargeant, DL Woodruff, JC Laufle, and S Glasoe. 2005. "Adaptively Addressing Uncertainty in Estuarine and Near Coastal Restoration Projects." Journal of Coastal Research. JCR 40(sp. iss.):94-108.
Thom RM, GD Williams, and HL Diefenderfer. 2005. "Balancing the Need to Develop Coastal Areas with the Desire for an Ecologically Functioning Coastal Environment: Is Net Ecosystem Improvement Possible?" Restoration Ecology 13(1):193-203. doi:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2005.00024.x

2004

Diefenderfer HL, SL Sargeant, RM Thom, AB Borde, PF Gayaldo, CA Curtis, BL Court, DM Pierce, and DS Robison. 2004. "Demonstration Dock Designed to Benefit Eelgrass Habitat Restoration (Washington)." Ecological Restoration 22(2):140-141.

2003

Borde AB, RM Thom, S Rumrill, and LM Miller. 2003. "Geospatial Habitat Analysis in Pacific Northwest Coastal Estuaries." Estuaries 26(4B):1104-1116.
Diefenderfer HL, SL Sargeant, RM Thom, AB Borde, PF Gayaldo, CA Curtis, BL Court, DM Pierce, and DS Robison. 2003. "Dock Design to Facilitate the Restoration of Eelgrass in Port Townsend Bay, Washington." In Assembling the Pieces - Restoration, Design and Landscape Ecology: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration International, November 19-22, 2003, Austin, Texas. Society for Ecological Restoration International, Tucson, AZ.
Johnson GE, RM Thom, AH Whiting, GB Sutherland, TJ Berquam, B Ebberts, NM Ricci, JA Southard, and JD Wilcox. 2003. An Ecosystem-Based Restoration Plan with Emphasis on Salmonid Habitats in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary. PNNL-14412, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Thom RM, AB Borde, S Rumrill, DL Woodruff, GD Williams, JA Southard, and SL Sargeant. 2003. "Factors Influencing Spatial and Annual Variability in Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Meadows in Willapa Bay, Washington, and Coos Bay, Oregon, Estuaries." Estuaries 26(4B):1117-1129.

2002

Blanton SL, RM Thom, AB Borde, HL Diefenderfer, and JA Southard. 2002. Evaluation of Methods to Increase Light Under Ferry Terminals. PNNL-13714, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Thom RM, R Zeigler, and AB Borde. 2002. "Floristic Development Patterns in a Restored Elk River Estuarine Marsh, Grays Harbor, Washington." Restoration Ecology 10(3):487-496.
Thom RM, SL Blanton, AB Borde, GD Williams, DL Woodruff, and MH Huesemann. 2002. "Investigations into Wetland Carbon Sequestration as Remediation for Global Warming ." In International Conference on Wetlands and Remediation; Wetlands and Remediation II, ed. KW Nehring and SE Brauning, pp. 311-320. Battelle Press, Columbus, OH.

2001

Clements W, SN Luoma, J Gerritsen, A Hatch, P Jepson, T Reynoldson, and RM Thom. 2001. "Stressor Interactions in Ecological Systems ." Chapter 7 in Ecological Variability: Separating Natural from Anthropogenic Causes of Ecosystem Impairment, ed. Donald J. Baird and G. Allen Burton, Jr., pp. 215-233. SETAC Press, Pensacola, FL.
Long WL, and RM Thom. 2001. "Part III. Seagrass Habitat Conservation. Chapter 21. Improving seagrass habitat quality ." In Global Seagrass Research Methods , pp. 407-445. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Luoma SN, W Clements, J Gerritsen, A Hatch, P Jepson, T Reynoldson, and RM Thom. 2001. "Separating stressor influences from environmental variability: eight case studies from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems." Chapter 6 in Ecological Variability: Separating Natural from Anthropogenic Causes of Ecosystem Impairment, ed. Donald J. Baird and G. Allen Burton, Jr., pp. 179-215. SETAC Press, Pensacola, FL.
Luoma SN, W Clements, T Dewitt, J Gerritsen, A Hatch, P Jepson, T Reynoldson, and RM Thom. 2001. "Role of Environmental Variability in Evaluating Stressor Effects." Chapter 5 in Ecological Variability: Separating Natural from Anthropogenic Causes of Ecosystem Impairment, ed. Donald J. Baird and G. Allen Burton, Jr., pp. 141-179. SETAC Press, Pensacola, FL.
Thom RM, AB Borde, KO Richter, and LF Hibler. 2001. "Influence of Urbanization on Ecological Processes in Wetlands ." In Land Use and Watersheds : Human Influence on Hydrology and Geomorphology in Urban and Forest Areas. Water Science and Application, vol. 2, ed. Mark Wigmosta and Stephen Burges, pp. 5-16. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC.
Thom RM, AB Borde, GD Williams, JA Southard, SL Blanton, and DL Woodruff. 2001. "Effects of Multiple Stressors on Eelgrass Restoration Projects." In Proceedings of Puget Sound Research 2001, the fifth Puget Sound Research Conference, vol. 1, ed. Droscher, Toni. Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team, Olympia, WA.

2000

Thom RM. 2000. "Adaptive management of coastal ecosystem restoration projects." Ecological Engineering 15(3-4):365-372.
Emmett R, R Llanso, J Newton, RM Thom, M Hornberger, C Morgan, C Levings, A Copping, and P Fishman. 2000. "Geographic Signatures of North American West Coast Estuaries." Estuaries 23(6):765-792.
Woodruff DL, PJ Farley, AB Borde, JA Southard, and RM Thom. 2000. King County Nearshore Habitat Mapping Data Report: Picnic Point to Shilshole Bay Marina . PNNL-13396, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.