Staff information

Research Interests

• Effects of land management on biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems
• Quantitative modeling of the impacts of carbon sequestration strategies and other climate change mitigation options on net greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere
• Use of remote sensing and geographic information systems to quantify soil attributes and biogeochemical cycling
• Integrated assessment of climate change impacts and mitigation
• Environmental effects of policies intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Education and Credentials

• Ph.D., Agronomy, Ohio State University, 1999. Concentrations: Landscape Ecology and Ecological Modeling
• M.S., Natural Resources, Ohio State University, 1996. Concentrations: Ecosystem Rehabilitation and Ecological Modeling
• B.S., Agriculture, University of Kentucky, 1994. Curriculum: Natural Resources Conservation and Management

Affiliations and Professional Service

• American Geophysical Union
• American Society of Agronomy
• American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
• Ecological Society of America
• Soil Science Society of America

Awards and Recognitions

• Elected member to the North American Carbon Program, Mid-Continent Intensive Campaign Task Force, 2005-present.
• Associate Editor, Soil Science Society of America Journal, 2007 - present.
• USDA Croplands/Grazing Lands Working Group for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from forest and agricultural sectors, 2011- present.
• NASA Terrestrial Ecology Working Group, 2010 - present.
• Team member of the Bio-Based Energy Analysis Group, University of Tennessee
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, Stanley I. Auerbach Award for Excellence in Environmental Science, 2009
• Soil Science Society of America, Best Division S-6 Paper, 1st Place, 2008
• Soil Science Society of America, Best Division S-6 Paper, Honorable Mention, 2003
• AAAS Environmental Fellowship, Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship, 2002
• US Department of Defense Fellowship, 1996-1999
• Ohio State, Mapping and GIS Laboratory Fellowship, 1996-1999

PNNL Publications

2012

• Hayes DJ, DP Turner, G Stinson, AD McGuire, Y Wei, TO West, L Heath, B deJong, B McConkey, RA Birdsey, W Kurz, A Jacobson, DN Huntzinger, Y Pan, WM Post, and RB Cook. 2012. "Reconciling estimates of the contemporary North American carbon balance among terrestrial biosphere models, atmospheric inversions and a new approach for estimating net ecosystem exchange from inventory-based data." Global Change Biology 18(4):1282-1299.  doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02627.x
• Huntzinger D, WM Post, Y Wei, AM Michalak, TO West, A Jacobson, I Baker, JM Chen, KJ Davis, DJ Hayes, FM Hoffman, AK Jain, S Liu, AD McGuire, RP Neilson, C Potter, B Poulter, D Price, BM Raczka, H Tian, P Thornton, E Tomelleri, N Viovy, J Xiao, W Yuan, N Zeng, M Zhao, and RB Cook. 2012. "North American Carbon Project (NACP) Regional Interim Synthesis: Terrestrial Biospheric Model Intercomparison." Ecological Modelling 232:144-157.  doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.02.004
• Miles N, SJ Richardson, KJ Davis, T Lauvaux, A Andrews, TO West, V Bandaru, and ER Crosson. 2012. "Large Amplitude Spatial and Temporal Gradients in Atmospheric Boundary Layer CO2 Mole Fractions Detected With a Tower-Based Network in the U.S. Upper Midwest." Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences 117:Article No. G01019.  doi:10.1029/2011JG001781
• Toliver DK, JA Larson, RK Roberts, BC English, DG De La Torre Ugarte, and TO West. 2012. "Effects of No-Till on Yields as Influenced by Crop and Environmental Factors." Agronomy Journal 104(2):530-541.  doi:10.2134/agronj2011.0291

2011

• West TO, V Bandaru, CC Brandt, AE Schuh, and SM Ogle. 2011. "Regional Uptake and Release of Crop Carbon in the United States." Biogeosciences 8(8):2037-2046.  doi:10.5194/bg-8-2037-2011
• West TO. 2011. "Monitoring informs management." Nature Climate Change 1(8):399-400.  doi:10.1038/nclimate1268
• Garten, Jr CT, DJ Brice, HF Castro, RL Graham, MA Mayes, JR Phillips, WM Post, CW Schadt, SD Wullschleger, DD Tyler, PM Jardine, JD Jastrow, R Matamala, RM Miller, KK Moran, T Vugteveen, RC Izaurralde, AM Thomson, TO West, JE Amonette, VL Bailey, FB Metting, and JL Smith. 2011. "Response of "Alamo" switchgrass tissue chemistry and biomass to nitrogen fertilization in west Tennessee, USA." Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 140(1-2):289-297.  doi:10.1016/j.agee.2010.12.016

2010

• West TO. 2010. "Introduction: Integrative Approaches for Estimating Current and Future Feedstock Availability." Global Change Biology Bioenergy 2(5):215-216.  doi:10.1111/j.1757-1707.2010.01057.x
• Brown DJ, ER Hunt, Jr., RC Izaurralde, KH Paustian, CW Rice, TO West, and BL Schumaker. 2010. "Soil Organic Carbon Change Monitored Over Large Areas." Eos 91(47):441.  doi:10.1029/2010EO470001
• Brown DJ, ER Hunt, Jr., RC Izaurralde, KH Paustian, CW Rice, BL Schumaker, and TO West. 2010. "Soil Organic Carbon Change Monitored Over Large Areas." Eos 91(47):441-442.  doi:10.1029/2010EO470001
• Hellwinckel CM, TO West, DG De La Torre Ugarte, and RD Perlack. 2010. "Evaluating possible cap and trade legislation on cellulosic feedstock availability." Global Change Biology Bioenergy 2(5):278-287.  doi:10.1111/j.1757-1707.2010.01052.x
• Larson JA, BC English, DG De La Torre Ugarte, RJ Menard, CM Hellwinckel, and TO West. 2010. "Economic and environmental impacts of the corn grain ethanol industry on the United States agricultural sector." Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 65(5):267-279.  doi:10.2489/jswc.65.5.267