Professor of Biological Sciences, Ph.D. University of California, Davis. Dr. Vourlitis’ research interests lie in quantifying the rates of mass (CO₂, H₂O vapor, and other trace-gases) and energy exchange of terrestrial ecosystems, and how these surface-atmosphere exchanges are affected by, and feed back on, global change. This research utilizes measurement (e.g., eddy covariance and portable infrared gas analyzers) and mathematical modeling techniques, remotely sensed data (e.g., spectral reflectance, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)) to quantify the spatial and temporal variations in trace-gas and energy fluxes. Current research is in the Alaskan Arctic, southern California chaparral, and Brazilian transitional tropical forest ecosystems. 

Selected Publications:

Vourlitis, GL, Priante-Filho N, Hayashi MMS, de Sousa Nogueira J, Caseiro FT, and Raiter F, and Campelo JH, Jr (2004) Effects of meteorological variations on the net CO₂ exchange of a Brazilian transitional tropical forest.  Ecological Applications 14:S89-S113.

Vourlitis, GL, S Pasquini, and G Zorba.  Plant and soil N response of southern Californian semi-arid shrublands after one year of experimental N deposition.  Ecosystems, in press. 

Vourlitis, GL, J de S Nogueira, N Priante-Filho, W Hoeger, F Raiter, MS Biudes, JC Arruda, VB Capistrano, JLB de Faria, F de Almeida Lobo (2005) The sensitivity of diel CO₂ and H₂O vapor exchange of a tropical transitional forest to seasonal variation in meteorology and water availability.  Earth Interactions, Volume 9, Paper 27.

Vourlitis, GL, Priante-Filho N, Hayashi MMS, de Sousa Nogueira J, Caseiro FT, and Raiter F, and Campelo JH, Jr (2004) Effects of meteorological variations on the net CO₂ exchange of a Brazilian transitional tropical forest.  Ecological Applications 14:S89-S113.

Vourlitis GL, Harazono Y, Oechel WC, Yoshimoto M, and Mano M. (2000) Spatial and temporal variations in landscape-scale net CO₂ exchange, respiration, and gross primary production in arctic tundra ecosystems. Functional Ecology, 14: 203-214.

Vourlitis GL, Oechel WC, Hope A, Stow D, Boynton B, Verfaillie, J Jr., Zulueta R, and Hastings SJ (2000) Physiological models for scaling plot-measurements of CO₂ flux across an arctic tundra landscape. Ecological Applications, 10: 60-72.

Vourlitis GL and Oechel WC. (1999) Eddy covariance measurements of net CO₂ flux and energy balance of an Alaskan moist-tussock tundra ecosystem. Ecology 80: 686-701.

Keller, M., A Alencar, GP Asner, B Braswell, M Bustamante, E Davidson, T Feldpausch, E Fernandes, M Goulden, P Kabat, B Kruijt, F Luizão, S Miller, D Markewitz, A Nobre, C Nobre, N Priante, H Rocha, P Silva Dias, C von Randow, and G Vourlitis.  Ecological Research in the Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA): A Discussion of Early Results.  Ecological Applications, in press. 

Priante Filho, N, GL Vourlitis, MMS Hayashi, J de Souza Nogueira, JH Campelo Jr., PC Nunes, LS Souza, EG Couto, W Hoeger, F Raiter, JL Trienweiler, EJ Miranda, PC Priante, LC Pereira, MS Biudes, CL Fritzen, M Lacerda, GS Suli, S Shiraiwa, and M Silveira.  Comparison of the mass and energy exchange of a pasture and a mature transitional tropical forest of the southern Amazon Basin during a seasonal transition.  Global Change Biology, accepted conditionally pending revision. 

Miranda, EJ., N Priante, PC Priante, JH Campelo, Jr., GS Suli, CL Fritzen and GL Vourlitis.  Leaf and forest CO₂ exchange of a transitional tropical forest in southern Amazonia.  Journal of Tropical Ecology, accepted conditionally pending revision. 

Hurtt, G, X Xiao, M Keller, M Palace, GP Asner, R Braswell, ES Brondizio, M Cardoso, CJR Carvalho, MG Fearndon, L Guild, S Hagen, T Sá, A Schloss, G Vourlitis, AJ Wickel, B Moore III, and C Nobre.  IKONOS Imagery for the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA).  Journal of Remote Sensing of the Environment, in press. 

Vourlitis GL, Priante-Filho N, Hayashi MMS, de Sousa Nogueira J, Caseiro FT, and Raiter F, and Campelo JH, Jr.  The role of seasonal variations in meteorology on the net CO₂ exchange of a Brazilian transitional tropical forest.  Ecological Applications, in press. 

Vourlitis GL, J Verfaillie, WC Oechel, A Hope, D Stow and R Engstrom (2003).  Spatial variation in regional CO₂ exchange for the Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska over the summer growing season.  Global Change Biology 9: 930-941. 

Hayashi MMS, Campelo JH, Jr., Priante-Filho N, de Sousa Nogueira J, and Vourlitis GL (2002) Balanco de energia da Crotalaria juncea L. ne periodo seco e no periodo umido do ano, em condicoes de cerrado.  Revista Brasileira de Agrometeorologia 10: 197-205. 

Engstrom, RN, Hope AS, Stow DA, Vourlitis GL and Oechel WC.  (2002) Co-Variability of the Priestley-Taylor Alpha Coefficient and Regional NDVI in Arctic Landscapes.  Journal of the American Water Resources Association 38: 1647-1659.

Vourlitis GL, Priante-Filho N, Hayashi MMS, de Sousa Nogueira J, Caseiro FT, and Campelo JH, Jr.  (2002) Seasonal variations in the evapotranspiration of a transitional tropical forest of Mato Grosso, Brazil.  Water Resources Research, 38(6): 30.

Vourlitis GL, Priante-Filho N, Hayashi MMS, de Sousa Nogueira J, Caseiro FT, and Campelo JH, Jr.  (2001) Seasonal variations in the net ecosystem CO₂ exchange of a mature Amazonian tropical transitional forest (cerradão).  Functional Ecology 15: 388-395.

Saxe H, Cannell MGR, Johnson O, Ryan MG and Vourlitis G. (2001) Tansley Review #123: Tree and forest functioning in response to global warming.  New Phytologist 149: 369-400. 

Oechel WC, Vourlitis GL, Verfaille J Jr., Crawford T, Brooks S, Dumas E, Hope A, Stow D, Boynton B, Nosov V, and Zulueta R (2000) A scaling approach for quantifying the net CO₂ flux of the Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska.  Global Change Biology 6(Suppl. 1): 160-173. 

Oechel WC, Vourlitis GL, Hastings SJ, Zulueta RL, Hinzman L, and Kane D (2000) Acclimation of ecosystem CO₂ exchange in the Alaskan Arctic in response to decadal climate warming.  Nature 406: 978-981.