- Return to People page

Melanie Riedinger-Whitmore

Biology

Associate Professor, Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 1993

Email: Dr. Melanie Riedinger-Whitmore

Phone: (727) 873-4971 (O), 873-4834 (Lab)

My areas of specialization include: Aquatic ecology, wetland ecology, and paleolimnology of lakes in Florida, The Galapagos Islands, and mainland Ecuador. I use fossil algal pigments and diatoms recovered from lake sediments to examine historical changes in algal communities that result from environmental or climatic events, or anthropogenic activities. Currently, I am using cyanobacterial and other algal pigments to monitor changes in algal productivity and community composition in eutrophic and hypereutrophic lakes in north and central Florida, to determine the timing of cyanobacterial proliferation in these systems and to document historical water quality. I also am reconstructing Holocene El Niño periodicities from hypersaline lake sediment records in the Galapagos Islands, using laminations and changes in fossil diatoms, mineralogy, and geochemistry to track changes in El Niño frequency and intensity.

Selected Publications

Whitmore, T.J., Mark Brenner, K.V. Kolasa, W.F. Kenney, M.A. Riedinger-Whitmore, J.H. Curtis, and J.M. Smoak. 2006. Inadvertent alkalization of a Florida lake caused by increased ionic and nutrient loading to its watershed. Journal of Paleolimnology 36: 353-370.

Brenner, M., T.J. Whitmore, M.A. Riedinger-Whitmore, B. DeArmond, D.A. Leeper, W.F. Kenney, J.H. Curtis, and B. Shumate. 2006. Geochemical and biological consequences of groundwater augmentation in lakes of west-central Florida (USA). Journal of Paleolimnology 36: 371-383.

Riedinger-Whitmore, M.A., Whitmore, T.J., Smoak, J.M., Brenner, M., Moore, A., Curtis, J. and C.L. Schelske. 2005. Cyanobacterial proliferation is a recent response to eutrophication in many Florida lakes: A paleolimnological assessment, Lake and Reservoir Management, 21: 423-435.

Whitmore, T.J., and M. Riedinger-Whitmore. 2004. Lake management programs: the importance of sediment assessment studies. Lakeline. Spring 2004: 27-30.

Riedinger, M.A., M. Steinitz-Kannan, W.M. Last, and M.Brenner. 2002. A ~ 6100 14C yr record of El Niño activity from the Galápagos Islands. Journal of Paleolimnology 27: 1-7.

Steinitz-Kannan, M., M. A. Riedinger, W. Last, M. Brenner, and M.C. Miller. 1998. Un registro de 6,000 años de manifestaciones intensas del fenómeno de el Niño en sedimentos de lagunas de las islas Galápagos. Bulletin del’Institut Français d’Etudes Andines 27(3):581-592.

Riedinger, M., M. Steinitz Kannan, W. Last, and M. Brenner. 1997. A high resolution paleoenvironmental record from Bainbridge Crater Lake, Galapagos Islands. Wurzburger Geographische Manuscripte, Heft 41:169.

Steinitz Kannan, M., M. Nienaber, M. Riedinger, and R. Kannan. 1993. The fossil diatoms of Lake Yambo, Ecuador. A possible record of El Niño events. Bull. L'Institut Français d'Études Andines 22:227-241.

Steinitz Kannan, M., M. Nienaber, and M. Riedinger. 1992. The fossil diatoms of Lake Yambo, Ecuador; a 2500 year record of intense El Niño events. Paleo ENSO records international symposium extended abstracts, ORSTOM and Instituto Geofisico del Peru, Lima, p. 295-298.

Colinvaux, P.A., M.B. Bush, K. b. Liu, P.E. De Oliveira, M. Steinitz Kannan, M. Riedinger, and M. Miller. 1989. Amazon without refugia: vegetation and climate of the Amazon basin through a glacial cycle. Int. Symp. on Global changes in South America during the Quaternary: Past Present Future. Sao Paulo (Brazil).

Steinitz Kannan, M., M. Riedinger, and M. Miller. 1987. Las diatomeas del Ecuador: II. Diatomeas de la laguna de Limoncocha, Provincia de Napo. Publicaciones del Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales. 5(7):51-77.

Steinitz Kannan, M., M. Nienaber, M. Riedinger, L.Harrel, and M. Miller. 1982. Estudios limnologicos en la Laguna de San Marcos con descripciones de las especies principales de diatomeas. Publicationes del Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales. 3(3):39-65.

Courses

Wetland Environments, Principles of Ecology, Ecosystems of Florida, Limnology, Biogeography, Biology I-Cellular Processes, Restoration Ecology, Quaternary Ecology

Are you interested in learning more?

• Visit her personal website
  
• Contact Dr. Melanie Riedinger-Whitmore