Thomas Giambelluca

Background

Humans face no greater challenge than that of global environmental change. Addressing the human, biological, and physical dimensions of this complex problem is paramount for this and future generations. If we are to be up to this challenge, we must arm ourselves with knowledge. I want to do my part in bringing about the change necessary to reduce the magnitude of global warming and adapt to the inevitable changes we will face. I can do this most effectively through my activities as scientist and educator. My aims are to contribute to a better understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic climate change and other human-caused environmental change and to reach a broad and diverse audience in my teaching and community interaction

Education

• PhD, Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, 1983
• MA, Geography, University of Miami, 1977
• BS (cum laude), Geography and Mathematics, University of Miami, Florida, 1974

Courses

• GEO 300: Introduction to Climatology
• GEO 401: Climate Change
• GEO 402: Agricultural Climatology
• GEO 405: Water in the Environment
• GEO 600: Seminar in Climatology

Research

The foci of my research are (1) climate variability, both spatial and over time, including natural fluctuation and trends associated with global climate change, and looking at both past changes and projections of future changes; and (2) interaction between the atmosphere and the land surface, including effects of land cover change on exchanges of water, carbon, and energy over terrestrial ecosystems, effects of invasive plants on ecosystem function, and hydrological processes in tropical montane cloud forests.