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Thomas Johengen

tom johengen
Research Scientist Emeritus
Ecosystem Science and Management
Water
johengen@umich.edu
(734) 741-2203
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About

Dr. Tom Johengen had a dual appointment within SEAS before retiring in early 2023 after 31 years of service. He served as the director of Michigan Sea Grant (MISG) and as a research scientist within the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR). MISG is a cooperative program of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). MISG funds research, education, and outreach projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the sustainable use and management of Great Lakes resources. CIGLR is a NOAA Joint Institute program at the University of Michigan, with the NOAA-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory serving as the host lab. CIGLR's research activities are focused around five themes: Climate and Large-Lake Dynamics, Coastal and Nearshore Processes, Large-Lake Ecosystem Structure and Function, Remote Sensing, and Marine Environmental Engineering. Dr. Johengen's individual research interests focused on nutrient cycling and lower food-web dynamics in the Great Lakes, development of forecasting systems to mitigate impacts of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, controlling the introduction of invasive species, and development of in situ water quality sensors and observing systems.  

Research Interests

Nutrient cycling and lower food-web dynamics in the Great Lakes with an emphasis on quantifying the ecological impacts of invasive species. Understanding and predicting harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. Development and application of in situ sensors for research and management applications in the Great Lakes and coastal oceans. Prevention and control of non-indigenous species introductions associated with shipping activities.

Publications

  • Anderson, H. S., T. H. Johengen, C. M. Godwin, H. Purcell, P. J. Alsip, S. A. Ruberg, and L. A. Mason (2021).  Continuous in situ Nutrient Analyzers Pinpoint the Onset and Rate of Internal P Loading under Anoxia in Lake Erie’s Central Basin, ACS ES&T Water, (DOI:10.1021/acsestwater.0c00138).
  • Liu, Q., M.D. Rowe, E.J. Anderson, C.A. Stow, R.P. Stumpf, and T.H. Johengen (2020).  Probabilistic forecast of microcystin toxin using satellite remote sensing, in situ observations and numerical modeling.  Environmental Modelling and Software. 128(DOI:10.1016/j.envsoft.2020.104705) 
  • Stone, J.P., K.L. Pangle, S.A. Pothoven, H.A. Vanderploeg, S.B. Brandt, T.O. Hook, T.H. Johengen, and S.A. Ludsin (2020).  Hypoxia’s impact on pelagic fish populations in Lake Erie: a tale of two planktivores.  Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., (DOI:10.1139/cjfas-2019-0265)
  • Rowland, F.E., CA. Stow, T.H. Johengen, A.M. Burtner, D. Palladino, D.C. Gossiaux, T.W. Davis, L.T. Johnson, and S.A. Ruberg (2019). Recent patterns in Lake Erie phosphorus concentrations in response to changing loads.  Environmental Science and Technology, 54(2):835-841. (DOI:10.1021/acs.est.9b05326).
  • Guo, T., D. McGill, T.H. Johengen, and B. Cardinale (2019). What determines the public’s support for water quality regulations to mitigate agricultural runoff? Environmental Science and Policy, 101, 323-330.  
  • Davenport, E.J., M.J. Neudeck, P.G. Matson, G.S. Bullerjahn, T.W. Davis, S.W. Wilhelm, M.K. Denny, L.E. Krausfeldt, J.M.A. Stough, K.A. Meyer, G.J. Dick, T. H. Johengen, E. Lindquist, S. Green Tringe, R.M McKay (2019). Metatranscriptomic analyses of diel metabolic functions during a toxin-producing Microcystis bloom in western Lake Erie (USA). Frontiers in Microbiology.  
  • Fang, S., D. Del Giudice, D. Scavia, C.E. Binding, T.B. Bridgeman, J.D. Chaffin, M.A. Evans, J. Guinness, T.H. Johengen, and D.R. Obenour (2019). A space-time geostatistical model for probabilistic estimation of harmful algal bloom biomass and areal extent.  Science for the Total Environment. 
  • Stauffer, B.A.,  H. Bowers, E. Buckley, T.W. Davis, T.H. Johengen, R. Kudela, M.A. McManus, H. Purcell, G. Jason Smith, A. Vander Woude and M. Tamburri (2019). Considerations in Harmful Algal Bloom Research and Monitoring: Perspectives from a Consensus-building Workshop and Technology Testing.  Frontiers in Marine Science, Ocean Observations.
  •  Vander Woude, A., S. Ruberg, T. Johengen, R. Miller, D. Stuart (2019). Spatial and temporal scales of variability of cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms from NOAA GLERL airborne hyperspectral imagery. Journal of Great Lakes Research 45:536–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2019.02.006
  • Moore, T.S., J.H. Churnside, J.M. Sullivan, M.S. Twardowski, A.R. Nayak, M.N. McFarland, N.D. Stockley, R.W. Gould, T.H. Johengen and S.A. Ruberg (2019).  Vertical distributions of blooming cyanobacteria populations in a freshwater lake from LIDAR observations.  Remote Sensing of the Environment, 225: 347-367.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.02.025
  • Bosse, K.R., M.J. Sayers, R.A. Shuchman, G.L. Fahnenstiel, S.A. Ruberg, D.L. Fanslow, D.G. Stuart, T.H. Johengen and A.M. Burtner (2019).  Spatial-temporal variability of in situ cyanobacteria vertical structure in Western Lake Erie:  Implications for Remote Sensing Observations.  J. Great Lakes Res., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2019.02.003.
  • Sayers, M.J., K.R. Bosse, R.A. Shuchman, S.A. Ruberg, G.L. Fahnenstiel, G.A. Leshkevich, D.G. Stuart, T.H. Johengen, A.M. Burtner and D. Palladino (2019).  Spatial-temporal variability of inherent and apparent optical properties in Western Lake Erie:  Implications for water quality remote sensing. J. Great Lakes Res.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2019.02.003.
  • Newell, S.E. T.W. Davis, T.H. Johengen, D. Gossiaux, A. Burtner, D. Palladino, and M. J. McCarthy (2019). Reduced forms of nitrogen are a driver of non-nitrogen-fixing harmful cyanobacterial blooms and toxicity in Lake Erie.  Harmful Algae, 81:86-93.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2018.11.003
  • Kitchens, C., T.H. Johengen and T.W. Davis (2018).  Establishing spatial and temporal patterns in Microcystis sediment seed stock viability and their relationship to subsequent bloom development in Western Lake Erie.  PLoS ONE 13(11): e0206821. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0206821.
  • Weiskerger, C.J., M.D. Rowe, C.A. Stow, D. Stuart and T.H. Johengen (2018).  Application of the Beer–Lambert model to attenuation of photosynthetically active radiation in a shallow, eutrophic lake. Water Resources Research, 54, 8952–8962. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023024.
  • Smith, J.P., R.J. Miller, R.W. Muzzi, S.A. Constant, K.S. Beadle, D.A. Palladino, T.H. Johengen and S.A. Ruberg. (2018).  An implementation of a database management system for real-time large-lake observations.  Marine Technology Society Journal, November/December 2017 Vol. 51 No. 6.
  • Biddanda, B. A. Weinke, S. Kendall, L. Gereaux, T. Holcomb, M. Snider, D, Dila, S. Long,C. VandenBerg, K. Knapp, D. Koopmans, K. Thompson, J. Vail, M. Ogdahl, Q. Liu, T.H. Johengen, E. Anderson and S. Ruberg (2018). Chronicles of Hypoxia: Time-series buoy observations reveal annually recurring seasonal basin-wide hypoxia in Muskegon Lake - a Great Lakes estuary. J. Great Lakes Research, 44:219-229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2017.12.008.
  • First, M.R., L.A. Drake, V. Molina, C.S. Moser, S.H. Robbins-Whitney, S.C. Riley, E.N. Buckley, A.A. Cangelosi, K.J. Carney, T.H. Johengen, H. Purcell, E.D. Reavie, G.J.Smith an dM.N. Tamburri (2018).  A test of the framework designed to evaluate compliance monitoring devices for ballast water discharge.  Management of Biological Invasions, 9(4):505-513. https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2018.9.4.13 .
  • Moore, T.S., C.B. Mouw, J.M. Sullivan, M.S. Twardowski, A.M. Burtner, A.B. Ciochetto, M.N. McFarland, A.R. Nayak, D. Paladino, N.D. Stockley, T.H. Johengen, A.W. Yu, S. Ruberg and A. Weidemann (2017). Bio-optical properties of cyanobacteria blooms in western Lake Erie.  Frontiers in Marine Science, 4:300. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00300.
  • Grand, M.M., G.S. Clinton-Bailey, A.D. Beaton, A.M. Schaap, T.H. Johengen, M. Tamburri, M.C. Mowlem and E.P. Achterberg (2017).  A Lab-On-Chip Analyzer for Long-Term in Situ Monitoring at Fixed Observatories: Optimization and Performance Evaluation in Estuarine and Oligotrophic Coastal Waters.  Front. Mar. Sci., 10 August 2017. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00255
  • Steffen, M.M., T.W. Davis, R.M. McKay, G.S. Bullerjahn, L.E. Krausfeldt, J.M.A. Stough, M.L. Neitzey, N.E. Gilbert, G.L. Boyer, T.H. Johengen, D.C. Gossiaux, A.M. Burtner, D. Palladino, M. Rowe, G.J. Dick, K. Meyer, S. Levy, B. Boone, R. Stumpf, T. Wynne, P.V. Zimba, D.B. Gutierrez, and S.W. Wilhelm (2017).  Ecophysiological examination of the Lake Erie Microcystis bloom in 2014: linkages between biology and the water supply shutdown of Toledo, Ohio. Environ. Sci. Technol., Publication Date (Web): 23 May 2017
  • Berry, M.A., T.W. Davis, R.M. Cory, M.B. Duhaime, T.H. Johengen, C.L. Kling, J.A. Marino, P.A. Den Uyl, D.C. GOSSIAUX, G.J. Dick, and V.J. Denef. (2017). Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are a biological disturbance to western Lake Erie bacterial communities. Environmental Microbiology 19(Thematic Issue on Environmental Glycerol Metabolism):1149-1162. DOI:10.1111/1462-2920.13640.
  •  Berry, M.A., J.D. White, T.W. Davis, S. Jain, T.H. Johengen, G.J. Dick, O. Sarnelle and V.J. Denef. (2017). Are oligotypes meaningful ecological and phylogenetic units?  A case study of Microcystis in freshwater lakes.  Frontiers in Microbiology.  DOI 10.3389/fmib.2017.00365.
  • Vanderploeg, H.A., O. Sarnelle, J.R. Liebig, N.R. Morehead, S.D. Robinson, T.H. Johengen and G.P. Horst. (2017).  Seston nutrient stoichiometry drives feeding, tissue nutrient stoichiometry, and excretion in zebra mussels.  Freshwater Biology 62:664-680. DOI:10.1111/fwb.12892. 

Research
  • CIGLR (GLRI funded to NOAA-GLERL): HABs Monitoring, Forecasting and ‘Omics for the Great Lakes. July 2019 – June 2020. $794,552.
  • CIGLR (GLRI funded to NOAA-GLERL): Implementation of the Great lakes Synthesis, Observations and Response System (SOAR).  July 2019 – June 2020. $500,000
  • CIGLR (USEPA funded to NOAA-GLERL): 2019 Lake Erie Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative.  June 2012 – May 2014. $230,000
  • CIGLR (GLRI funded to NOAA-GLERL): Developing an Interagency Common Agenda on Acquisition and Use of Advanced Survey Technologies in the Great.  July 2019 – June 2020. $62,453.
  • CIGLR (NOAA Omics Program funded): Great Lakes Omics.  June 2019 – May 2022.  Year 1 award, $504, 739.
  • CIGLR (NOAA IOOS Program funded): Implementation of the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), 2017-2021.  Year 3 Award, June 2019 – May 2020.  $145,000
  • NOAA IOOS Program: Alliance for Coastal Technologies.  June 2016 – May 2021. Year 4 Award, sub-awarded through University of Maryland.  $200,000 of $1,050,000.
  • NOAA NCCOS Coastal Hypoxia Research Program: Operational Lake Erie Hypoxia Forecasting for Public Water Systems Decision Support.  October 2016 – September 2021.  Five-year UM award $1,368,414.
  • NOAA MERHAB Program:  MERHAB19: Portable toxin detection technology to support Great Lakes decision support tools.  Sub-awarded through Bowling Green State University, PI: Timothy Davis.  September 2019 – August 2022.  $131,648 of $886,000 total. 
Education

Ph.D., 1991.   Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

M.Sc., 1986.   Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

B.Sc., 1981.    Department of Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Affiliations

Director, Michigan Sea Grant, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Nov 2019 to present

Research Scientist, CIGLR, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Sept. 2015 to present

Associate Director, CIGLR, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. April 2009 to Nov 2019

Assoc. Research Scientist, CILER, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Sept. 2009 to Aug 2015

Asst. Research Scientist, CILER, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Dec. 1997 to Aug 2009

Director, CILER, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Sept. 2000 to Jun. 2005.

Visiting Asst. Research Scientist, CILER, U. Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Jan.1995 to Nov. 1997

Post-doctoral Research Fellow, CILER, U. Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Sept. 1991 to Dec. 1994

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