Prof. Dr. Thorsten Balke
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Balke
As a vegetation ecologist and trained geographer I am keen to improve process understanding of dynamic landscapes and plant communities at various spatial and temporal scales .
My research group adopts a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to better understand the linkages between ecological, geomorphological/hydrological and anthropogenic processes in coastal and riparian landscapes. Our research output aims to help designing and implementing scalable Nature-based Solutions at land-water interfaces.
Key words:
- Coastal Vegetation Ecology
- Biogeomorphology and biophysical interactions
- Mangroves, salt marshes, dunes, riparian floodplains
- Restoration Ecology
- Nature-based solutions
- Management of dynamic landscapes
- Ecosystem services
- Disturbance and seedling ecology
- Coastal environmental change
- Plant ecology and phenology
Curriculum vitae
Employment history:
2024 – Full Professor of Vegetation Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Biology and Environmental Science, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany
2016 – 2023 Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/ Reader in Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology (1fte) School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
2014 - 2015 Postdoc (1fte), BEFmate project, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany
2013 - 2014 Researcher /Advisor (0.8 fte), Deltares, Delft, The Netherlands
2013 - 2014 Postdoc (0.2 fte) NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Yerseke, The Netherlands
2009 - 2013 Junior Researcher (1fte), Deltares, The Netherlands, incl. 1 year as guest scientist at the National University of Singapore
Education:
2013 Dr., Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
2009 Diplom Geograph, Leibniz University Hanover, Germany
Grants:
2024
Co-I and WP lead on BMBF/NWO funded project SedWay (2024-2028) Safeguarding the natural sedimentary processes in the Wadden Sea for biodiversity and people
Co-I on MWK funded project CoastAdapt (2024-2028): Wissens- und Innovationsökosystem „Küsteningenieurwesen & Küstenforschung“
2022
Co-I and WP2 lead NERC funded project GALLANT (2022-2027) Delivering a Climate Resilient City through City-University Partnership: Glasgow as a Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation
PI on University of Glasgow 'Reinvigorating Research' grant (2022) A plant functional trait approach to Nature-based Solutions
2021
PI on Marine Alliance for Science & Technology for Scotland funded project (2021): How vulnerable are Scottish loch-head marshes to climate change?
2019
Co-I on Global Challenges Research Fund Living Deltas Hub (2019-2024)
Work Package 4: Develop delta-level interventions to respond to and mitigate against foreseeable coastal system tipping points
Co-I on Volkswagen Foundation (off-the-beaten-track) project: Grafted Root Interaction Networks: Kropotkin’s garden: Networking beats competition in the struggle for limited resources (2019-2021)
2018
Carnegie Trust Research Incentive Grant: Plant phenology and coastal dynamics in a changing climate (Scotland) (2018-2019)
Co-I on EU H2020 HYDRALAB+ access grant for a large scale flume experiment: Hydrodynamics at coastal wetland edges (2018)
University of Glasgow Rewards for Excellence Developing sensors for long-term monitoring of mechanical stress on intertidal plants (2018)
2017
Co-I on NERC/Newton Fund project: MOnitoring Mangrove ExteNT & Services (MOMENTS): What is controlling Tipping Points? (Indonesia, Vietnam: 2017-2020)
Lectures
Publications
please see Google Scholar profile for up to date publication list
pre 2023 publications:
Banerjee, S., Ladd, C. J.T. , Chanda, A., Shil, S., Ghosh, T., Large, A. and Balke, T. (2023) Securing the sustainable future of tropical deltas through mangrove restoration: lessons from the Indian Sundarban. One Earth, 6(3), pp. 190-194. (doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.02.015)
Rahman, M. F. et al. (2023) Locally led adaptation is key to ending deforestation. One Earth, 6(2), pp. 81-85. (doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.01.011)
Balke, T. , Vovides, A. G. , Ladd, C. J.T. and Huxham, M. (2023) The coastal conservation narrative is shifting from crisis to ecosystem services. Marine Biodiversity, 53(1), 3. (doi: 10.1007/s12526-022-01304-1)
Basyuni, M., Bimantara, Y., Cuc, N. T.K., Balke, T. and Vovides, A. G. (2022) Macrozoobenthic community assemblage as key indicator for mangrove restoration success in North Sumatra and Aceh, Indonesia. Restoration Ecology, 30(7), e13614. (doi: 10.1111/rec.13614)
L. G., G., Maza, M., Garcia-Maribona, J., Lara, J.L., Suzuki, T., Argemi Cierco, M., Paul, M., .Folkard, A.M. and Balke, T. (2022) Living on the Edge: How traits of ecosystem engineers drive bio-physical interactions at coastal wetland edges. Advances in Water Resources, 166, 104257. (doi: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2022.104257)
Gain, A. K. et al. (2022) Overcoming challenges for implementing nature-based solutions in deltaic environments: insights from the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. Environmental Research Letters, 17(6), 064052. (doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac740a)
Mallon, J., Banaszak, A. T., Donachie, L., Exton, D., Cyronak, T., Balke, T. and Bass, A. M. (2022) A low-cost benthic incubation chamber for in-situ community metabolism measurements. PeerJ, 10, e13116. (doi: 10.7717/peerj.13116) (PMID:35402104) (PMCID:PMC8992662)
Austin, W., Smeaton, C., Houston, A. and Balke, T. (2022) Scottish saltmarsh, sea-level rise, and the potential for managed realignment to deliver blue carbon gains. Technical Report. ClimateXChange, Edinburgh.
Renaud, F. et al. (2021) Adaptation and Resilience in ASEAN: Managing Disaster Risks from Natural Hazards. Documentation. UK Government.
Vovides, A. G. , Wimmler, M.-C., Schrewe, F., Balke, T. , Zwanzig, M., Piou, C., Delay, E., López-Portillo, J. and Berger, U. (2021) Cooperative root graft networks benefit mangrove trees under stress. Communications Biology, 4, 513. (doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02044-x) (PMID:33953329) (PMCID:PMC8100114)
Cziesielski, M. J. et al. (2021) Investing in blue natural capital to secure a future for the Red Sea ecosystems. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 603722. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.603722)
Balke, T. , Vovides, A. , Schwarz, C., Chmura, G. L., Ladd, C. and Basyuni, M. (2021) Monitoring tidal hydrology in coastal wetlands with the Mini Buoy: applications for mangrove restoration. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 25, pp. 1229-1244. (doi: 10.5194/hess-25-1229-2021)
Dahdouh-Guebas, F. et al. (2020) Public perceptions of mangrove forests matter for their conservation. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 603651. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.603651)
Lõhmus, K., Balke, T. and Kleyer, M. (2020) Spatial and temporal patterns of initial plant establishment in salt marsh communities. Journal of Vegetation Science, 31(6), pp. 1122-1132. (doi: 10.1111/jvs.12915)
Vovides, A. J. , Berger, U. and Balke, T. (2020) Morphological plasticity and survival thresholds of mangrove plants growing in active sedimentary environments. In: Friess, D. and Sidik, F. (eds.) Dynamic Sedimentary Environments of Mangrove Coasts. Elsevier. ISBN 9780128164372
Balke, T. and Nilsson, C. (2019) Increasing synchrony of annual river-flood peaks and growing season in Europe. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(17-18), pp. 446-453. (doi: 10.1029/2019GL084612)
Curnick, D. J. et al. (2019) The value of small mangrove patches. Science, 363(6424), p. 239. (doi: 10.1126/science.aaw0809) (PMID:30655434)
Zielinski, O., Meier, D., Lõhmus, K., Balke, T. , Kleyer, M. and Hillebrand, H. (2018) Environmental conditions of a salt-marsh biodiversity experiment on the island of Spiekeroog (Germany). Earth System Science Data, 10(4), pp. 1843-1858. (doi: 10.5194/essd-10-1843-2018)
Redelstein, R., Zotz, G. and Balke, T. (2018) Seedling stability in waterlogged sediments: an experiment with saltmarsh plants. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 590, pp. 95-108. (doi: 10.3354/meps12463)
Cao, H., Zhu, Z., Balke, T. , Zhang, L. and Bouma, T. J. (2018) Effects of sediment disturbance regimes on Spartina seedling establishment: implications for salt marsh creation and restoration. Limnology and Oceanography, 63(2), pp. 647-659. (doi: 10.1002/lno.10657)
Balke, T. , Lõhmus, K., Hillebrand, H., Zielinski, O., Haynert, K., Meier, D., Hodapp, D., Minden, V. and Kleyer, M. (2017) Experimental salt marsh islands: a model system for novel metacommunity experiments. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 198(Part A), pp. 288-298. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2017.09.021)
Bouma, T.J. et al. (2016) Short-term mudflat dynamics drive long-term cyclic salt marsh dynamics. Limnology and Oceanography, 61(6), pp. 2261-2275. (doi: 10.1002/lno.10374)
Balke, T. , Stock, M., Jensen, K., Bouma, T. J. and Kleyer, M. (2016) A global analysis of the seaward salt marsh extent: the importance of tidal range. Water Resources Research, 52(5), pp. 3775-3786. (doi: 10.1002/2015WR018318)
Balke, T. and Friess, D. A. (2016) Geomorphic knowledge for mangrove restoration: a pan-tropical categorization. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 41(2), pp. 231-239. (doi: 10.1002/esp.3841)
Corenblit, D. et al. (2015) Engineer pioneer plants respond to and affect geomorphic constraints similarly along water-terrestrial interfaces world-wide. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(12), pp. 1363-1376. (doi: 10.1111/geb.12373)
van Wesenbeeck, B.K., Balke, T. , van Eijk, P., Tonneijck, F., Siry, H.Y., Rudianto, M.E. and Winterwerp, J.C. (2015) Aquaculture induced erosion of tropical coastlines throws coastal communities back into poverty. Ocean and Coastal Management, 116, pp. 466-469. (doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.09.004)
Hu, Z., van Belzen, J., van der Wal, D., Balke, T. , Wang, Z. B., Stive, M. and Bouma, T. J. (2015) Windows of opportunity for salt marsh vegetation establishment on bare tidal flats: the importance of temporal and spatial variability in hydrodynamic forcing. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 120(7), pp. 1450-1469. (doi: 10.1002/2014JG002870)
Balke, T. , Swales, A., Lovelock, C. E., Herman, P. M.J. and Bouma, T. J. (2015) Limits to seaward expansion of mangroves: translating physical disturbance mechanisms into seedling survival gradients. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 467, pp. 16-25. (doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2015.02.015)
Balke, T. , Herman, P. M. J. and Bouma, T. J. (2014) Critical transitions in disturbance-driven ecosystems: identifying windows of opportunity for recovery. Journal of Ecology, 102(3), pp. 700-708. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12241)
Bouma, T. J. et al. (2014) Identifying knowledge gaps hampering application of intertidal habitats in coastal protection: opportunities & steps to take. Coastal Engineering, 87, pp. 147-157. (doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2013.11.014)
Balke, T. , Bouma, T. J., Herman, P.M.J., Horstman, E. M., Sudtongkong, C. and Webb, E. L. (2013) Cross-shore gradients of physical disturbance in mangroves: implications for seedling establishment. Biogeosciences, 10(8), pp. 5411-5419. (doi: 10.5194/bg-10-5411-2013)
Balke, T. , Webb, E. L., van den Elzen, E., Galli, D., Herman, P. M. J. and Bouma, T. J. (2013) Seedling establishment in a dynamic sedimentary environment: a conceptual framework using mangroves. Journal of Applied Ecology, 50(3), pp. 740-747. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12067) (PMID:23894211) (PMCID:PMC3712466)
Van der Stocken, T., De Ryck, D. J. R., Balke, T. , Bouma, T. J., Dahdouh-Guebas, F. and Koedam, N. (2013) The role of wind in hydrochorous mangrove propagule dispersal. Biogeosciences, 10(6), pp. 3635-3647. (doi: 10.5194/bg-10-3635-2013)
Bouma, T.J. et al. (2013) Organism traits determine the strength of scale-dependent bio-geomorphic feedbacks: a flume study on three intertidal plant species. Geomorphology, 180-18, pp. 57-65. (doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.09.005)
Balke, T. , Klaassen, P. C., Garbutt, A., van der Wal, D., Herman, P. M.J. and Bouma, T. J. (2012) Conditional outcome of ecosystem engineering: a case study on tussocks of the salt marsh pioneer Spartina anglica. Geomorphology, 153-54, pp. 232-238. (doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.03.002)
Friess, D. A., Krauss, K. W., Horstman, E. M., Balke, T. , Bouma, T. J., Galli, D. and Webb, E. L. (2012) Are all intertidal wetlands naturally created equal? Bottlenecks, thresholds and knowledge gaps to mangrove and saltmarsh ecosystems. Biological Reviews, 87(2), pp. 346-366. (doi: 10.1111/j.1469-185X.2011.00198.x) (PMID:21923637)
Balke, T. , Bouma, T.J., Horstman, E.M., Webb, E.L., Erftemeijer, P.L.A. and Herman, P.M.J. (2011) Windows of opportunity: thresholds to mangrove seedling establishment on tidal flats. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 440, pp. 1-9. (doi: 10.3354/meps09364)
Vandenbruwaene, W. et al. (2011) Flow interaction with dynamic vegetation patches: Implications for biogeomorphic evolution of a tidal landscape. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116(F1), (doi: 10.1029/2010JF001788)