Positions

Selected Publications

Academic Article

Year Title
2025 Permafrost pore structure and its influence on microbial diversity: Insights from X-ray computed tomography.  Geoderma.  454:117192-117192. 2025
2024 Unexpected sustained soil carbon flux in response to simultaneous warming and nitrogen enrichment compared with single factors alone..  Nature Ecology and Evolution.  8:2277-2285. 2024
2023 Early warning signals of changing resilience in the biogeochemistry and biology of a northern hardwood forest.  Environmental Research Letters.  18:094052-094052. 2023
2022 Climate consequences of temperate forest conversion to open pasture or silvopasture.  Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.  333:Not-Available. 2022
2022 Initial soil conditions outweigh management in a cool-season dairy farm's carbon sequestration potential..  Science of the Total Environment.  809:152195. 2022
2020 Snowmelt control on spring hydrology declines as the vernal window lengthens.  Environmental Research Letters.  15:114040-114040. 2020
2020 Defining frigid winter illuminates its loss across seasonally snow-covered areas of eastern North America.  Environmental Research Letters.  15:034020-034020. 2020
2020 Divergent carbon cycle response of forest and grass-dominated northern temperate ecosystems to record winter warming..  Global Change Biology.  26:1519-1531. 2020
2019 Winter Weather Whiplash: Impacts of Meteorological Events Misaligned With Natural and Human Systems in Seasonally Snow-Covered Regions.  Earth's Future.  7:1434-1450. 2019
2019 Northern forest winters have lost cold, snowy conditions that are important for ecosystems and human communities..  Ecological Applications.  29:e01974. 2019
2019 Long-Term Measurements of Methane Ebullition From Thaw Ponds.  Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Biogeosciences.  124:2208-2221. 2019
2018 Minerals in the rhizosphere: overlooked mediators of soil nitrogen availability to plants and microbes.  Biogeochemistry.  139:103-122. 2018
2018 To mow or to mow less: Lawn mowing frequency affects bee abundance and diversity in suburban yards.  Biological Conservation.  221:160-174. 2018
2017 A longer vernal window: the role of winter coldness and snowpack in driving spring transitions and lags..  Global Change Biology.  23:1610-1625. 2017
2016 Winter soil respiration in a humid temperate forest: The roles of moisture, temperature, and snowpack.  Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Biogeosciences.  121:3072-3088. 2016
2015 Soil microbial communities vary as much over time as with chronic warming and nitrogen additions.  Soil Biology and Biochemistry.  88:19-24. 2015
2013 Soil respiration does not acclimatize to warmer temperatures when modeled over seasonal timescales.  Biogeochemistry.  112:555-570. 2013
2011 Seasonal dynamics of soil respiration and N mineralization in chronically warmed and fertilized soils.  Ecosphere.  2:art36-art36. 2011
2008 Stoichiometry of soil enzyme activity at global scale..  Ecology Letters.  11:1252-1264. 2008

Principal Investigator On

Investigator On

Teaching Activities

  • Arctic Research Methods I Taught course 2024
  • Intro to Environmental Science Taught course 2024
  • Arctic Research Methods I Taught course 2023
  • Arctic Research Methods I Taught course 2023
  • Biogeochemistry Taught course 2023
  • Arctic Research Methods II Taught course 2022 - 2023
  • Studio Soils Taught course 2022
  • Biogeosci Earth System Taught course 2020
  • Studio Soils Taught course 2015
  • Studio Soils Taught course 2015
  • Studio Soils Taught course 2015

    • Education And Training

  • B.A. French, Villanova University
  • B.A. Philosophy, Villanova University
  • M.S. Conservation Biology, Antioch New England
  • Ph.D. Environmental Science, University of New Hampshire

    • Full Name

  • Alexandra Contosta