About

Dr. Andrew H. Baldwin is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland. His research and teaching focus on the ecology of tidal and inland wetlands, including plant and ecosystem ecology of natural and restored wetlands. His extension work emphasizes wetland restoration. Dr. Baldwin is interested in both coastal and inland wetlands, with the goal of understanding the links between plant regeneration, carbon and nitrogen cycling, invasive species, and global change, and applying this knowledge to improve wetland restoration outcomes. He is certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist (P.W.S.) and has served as past President, Fellow, and Lifetime Member of the Society of Wetland Scientists.

Research topics

• Ecology
• Environmental science
• Geology
• Botany
• Environmental chemistry
• Geography
• Biology
• Geomorphology
• Chemistry
• Remote sensing

Selected publications

• Shifting cyclone travel speed and its impact on global mangrove ecosystems

  Science Advances · 2025-12-05 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Cyclones cause major damage to mangrove ecosystems globally. While this damage is projected to increase as storms intensify with climate change, the consequences of changes in cyclone attributes other than wind speed remain largely unexplored. Here, we show that shifts in cyclone travel speed may also dramatically alter the risks and mechanisms of damage. By developing an interpretable machine learning model trained with all cyclones recorded worldwide from 2001 to 2021, we find that fast-moving cyclones tend to be especially destructive on steeply sloping coasts, exacerbating physical damage, whereas slow-moving cyclones induce predominantly hydrological damage. Between 1981-2000 and 2001-2020, exposure of global mangrove ecosystems to cyclones increased by 13%, accompanied by substantial changes in cyclone travel speeds, with exposure to slow- and fast-moving cyclones doubling in, respectively, the Caribbean and East Asia. Our results highlight opportunities to integrate regional shifts in cyclone attributes under a changing climate into mangrove management strategies.

  PublisherDOI

• Changes in Soil Organic Matter Composition and Microbial Communities due to Coastal Wetland Migration

  2024-01-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Long-term periodic management of Phragmites australis maintains native brackish wetland plant communities

  Wetlands Ecology and Management · 2024-03-29 · 4 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Consequences of organic matter amendments for methane emissions and soil and vegetation development in a restored wetland

  Wetlands Ecology and Management · 2024-03-06 · 4 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• What Happens After Phragmites Is Killed; Effect of Variable Tidal Flooding on Plant Growth and Carbon Allocation: A Marsh Organ Experiment

  Harvard Dataverse · 2023-09-11

  datasetOpen access

  This dataset is from a mesocosm experiment where different native wetland species and the invasive species Phragmites australis were planted at different flooding levels in a tidal creek along the Rhode River, a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay in Edgewater, Maryland. This dataset includes plant growth metrics (height, basal diameter, and stem counts), aboveground and belowground plant biomass, soil oxidation reduction potential, soil carbon, flooding levels, and salinity.

  PublisherDOI

• Long-term periodic management of Phragmites australis maintains native brackish wetland plant communities

  Research Square · 2023-12-04 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access

  <title>Abstract</title> Complete eradication of invasive plants is often infeasible while in some cases ‘functional eradication’, the reduction of an invader to low levels with reduced ongoing management costs, is a sustainable option. Non-native <italic>Phragmites australis</italic> has challenged land managers across North America but functional eradication may yet be possible in some scenarios. Here we present data from Chesapeake Bay brackish tidal wetlands where two approaches to <italic>Phragmites</italic> management (long-term, continuous management and short-term, non-continuous management) were used. We demonstrate that the application of herbicides will lead to the establishment of native species, but long-term, continuous management is required to facilitate functional eradication of <italic>Phragmites</italic> by keeping it at low levels of occurrence and restoring native plant communities. Ultimately, historical data from sites that were sampled as part of this study indicate that if management is successful and results in functional eradication of <italic>Phragmites</italic>, then the recovering vegetation will include native species that were present before the sites were invaded by <italic>Phragmites</italic>.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• What Happens After Phragmites is Killed: A Retrospective Analysis

  Harvard Dataverse · 2023-10-09

  datasetOpen access

  This database contains nine spreadsheets titled: “2011_TMON_All.csv,” “2014_TMON_All.csv,” “2020_TMON_All.csv,” “Historical_Covers.csv,” “Modern_Covers_01.csv,” “Modern_Sommes.csv,” “Modern_Sommes_PresAbs.csv,” “Combined_HistModern.csv,” and “Chi_Comparison.csv.” There are also two R code files titled: “Management_Analysis_Dataverse” and “Monitored_Analysis_Dataverse.” Both R code files were compiled in R version 4.2.1 (2022-06-23 ucrt) -- "Funny-Looking Kid.” Together, the three files “2011_TMON_All.csv,” “2014_TMON_All.csv,” and “2020_TMON_All.csv,” serve as the raw data compiled together in the R code file “Monitored_Analysis_Dataverse” for the Monitored dataset described in the publication. Metadata for the included nine spreadsheets is below: &lt;b&gt;Historical_Covers.csv&lt;/b&gt; - Historical cover classes of the species listed in this dataset were extracted from McCormick and Somes (1982) classification of plant communities in the 1972 Maryland Wetland Maps (https://geodata.md.gov/imap/rest/services/Hydrology/MD_WetlandMaps1972/MapServer). The maps provided codes for the wetland plant communities present at the sites based on interpretation of natural-color stereoscopic aerial photographs. The plant communities were verified by field-sampling. Column 1 – Site: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Code: Community code assigned by McCormick and Somes (1982, see citation and access information below) Column 3 – Dominants: Four-letter codes for dominant species present in the plant communities, per the community codes assigned by McCormick and Somes (1982) Column 4 – Treatment: Indicates whether plot was under Short-Term or Continuous Management Columns 5-15: Column names are four-letter species codes for species present at each unique site-plot combination. A value of 1 in a cell indicates that the species was present in McCormick and Somes’ (1982) dataset, and a missing value indicates that the species was not present in the 1982 dataset. &lt;b&gt;Modern_Covers.csv&lt;/b&gt; - Modern cover classes of species were sampled between September and October 2022 from 32 individual tidal wetland sites where Phragmites australis had been treated using herbicides. Column 1 – Site: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Treatment: Indicates whether plot was under Short-Term or Continuous Management Column 3 – Phrag_Cover: Phragmites australis cover class as defined by the Braun-Blanquet method. Column 4 – Spp_Rich: Number of species present in the unique site-plot. Columns 5-37: Column names are four-letter species codes for species present at each unique site-plot combination. The number present in the cell indicates the species’ cover class, as defined by the Braun-Blanquet method (1 = trace, 2 = 1-5%, 3 = 5-25%, 4 = 25-50%, 5 = 50-75%, 6 = 75-100%), in the unique site-plot. &lt;b&gt;Modern_Somes.csv &lt;/b&gt; - Modern cover classes of species were sampled between September and October 2022 from 32 individual tidal wetland sites where Phragmites australis had been treated using herbicides. Column 1 – Site: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Treatment: Indicates whether plot was under Short-Term or Continuous Management Columns 3-13: Column names are four-letter species codes for species present at each unique site-plot combination. The modern species present are constrained to only the species described in McCormick and Somes’ (1982) community codes. The number present in the cell indicates the species’ cover class, as defined by the Braun-Blanquet method (1 = trace, 2 = 1-5%, 3 = 5-25%, 4 = 25-50%, 5 = 50-75%, 6 = 75-100%), in the unique site-plot. &lt;b&gt;Modern_Somes_PresAbs.csv&lt;/b&gt; - Modern cover classes of species were sampled between September and October 2022 from 32 individual tidal wetland sites where Phragmites australis had been treated using herbicides. Column 1 – Site: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Treatment: Indicates whether plot was under Short-Term or Continuous Management Columns 3-13: Column names are four-letter species codes for species present at each unique site-plot combination. The modern species present are constrained to only the species described in McCormick and Somes’ (1982) community codes. A value of 1 in a cell indicates that the species was present in the 2022 survey, and a missing value indicates that the species was not present. &lt;b&gt;Combined_HistModern.csv&lt;/b&gt; - Historical cover classes for the species listed in this dataset were extracted from McCormick and Somes (1982) classification of plant communities in the 1972 Maryland Wetland Maps (https://geodata.md.gov/imap/rest/services/Hydrology/MD_WetlandMaps1972/MapServer). The maps provided codes for the wetland plant communities present at the sites based on interpretation of natural-color stereoscopic aerial photographs. The plant communities were verified by field-sampling. Modern cover classes of species were sampled between September and October 2022 from 32 individual tidal wetland sites where Phragmites australis had been treated using herbicides. Column 1 – Site: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Treatment: Indicates whether plot was under Short-Term or Continuous Management Column 3 – Time: Indicates whether the species present at the unique site-plot are Historical and originate from historical data collected by McCormick and Somes (1982) or Modern, originating from modern species surveys. Column 4 – Spp_Rich: Number of species present in the unique site-plot. Columns 5-15: Column names are four-letter species codes for species present at each unique site-plot combination. The modern species present are constrained to only the species described in McCormick and Somes’ (1982) community codes. A value of 1 in a cell indicates that the species was present in McCormick and Somes’ (1982) dataset or in the 2022 survey, and a missing value indicates that the species was not present in the 1982 dataset or absent in the 2022 survey. &lt;b&gt;Chi_Comparison.csv&lt;/b&gt; Column 1 – Site: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Treatment: Indicates whether plot was under Short-Term or Continuous Management Column 3 – SimDiff: Column indicates whether the unique site-plot’s modern vegetation was determined to be similar to or different from the vegetation described by McCormick and Somes in 1982. &lt;b&gt;2011_TMON_All.csv&lt;/b&gt; - Plant cover classes were sampled in 2011 prior to herbicide treatments to remove Phragmites australis from six sites in St Mary’s, Calvert, and Anne Arundel counties on the Western Shore and Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Column 1 – Plot: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Year: The year the data in the dataset was collected Column 3 – Estuary: The estuary the unique site-plot is located in. Column 4 – Treatment: “Native” treatment refers to unique site-plots which are in native marshes which were not invaded by Phragmites australis. The “Spray” treatment refers to unique site-plots which were in marshes which were invaded by Phragmites australis and where the Phragmites australis was treated using herbicide sprays annually between 2011 and 2013. The “No-Spray” treatment refers to unique site-plots which are in marshes which were invaded by Phragmites australis and where the Phragmites australis was not treated using herbicide sprays. Column 5 – Spp_Rich: Number of species present in the unique site-plot. Columns 5-44: Column names are four-letter species codes for species present at each unique site-plot combination. The number present in the cell indicates the midpoint of percent cover classes—as defined in the Braun-Blanquet method (1 = trace, 2 = 1-5%, 3 = 5-25%, 4 = 25-50%, 5 = 50-75%, 6 = 75-100%)—of a given species present in a unique site-plot. &lt;b&gt;2014_TMON_All.csv&lt;/b&gt; - Plant cover classes were sampled in 2014 after cessation of herbicide treatments in 2011, 2012, and 2013 remove Phragmites australis from six sites in St Mary’s, Calvert, and Anne Arundel counties on the Western Shore and Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Column 1 – Plot: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Year: The year the data in the dataset was collected. Column 3 – Estuary: The estuary the unique site-plot is located in. Column 4 – Treatment: “Native” treatment refers to unique site-plots which are in native marshes which were not invaded by Phragmites australis. The “Spray” treatment refers to unique site-plots which were in marshes which were invaded by Phragmites australis and where the Phragmites australis was treated using herbicide sprays annually between 2011 and 2013. The “No-Spray” treatment refers to unique site-plots which are in marshes which were invaded by Phragmites australis and where the Phragmites australis was not treated using herbicide sprays. Column 5 – Spp_Rich: Number of species present in the unique site-plot. Columns 5-55: Column names are four-letter species codes for species present at each unique site-plot combination. The number present in the cell indicates the midpoint of percent cover classes—as defined in the Braun-Blanquet method (1 = trace, 2 = 1-5%, 3 = 5-25%, 4 = 25-50%, 5 = 50-75%, 6 = 75-100%)—of a given species present in a unique site-plot. &lt;b&gt;2020_TMON_All.csv&lt;/b&gt; - Plant cover classes were sampled in 2020 after cessation of herbicide treatments in 2011, 2012, 2013 to remove Phragmites australis from six sites in St Mary’s, Calvert, and Anne Arundel counties on the Western Shore and Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Column 1 – Plot: Unique site-plot identification code Column 2 – Year: The year the data in the dataset was collected. Column 3 – Estuary: The estuary the unique site-plot is located in. Column 4 – Treatment: “Native” treatment refers to unique site-plots which are in native marshes which were not invaded by Phragmites australis. The “Spray”

  PublisherDOI

• What Happens After Phragmites is Killed; Native Transplant Experiment

  Harvard Dataverse · 2023-09-11

  datasetOpen access

  Dataset on tidal wetland site recovery following Phragmites removal and planting with native species along Maryland, USA subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Includes data on plant cover, plant survival, plant aboveground and belowground biomass, soil carbon, soil oxidation reduction potential, salinity, water levels, and elevation.

  PublisherDOI

• Methane Emissions Are Highly Variable across Wetland Habitats in Natural and Restored Tidal Freshwater Wetlands

  Wetlands · 2023-05-29 · 10 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Soil, Plant, and Microbiome Tracers of Coastal Wetland Migration

  2023-01-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Stephanie A. Yarwood

  University of Maryland, College Park

  26 shared

• Dennis F. Whigham

  Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

  17 shared

• Amr E. Keshta

  Tanta University

  12 shared

• Thomas J. Mozdzer

  Bryn Mawr College

  11 shared

• Stefanie Nolte

  10 shared

• Yakov Kuzyakov

  University of Göttingen

  9 shared

• Carles Ibáñez

  Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture

  9 shared

• Kai Jensen

  9 shared

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the Society of Wetland Scientists
• Lifetime Member of the Society of Wetland Scientists
• Certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist (P.W.S.)