Dr. Jason T. Ortegren

• Position: Professor
• Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Office Location: Building 13, Room 321
• jortegren@uwf.edu
• Campus: 850.474.2491
• Ortegren Lab

Biography

Dr. Jason Ortegren, a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, conducts research on climatology, meteorology, drought and other topics. Specifically, he has studied the impact of regional weather on human health, the role of tropical cyclones in drought amelioration, urban temperature trends in the Southeast, human health impacts of severe rainfall and flooding events, climatic influences on honey production, and subjects involving paleoclimatology, dendrochronology, and freshwater resources. Ortegren’s work has been published in Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Journal of Climate, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, The Professional Geographer, and other publications.

Ortegren has both a Ph.D. and a M.A. in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned a B.S. in Geography from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He is Director of TRAIL, the Tree Ring Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory at UWF. The lab is used for teaching and research in dendrochronology—the scientific method of interpreting ancient environmental variability by analyzing the growth rings of trees. TRAIL research projects have examined forest ecology, plant response to environmental change, and the benefits of the urban forest canopy in Northwest Florida. Among the courses Ortegren teaches: Earth Science, Conservation of Natural Resources, Urban Planning, Weather & Climate, and Advanced Climatology and Climate Change

Degrees & Institutions

Ph.D. Geography, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
M.S. Geography, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
B.S. Geography, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville

Research

Specifically, he has studied the impact of regional weather on human health, the role of tropical cyclones in drought amelioration, urban temperature trends in the Southeast, human health impacts of severe rainfall and flooding events, climatic influences on honey production, and subjects involving paleoclimatology, dendrochronology, and freshwater resources. North Atlantic climate variability; Southeastern U.S. Hydroclimate.

Publications

2015  Knapp, P.A., Maxwell, J.T., Ortegren, J.T., and Soulé, P.T.  Spatio-temporal Changes in Comfortable Weather Duration in the Continental U.S. and Implications for Human Wellness. Annals of the Association of American Geographers.  Accepted 8/9/2015, In Press.

2014 Ortegren, J.T., and Maxwell, J.T.  Spatiotemporal Patterns of Drought / Tropical Cyclone Co-occurrence in the Southeastern U.S.A.: Linkages to North Atlantic Climate Variability. Geography Compass 8(8): 540–559.  

2014 Ortegren, J. T., Weatherall, A., and Maxwell, J.T.  Subregionalization of   Low-Frequency Summer Drought Variability in the Southeastern United States. The Professional Geographer 66(2): 323–332.

2013 Maxwell, J.T., Ortegren, J.T., Knapp, P.A., and Soulé, P.T.  Tropical cyclones and drought amelioration in the Gulf and Southeastern Coastal United States. Journal of Climate 26(21): 8440–8452.                       

2013 Maxwell, J.T., Knapp, P.A., and Ortegren, J.T.  Influence of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on Tupelo Honey Production from AD 1800-2010. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 174: 129–134.            

Keywords: Southeastern U.S. hydroclimate, tropical cyclones and drought amelioration, temperature trends in Southeastern US cities, North Atlantic climate variability, Tree Ring Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory at UWF