Thomas J. Whitmore

I studied with Edward S. Deevey, Jr., and was influenced by Ed and others in the G. Evelyn Hutchinson lineage. I am a historical ecologist and paleolimnologist who has worked for 45 years on lakes of Florida, Yunnan Province, and in the Yucatan. I took the diatom course at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory with Charlie Reimer in 1982 and it was a wonderful inspiration that led to many professional connections. My diatom work has helped define appropriate nutrient-criteria standards for lakes in Florida, and has assisted many water-management agencies with setting appropriate restoration goals for lakes. Recent work has addressed diatom and cyanobacterial community dynamics during eutrophication of shallow polymictic lakes, historical changes in aquatic-plant communities, and paleohydrological alterations in headwater lakes of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system. I served as Co-Editor in Chief of Journal of Paleolimnology from 2008 to 2022, and on the Executive Committee of the International Paleolimnology Association. In 1995, I founded the Paleolimnology listservice that currently is used by IPA, and I served as moderator for 30 years.  I am very grateful to many good colleagues who have worked hard to support ILL and DONA over the years.