Douglas Hamilton

About

Douglas Hamilton is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at NC State University. His research takes a holistic view of how wildfires and other natural aerosols are a fundamental component of the Earth System. He utilizes observations and Earth System models to quantify how Earth System processes are coupled and to evaluate how changes in feedback mechanisms may affect society. His interdisciplinary research interests include investigating how aerosols couple Earth system processes from the local to global scale among the solid surface, oceans, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and cryosphere within the Anthropocene. Additionally, he studies how changes to fire regimes can alter the energy balance of the atmosphere, biogeochemical cycles, and air quality, as well as the impact of changes in aerosol nutrient supply to marine regions on phytoplankton productivity, carbon dioxide sequestration, and ocean health.

Research topics

• Geology
• Environmental science
• Chemistry
• Meteorology
• Environmental chemistry
• Climatology
• Physics
• Atmospheric sciences
• Ecology
• Mineralogy

Selected publications

• State of Wildfires 2024–2025

  Earth system science data · 2025-10-15 · 43 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Abstract. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires globally, yet our understanding of these high-impact events remains uneven and shaped by media attention and regional research biases. The State of Wildfires project systematically tracks global and regional fire activity of each annual fire season, analyses the causes of prominent extreme wildfire events, and projects the likelihood of similar events occurring in future climate scenarios. This, its second an…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Influence of Natural, Anthropogenic, and Wildfire Sources on Iron and Zinc Aerosols Delivered to the North Pacific Ocean

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2025-01-30 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Atmospheric deposition is an important source of iron (Fe) and perhaps zinc (Zn) to the oceans. We present total and water‐soluble aerosol Fe and Zn isotopic compositions, size‐fractionated aerosol Fe isotopic compositions, and aerosol enrichment factors from the North Pacific GEOTRACES GP15 section (Alaska‐Tahiti) during the low dust season. We found distinct bulk aerosol provinces along this latitudinal transect: Asian aerosols (especially crustal dust) dominate at higher latitudes (5…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Future climate-driven fires may boost ocean productivity in the iron-limited North Atlantic

  Nature Climate Change · 2025-06-13 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  Rapid shifts in fire regimes affect the carbon cycle by releasing carbon and nutrients such as iron (Fe), potentially enhancing marine productivity and carbon export. Here we use fire emission projections and Earth system models to examine how climate-driven changes in fire emissions may alter soluble Fe (SFe) deposition and productivity. By century’s end, climate change could increase Fe emissions from fires by 1.7–1.8 times beyond projections considering only direct human influences. Model pro…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• AERO-MAP: a data compilation and modeling approach to understand spatial variability in fine- and coarse-mode aerosol composition

  Atmospheric chemistry and physics · 2025-05-06 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract. Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth climate system, and their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, change the albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. High particulate matter concentrations at the…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• HTAP3 Fires: towards a multi-model, multi-pollutant study of fire impacts

  Geoscientific model development · 2025-06-03 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract. Open biomass burning has major impacts globally and regionally on atmospheric composition. Fire emissions include particulate matter, tropospheric ozone precursors, and greenhouse gases, as well as persistent organic pollutants, mercury, and other metals. Fire frequency, intensity, duration, and location are changing as the climate warms, and modelling these fires and their impacts is becoming more and more critical to inform climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as land managemen…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• N. M. Mahowald

  Cornell University

  119 shared

• Yves Balkanski

  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

  37 shared

• Peter Hess

  Cornell University

  36 shared

• Samuel Albani

  University of Milano-Bicocca

  34 shared

• Morgane M. G. Perron

  Ifremer

  33 shared

• Longlei Li

  Cornell University

  33 shared

• Carlos Pérez García‐Pando

  Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

  32 shared

• Parmeshwar L. Shrestha

  Exponent (United States)

  31 shared

Similar researchers at North Carolina State University

• David Egglestonh-56
• Ruoying Heh-49
• Viney Anejah-49