Congratulations to Dr. Hans Paerl, who was named to the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Class of 2015 Fellows. AGU Fellows are selected for their exceptional contributions to Earth and space sciences by their peers and selections are vetted by section and focus group committees. Only 0.1% of AGU members attain this honor in any given year. Dr. Paerl will join 60 individuals from around the world in being recognized at the AGU Fall Meeting on December 16, 2015, in San Francisco, California.

Dr. Paerl is the Kenan Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City. His research investigates the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems, environmental controls of harmful algal blooms, and the causes and consequences of man-made and climatic nutrient enrichment and hydrologic alterations of inland, estuarine, and coastal waters.

Dr. Paerl has been instrumental in SERDP’s Defense Coastal / Estuarine Program (DCERP) since its inception in 2006. DCERP's long-term multi-disciplinary research is helping Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and other coastal installations better understand how to sustain use of their lands and waters for military training into the future, including under the potential impacts of climate change. Dr. Paerl participated in strategic planning workshops for the program and has been a Principal Investigator throughout the program’s duration.