Dr. Duberstein investigates relationships between vegetative communities, microtopography, hydrology, soils, and wildlife in tidal freshwater and oligohaline marshes, tidal freshwater forested wetlands, and non-tidal forested wetlands. Much of his work is done to further the state of knowledge of the impacts of global climate change, regional weather patterns, and human-induced hydrology changes to wetland systems. The most common methods used to collect data include harvesting and sorting marsh grass samples, non-destructive woody vegetation surveys, tree growth measurements using dendrometer bands, deploying and downloading autonomous water quality and quantity loggers, hummock and hollow percent cover estimates with occupancy surveys, and measurements of tree sap flow rates. These data are used to discern relationships between vegetation communities and the environmental drivers of interest, determine the effects of management on wetland function and carbon sequestration, and model stand water use of forested areas under differing community compositions and/or environmental stresses.
