Tim Essington
- Professor, SAFS
- Director, SAFS
My research focuses on and application of ecological principles to today’s conservation and natural resource challenges. As a fisheries ecologist, my work spans fundamental ecological knowledge and its application to decision making. Areas of emphasis include: fisheries adaptation to climate change, ecological consequences of oxygen depletion for marine life, food web interactions and how they are affected by and inform fisheries management. My lab conducts work in a wide range of marine ecosystems: from high seas pelagic systems to the inland seas of Puget Sound. Work in my lab tends to be quantitative, involving mathematical and simulation modeling, and statistical analysis of complex data sets. We conduct fieldwork and collect data, particularly in Puget Sound, where we are working to understand how human modification of this ecosystem affects marine life and which restoration pathways are likely to be effective.
For my availability and policies see Prospective Graduate Students FAQ.
Courses
Areas of Expertise
- Marine ecology
- Marine conservation
- Climate change impacts and forecasting
- Ecological modeling and statistics
Community Engagement and Awards
Advisory Boards
- Technical Advisory Board, Marine Stewardship Council
- Editorial Board: Ecological Society of America
Awards
- 2021 University of Washington, College of the Environment Outstanding Teaching Faculty
- 2020 American Fisheries Society Fellow
- 2017 Oscar Sette Award Outstanding Marine Fishery Biologist
- 2014 University of Washington, College of the Environment Research Award
- 2011 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation
Selected publications
Wood, C. L., R. L. Welicky, W. C. Preisser, K. L. Leslie, N. Mastick, C. Greene, K. P. Maslenikov, L. Tornabene, J. M. Kinsella, and T. E. Essington. 2023. A reconstruction of parasite burden reveals one century of climate-associated parasite decline. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120:e2211903120.
Colton, M. A., L. C. McManus, D. E. Schindler, P. J. Mumby, S. R. Palumbi, M. M. Webster, T. E. Essington, H. E. Fox, D. L. Forrest, S. R. Schill, F. J. Pollock, L. B. DeFilippo, E. W. Tekwa, T. E. Walsworth, and M. L. Pinsky. 2022. Coral conservation in a warming world must harness evolutionary adaptation. Nature Ecology & Evolution 6:1405–1407.
Moriarty, P. E., T. E. Essington, J. K. Horne, J. E. Keister, L. Li, S. L. Parker‐Stetter, and M. Sato. 2020. Unexpected food web responses to low dissolved oxygen in an estuarine fjord. Ecological Applications 30:e02204.
Froehlich, H. E., N. S. Jacobsen, T. E. Essington, T. Clavelle, and B. S. Halpern. 2018. Avoiding the ecological limits of forage fish for fed aquaculture. Nature Sustainability 1:298–303.
Essington, T. E., J. N. Sanchirico, and M. L. Baskett. 2018. Economic value of ecological information in ecosystem-based natural resource management depends on exploitation history. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115:1658–1663.
Essington, T. E., P. E. Moriarty, H. E. Froehlich, E. E. Hodgson, L. E. Koehn, K. L. Oken, M. C. Siple, and C. C. Stawitz. 2015. Fishing amplifies forage fish population collapses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112:6648–6652.
Wood, C. L., R. L. Welicky, W. C. Preisser, K. L. Leslie, N. Mastick, C. Greene, K. P. Maslenikov, L. Tornabene, J. M. Kinsella, and T. E. Essington. 2023. A reconstruction of parasite burden reveals one century of climate-associated parasite decline. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120:e2211903120.
Colton, M. A., L. C. McManus, D. E. Schindler, P. J. Mumby, S. R. Palumbi, M. M. Webster, T. E. Essington, H. E. Fox, D. L. Forrest, S. R. Schill, F. J. Pollock, L. B. DeFilippo, E. W. Tekwa, T. E. Walsworth, and M. L. Pinsky. 2022. Coral conservation in a warming world must harness evolutionary adaptation. Nature Ecology & Evolution 6:1405–1407.
Moriarty, P. E., T. E. Essington, J. K. Horne, J. E. Keister, L. Li, S. L. Parker‐Stetter, and M. Sato. 2020. Unexpected food web responses to low dissolved oxygen in an estuarine fjord. Ecological Applications 30:e02204.
Froehlich, H. E., N. S. Jacobsen, T. E. Essington, T. Clavelle, and B. S. Halpern. 2018. Avoiding the ecological limits of forage fish for fed aquaculture. Nature Sustainability 1:298–303.
Essington, T. E., J. N. Sanchirico, and M. L. Baskett. 2018. Economic value of ecological information in ecosystem-based natural resource management depends on exploitation history. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115:1658–1663.
Essington, T. E., P. E. Moriarty, H. E. Froehlich, E. E. Hodgson, L. E. Koehn, K. L. Oken, M. C. Siple, and C. C. Stawitz. 2015. Fishing amplifies forage fish population collapses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112:6648–6652.