Eugene F. Stoermer (March 7, 1934February 17, 2012) was a leading researcher in

diatom A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising sev ...

s, with a special emphasis on freshwater species of the North American

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. He was a professor of biology at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Biography

His Bachelor of Science degree was obtained in 1958 and his Doctor of Science in 1963, both from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. His doctoral thesis was "Post-pleistocene diatoms from Lake West Okoboji, Iowa" Stoermer originally coined and used the term '' Anthropocene'' from the early 1980s to refer to the impact and evidence for the effects of human activity on the planet earth. The word was not used in general culture until it was popularized in 2000 by

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning atmospheric chemist

Paul Crutzen Paul Jozef Crutzen (; 3 December 1933 – 28 January 2021) was a Dutch meteorologist and atmospheric chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for his work on atmospheric chemistry and specifically for his efforts in studying ...

and others who regard the influence of human behavior on Earth's atmosphere in recent centuries as so significant as to constitute a new

geological epoch The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochronol ...

. He is the co-author with J. P. Smol of ''The Diatoms Applications for the Environmental and Earth Sciences.'' Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999. ; According to

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

, the book is held in 1262 libraries In 2009, he received the honor of a

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

, ''Diatom taxonomy, ultrastructure, and ecology : modern methods and timeless questions : a tribute to Eugene F. Stoermer'' Stoermer, Eugene F., John Patrick Kociolek, Edward C. Theriot, and R. Jan Stevenson.'' Diatom Taxonomy, Ultrastructure, and Ecology: Modern Methods and Timeless Questions : a Tribute to Eugene F. Stoermer.'' Berlin: J. Cramer, 2009.

Named after him

Diatom genera — Stoermeria J.P. Kociolek, L. Escobar & S. Richardon, 1996. Diatom species: * Amphora stoermerii M. Edlund & Z. Levkov, 2009 * Amphorotia stoermeri D.M. Williams & G. Reid, 2006 * Colliculoamphora stoermeri G. Reid & D.M. Williams, 2009 * Encyonema stoermeri S.A. Spaulding, J.R. Pool & S.I. Castro, 2010 * Encyonopsis stoermeri H. Lange-Bertalot & D. Metzeltin, 2009 * Frustulia stoermeri H. Lange-Bertalot & D. Metzeltin, 2009 *

Gomphonema stoermeri ''Gomphonema'' is a genus of diatoms belonging to the family Gomphonemataceae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Species As accepted by WoRMS; *''Gomphonema acceptatum'' *''Gomphonema acuminatum'' *''Gomphonema adhikarii'' *''Gomphone ...

J.P. Kociolek & J.C. Kingston, 1999 * Gomphosphenia stoermeri J.P. Kociolek & E.W. Thomas, 2009 *

Navicula stoermeri ''Navicula'' is a genus of boat-shaped diatom algae, comprising over 1,200 species. ''Navicula'' is Latin for "small ship", and also a term in English for a boat-shaped incense-holder. Diatoms — eukaryotic, primarily aquatic, single-celle ...

J.P. Kociolek & B. de Reviers, 1996 * Neidium stoermeri E.W. Thomas & J.P. Kociolek, 2008 *

Pinnularia stoermeri ''Pinnularia'' is a genus of fresh water algae, more specifically a type of diatom. Habitat ''Pinnularia'' is a predominantly fresh-water algae usually found in ponds and moist soil. They can also be found in springs, estuaries, sediments, and ...

D. Metzeltin & H. Lange-Bertalot, 2007 *

Surirella stoermerii ''Surirella'' is a genus of diatoms in the family Surirellaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Pierre Jean François Turpin in Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. vol.16 on page 361 in 1828. The genus name of ''Surirella'' is in honour of Jacques Simon Arman ...

R.L. Lowe, 1973

References

External links

Eugene F. Stoermer (1934—2012)
�— Obituary, 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoermer, Eugene F American phycologists American limnologists American ecologists 1934 births 2012 deaths University of Michigan faculty