Walter C. Oechel (born January 15, 1945) is a researcher who studies the areas of plant eco-physiology, systems ecology, global change, and biosphere-atmosphere interaction.
During the 1980s, Oechel led a team studying global warming at Toolik Lake and Barrow, Alaska to measure the greenhouse gases emitted by high Arctic vegetation, where they found evidence that the ground was emitting more gases than it was absorbing, changing the previous understanding of how the Arctic works in the global climate system.
[9] He has also shown that the world's oceans add more to the total greenhouse gas emissions than human activity does, adding substantially to global warming issues.
His use of cutting-edge technology has provided near real-time ecophysiological data on the Web for many K-20 classrooms, and he has developed K-12 interactive science education among United States and Mexico border schools.
Oechel has studied the importance of marine coastal and riverine systems on the global C balance in Arctic, temperate, and tropical regions.