Meteorology and biogeochemistry
Wartime meteorological training preceded doctoral work with Hutchinson on the strontium cycle. Odum connected local biological processes with wider material flows and collaborated with his older brother Eugene.
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An ecosystem budget
In the 1950s he studied Silver Springs, where relatively stable conditions and measurable flows supported an ecosystem budget. His 1957 monograph examined production, respiration, feeding relations and exchanges across system boundaries.
From measurements to models
Energy-flow symbols, equations and computer simulations represented processes investigated in springs, bays and forests. In Puerto Rico, large enclosures and other measurements helped his team examine rainforest metabolism and responses to disturbance.
Society and ecological accounting
His later work addressed wetlands, environmental policy and resource use. Emergy analysis sought to compare energy inputs behind resources. In his 2003 memoir, Ewel described its eventual status as still unsettled. In 1987 he shared the Crafoord Prize with Eugene.