Freshwater Ecosystem Ecology
I have wide ranging experiences in aquatic ecology. I have worked on projects ranging from carbon and nutrient cycling to plankton community composition using a variety of field, laboratory, and modeling techniques.
Photo credit: A. Breef-Pilz
Reservoir Organic Carbon Dynamics
I have worked on several projects since 2018 asking questions relating to variability and drivers of organic carbon (OC) in reservoirs.
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Currently I am working on a project looking at how OC composition and concentration changes spatially across a reservoir watershed.
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I am also working on a project exploring the forecastability of OC concentrations using high-frequency sensors and meteorological forecasts.
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Previously I completed a senior thesis project during my undergraduate degree looking at drivers and variability of OC using high-frequency sensors and time series modeling.
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Lake Metabolism and Global Change
Lakes and reservoir around the world are experiencing decreased duration of winter ice cover due to climate change. Decreases in ice cover has the potential to change lake ecosystem function. This study we explored how variation in winter ice covered influenced metabolism rates (GPP, R, NEP) in a reservoir that experiences intermittent ice cover.
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Photo credit: J. Booth
Photo credit: C. Carey
Effects of a Triathlon on Water Quality
Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly threatened by contaminants of emerging concern such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). There is a high potential for these contaminants to be introduced to freshwaters via human swimming, but few studies to date have explored this question. We monitored changes in PPCP concentrations after a triathlon event in a reservoir for three years to understand how large swimming events may introduce PPCPs.
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