Our Research Begins Here
If you've ever drank a glass of water , enjoyed a day at the beach, or hauled in a trophy fish (or a tiny bluegill!), you've relied on an aquatic ecosystem to "deliver the goods".
Our research focuses broadly on observing water quality and understanding what drives its variability.
From Cells to Ecosystems
Our research starts with molecules and microorganisms that build the foundation of aquatic food webs, and scales this understanding to entire aquatic ecosystems observed by satellite. Our key focus areas include dissolved organic matter —think coffee or tea—and phytoplankton, the little green guys that produce half the oxygen you breathe, support world-class fisheries like Lake Erie's walleye, and sometimes are so happy they form harmful blooms that can be toxic.
Our research seeks to understand the 'why' of all these events through field sampling, lab analysis and experiments, and working with large, complex datasets that include satellite observations. We perform this work primarily at the terrestrial-aquatic interface, or where land meets coast, with a specialty in understanding the Great Lakes.
