Samantha Baxter

1 week ago | fondriest.com | Samantha Baxter

Water quality monitoring is essential for safeguarding public health, protecting ecosystems, and ensuring the sustainability of water resources. Contaminants such as industrial pollutants, agricultural runoff, and sewage discharge can severely impact aquatic life and pose serious risks to human health if left unchecked.

2 weeks ago | lakescientist.com | Samantha Baxter

Cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater lakes have become a popular research topic in limnological circles due to their influence on water quality, temperature dynamics, food web structure, interactions, and ecosystem functioning. Cyanobacteria can dominate phytoplankton communities, leading to recurring blooms and shaping the rest of the ecosystem like zooplankton abundance and structure.

3 weeks ago | fishsens.com | Samantha Baxter

Under a rapidly changing climate, aquatic ecosystems are exposed to varying temperature extremes—both cold and hot—leading to thermal stress on aquatic species. As defined by Scient Direct, thermal stress refers to the impact on normal physiological functioning as a result of extreme temperatures. Depending on the severity of temperatures and the species, reactions can vary and shape ecosystems.

1 month ago | lakescientist.com | Samantha Baxter

Winter stratification and lake thermal dynamics set up conditions in the spring and summer, as well as being heavily influenced by fall conditions. In a dimictic lake like Lake Superior, how and when winter stratification and lake cooling begin to form is still largely unknown. A 2024 study published in Limnology and Oceanography examined 15 years of temperature data on Lake Superior to evaluate drivers of winter stratification.

1 month ago | fishsens.com | Samantha Baxter

Weather station deployed on Davies Reef. (Credit: Marie Roman / AIMS) An international icon and critical marine ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef is a cornerstone of the region’s economy, biodiversity, culture, and history. However, anthropogenic stressors and climate change have led to some deterioration of areas of the reef over time, making protecting the reef a challenge for local and global institutions.