Bridget R Deemer, Ph.D.
Broadly, I am interested in how human activities are affecting the way that energy and nutrients cycle through ecosystems. My research aims to better characterize how reservoirs can affect the transport and transformation of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and other biologically relevant elements.
My research also explores the potential role of management in affecting ecosystem function. Identifying reservoir management win-wins as well as trade-offs is critical as the quantity and quality of water becomes increasingly variable under a changing climate. Currently, I am working on a project to understand how conditions in Lake Powell (and the associated management of Glen Canyon Dam) are affecting ecosystem metabolism in the Colorado River.
Professional Experience
Oct 2016-present: Research ecologist, USGS Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ
April 2020-2022: Raelyn Cole Editorial Fellow, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)
February-May 2013: Policy Fellow, Army Corps Institute for Water Resources, Alexandria, VA
Education and Certifications
2016 - PhD, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver
• Dissertation: "Patterns and controls on nitrogen removal and greenhouse gas production in reservoir"
2010 - M.S. in Environmental Science, Washington State University
2004 - B.A. in Environmental Studies, Vassar College
Science and Products
Peer review by and for non-native English speakers: Interacting across international limnology societies
Taking steps to address inequities in open-access publishing through an early career publication honor
Little bugs, big data, and Colorado River adaptive management: Preliminary findings from the ongoing bug flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam
Experimental reductions in sub-daily flow fluctuations increased gross primary productivity for 425 river kilometers downstream
Early career researchers have questions about peer review—we asked the ASLO editors for answers
Spatiotemporal methane emission from global reservoirs
Half of global methane emissions come from highly variable aquatic ecosystem sources
Drivers of methane flux differ between lakes and reservoirs, complicating global upscaling efforts
Greenhouse gas emissions from an arid-zone reservoir and their environmental policy significance: Results from existing global models and an exploratory dataset
Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population
Calcite precipitation in Lake Powell reduces alkalinity and total salt loading to the Lower Colorado River Basin
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Peer review by and for non-native English speakers: Interacting across international limnology societies
Taking steps to address inequities in open-access publishing through an early career publication honor
Little bugs, big data, and Colorado River adaptive management: Preliminary findings from the ongoing bug flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam
Experimental reductions in sub-daily flow fluctuations increased gross primary productivity for 425 river kilometers downstream
Early career researchers have questions about peer review—we asked the ASLO editors for answers
Spatiotemporal methane emission from global reservoirs
Half of global methane emissions come from highly variable aquatic ecosystem sources
Drivers of methane flux differ between lakes and reservoirs, complicating global upscaling efforts
Greenhouse gas emissions from an arid-zone reservoir and their environmental policy significance: Results from existing global models and an exploratory dataset
Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population
Calcite precipitation in Lake Powell reduces alkalinity and total salt loading to the Lower Colorado River Basin
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.