Emily S. Bernhardt, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor  

Emily S. Bernhardt

Emily Bernhardt is an ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist whose research is principally concerned with tracking the movement of elements through ecological systems. Dr. Bernhardt's research aims to document the extent to which the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems is being altered by land use change (urbanization, agriculture, mining) global change (rising CO2, rising sea levels) and chemical pollution. Ultimately this information is necessary to determine whether and how ecosystem change can be mitigated or prevented through active ecosystem management.

Education:
Ph.D., Cornell University, 2001
B.S., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1996

Office Location: FFSC 3313, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone: +1 919 660 7318
Email Address: emily.bernhardt@duke.edu
Web Page: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/D-9940-2011
Additional Web Page: http://www.bernhardtlab.weebly.com

Specialties:
Ecology and Population Biology

Research Categories: ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry

Current projects: 1. Coupled C, N and S cycling in coastal plain wetlands: how will climate change and salt water intrusion alter ecosystem dynamics? NSF Ecosystems 2010-2013, NSF Coastal SEES 2015-2019, 2. Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Ecological Research Theme Leader, NSF & EPA, 3. Urban watersheds and urban freshwaters: NSF ULTRA, NSF Ecosystems, 4. Environmental impacts of mountain top mining. Foundation for the Carolinas, NSF Hydrology 2014-2017.

Research Description: I am broadly interested in the capacity of ecosystems to retain nutrients and energy, particularly in the face of human accelerated environmental change. My research primarily focuses on how ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycles are altered by climate and land cover change. The majority of my research to date has taken place in aquatic ecosystems, I think about biogeochemistry in a watershed context and am working in upland and floodplain soils as well as stream channels and wetlands in my current research.

Areas of Interest:
Biogeochemistry
Ecosystem Ecology
Stream Ecology
Wetlands Ecology
Urban Ecology
Restoration Ecology

Representative Publications   (More Publications)

  1. Voss, KA; King, RS; Bernhardt, ES, From a line in the sand to a landscape of decisions: A hierarchical diversity decision framework for estimating and communicating biodiversity loss along anthropogenic gradients, edited by Münkemüller, T, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, vol. 6 no. 7 (July, 2015), pp. 795-805, WILEY [doi]  [abs].
  2. Helton, AM; Ardón, M; Bernhardt, ES, Thermodynamic constraints on the utility of ecological stoichiometry for explaining global biogeochemical patterns., Ecology Letters, vol. 18 no. 10 (October, 2015), pp. 1049-1056 [doi]  [abs].
  3. Yang, Y., B.P. Colman, E.S. Bernhardt and M.F. Hochella, Jr., The Importance of a Nanoscience Approach in the Understanding of Major Aqueous Contamination Scenarios: A Case Study from a Recent Coal Ash Spill, Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 49 (2015), pp. 3375-3382 .
  4. Payn, R., A.M. Helton, G.C. Poole, C. Izurieta, A.J. Burgin and E.S. Bernhardt, A generalized mechanistic model for applying thermodynamic, kinetic, and stoichiometric ecological theory to the biogeochemistry of aquatic microbial ecosystems, Ecological Modeling, vol. 294 (2015), pp. 1-18 .
  5. Appling, AP; Bernhardt, ES; Stanford, JA, Floodplain biogeochemical mosaics: A multidimensional view of alluvial soils, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, vol. 119 no. 8 (August, 2014), pp. 1538-1553, American Geophysical Union (AGU) [doi]  [abs].
  6. Helton, AM; Bernhardt, ES; Fedders, A, Biogeochemical regime shifts in coastal landscapes: the contrasting effects of saltwater incursion and agricultural pollution on greenhouse gas emissions from a freshwater wetland, Biogeochemistry, vol. 120 no. 1-3 (August, 2014), pp. 133-147 [doi]  [abs].
  7. Schlesinger, WH; Bernhardt, ES, Biogeochemistry: an Analysis of Global Change, 3rd edition (2013), pp. 750 pages, Academic Press (Available January 7, 2013.)  [abs].

Curriculum Vitae