Associate Professor
College of Letters and Science | Center for Limnology, Department of Integrative Biology
Hometown: Vadnais Heights, Minnesota
Dr. Grace Wilkinson is a limnologist who studies the dynamic links between lakes and their surrounding landscapes. Her research focuses on harmful algal blooms, ecosystem resilience, and nutrient cycling in lakes. Dr. Wilkinson’s group uses whole-ecosystem experiments and long-term data to understand how lakes are responding to climate change and other human-caused disturbances to better manage our freshwater resources.
Talks:
Are algal blooms getting worse?
Severe algal blooms threaten both ecosystem and human health. With climate change and other disturbances intensifying, it’s reasonable to assume that algal blooms are getting worse. I’ll discuss the surprising trends in algal blooms from lakes around the Midwest and what’s driving that change—both for the worse and for the better.
Building resilience in lakes
Today’s ecosystems are at widespread risk of losing resilience due to climate trends and rising demand for resources. To inform policy and management decisions, we need a better understanding of ecosystem thresholds and tipping points. Using whole-lake experiments, we’re testing ways to build resilience to eutrophication and prevent harmful algal blooms.