Integrating Microbial Ecology and Community Knowledge to Enhance Understanding of Cyanobacterial Bloom Phenology

Timeline

February 1, 2024 to January 31, 2026

Description

The goal of this project is to improve our understanding and mitigation tools for cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) through knowledge integration of microbial ecology and diverse climate phenology perspectives.

This project will address two research questions:

  1. How and why has Lake Champlain basin climate phenology changed in the last 50-60 years according to local and traditional knowledge? How can inclusion of this knowledge shape our understanding of, and response to, changes in winter and CHAB phenology? 
  2. How does interannual seasonal variability impact microbial ecological taxonomic and functional dynamics and productivity related to summer cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) in Lake Champlain? 

Researcher(s)

Erin Eggleston
Assistant Professor of Biology, Middlebury College
eegleston [at] middlebury.edu