Stephen Jane

My research has centered on a variety of topics in aquatic ecosystems, ranging from the behavior of environmental DNA in small headwater streams, to large-scale, data intensive studies involving hundreds of lakes. Current work focuses on the consequences of regional to global scale environmental change for lake ecosystems and the people who rely on them. My PhD work revealed that dissolved oxygen is declining in both surface and deep waters of temperate lakes around the world in response to warming surface waters.

As an Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow, my work explores the potential implications of this finding for the accumulation of toxic mercury in fishes. Through this work, I seek to develop predictive models that will inform management agencies in New York and beyond, helping them to proactively respond to potentially increasing rates of bioaccumulation as anoxic zones in lakes increase. Further, this work will help inform policy around the regulation of mercury emissions.