14:00-14:45 UTC - Keynote: Doing More With Less: A Wyoming Case Study in Open Science and Accessible Modern Tools for Data-Limited Aquatic Ecoystems
Sean Bertalot (University of Wyoming) and Tristan Blechinger (University of Wyoming)
Aquatic research has long been concentrated in well-funded, well-sampled study systems, leaving a substantial fraction of the world's lakes, rivers, and reservoirs effectively invisible to science and management. Wyoming's lakes and rivers are one such example of this: ecologically significant and management-relevant yet operating in a data landscape shaped by decades of sparse, and sporadic sampling. In this talk, we present a collaborative framework — developed across limnology and fisheries science — for doing regionally relevant aquatic research where data are limited. Rather than introducing entirely novel methods, we emphasize the importance of integrating existing tools, emerging technology, and increasing accessibility across research and management. The result is a growing body of aquatic science in a region where little previously existed, and a framework we hope provides a usable template for similarly overlooked systems.
A live stream of the pre-recorded keynote will begin at 14:00 UTC, followed immediately by a live Question and Answer session with the speaker.
14:45-15:00 UTC - Break
15:00-17:00 UTC - Workshop: rLakeHabitat: An Open-Source R Package for Bathymetric Mapping and Aquatic Habitat Quantification
Sean Bertalot (University of Wyoming) and Tristan Blechinger (University of Wyoming)
Physical habitat structure shapes nearly every aspect of lake and reservoir ecosystems — from oxygen dynamics and nutrient cycling to biodiversity and productivity. Bathymetry-based approaches are extremely useful for characterizing the availability of key habitat types, including photic littoral zones and stratified pelagic habitats, yet few open-source tools exist that make this analysis accessible to researchers and managers. Here, we introduce rLakeHabitat, an R package designed to streamline bathymetric digital elevation model generation and quantify physical aquatic habitat availability across a range of water levels. The package provides a reproducible, flexible workflow applicable to both natural lakes and managed reservoirs. By lowering the technical barriers to spatially explicit habitat analysis, rLakeHabitat aims to broaden the use of bathymetric approaches in aquatic research and ecosystem management.
A traditional part of AEMON-J meetings in the past has been to openly discuss ideas for new, joint projects.
This time in the schedule is to bring up such ideas, perhaps inspired by the workshops earlier that day, and discuss.
If no such ideas are pitched, this time can also be used for small talk, networking, and other social activities.
