Overview
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.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Biology
·
2019 - Present
Biology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Biology
·
2016 - Present
Biology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Chair of the Department of Biology
·
2020 - Present
Biology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor
·
2021 - Present
Marine Science and Conservation,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2017 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Recent Publications
Community structure and metals concentration together determine aquatic-to-terrestrial metal subsidies in urban and forested streams
Journal Article Freshwater Science · December 1, 2025 Watershed urbanization leads to a characteristic set of physical, biological, and chemical stressors that reduce the biological diversity of aquatic insect communities. We examined how aquatic-to-terrestrial subsidies of energy and associated trace metals ... Full text CiteConsequences of dam removal for reservoir carbon storage and emissions.
Journal Article Journal of environmental management · December 2025 Because dams can facilitate high reservoir carbon emissions, reduced emissions have been proposed as a dam removal benefit; however, the impact of removal on carbon balance depends on several gas exchange pathways. We combined literature values with statis ... Full text CiteOverlooked and extensive ghost forest formation across the US Atlantic coast
Journal Article Nature Sustainability · December 1, 2025 Rising sea levels have driven widespread coastal tree die-off, forming large swaths of standing dead trees known as ‘ghost forests’. While reports of coastal forest loss are accumulating, its true severity and factors determining the underlying mortality r ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
LTREB: Streams to Screens: Bringing the Hubbard Brook Watershed Ecosystem Record (HB-WatER) into the 21st Century
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies · 2019 - 2029Duke University Program in Environmental Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences · 2019 - 2029LTER: Long Term Ecological Research at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest.
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies · 2023 - 2029View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Cornell University ·
2001
Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
1996
B.S.