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
Surface Elevation Trends in Natural and Restored Coastal Forested Wetlands Reveal Vulnerability to Saltwater Intrusion and Sea Level Rise
Journal Article Estuaries and Coasts · March 1, 2026 Accelerating sea level rise and increasing frequency of storms are impacting coastal wetlands. Similar to salt marshes, coastal freshwater wetlands provide important flood protection and storm abatement services, but their capacity to keep up with sea leve ... Full text CiteAccelerated carbon cycling after 50 years of warming and increasing hydrologic variability in a temperate stream
Journal Article Limnology and Oceanography · January 1, 2026 Rivers transform and transport much of the organic input they receive from terrestrial ecosystems. This carbon sustains stream food webs and fuels the production and release of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. Warming water temperatures and in ... Full text CiteCommunity 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 CiteRecent Grants
Duke University Program in Environmental Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences · 2019 - 2029LTREB: 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 - 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
Cornell University ·
2001
Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
1996
B.S.