Disturbance to Response: How Natural & Anthropogenic Forces Shape Aquatic Ecosystems”

Dr. Anna Turetcaia (QC-SEES, EnSci-BS ‘17), Water Resources Scientist, INTERA (Austin, TX)

Terrestrial and coastal aquatic environments play a critical role in carbon and nutrient cycling, yet they are increasingly stressed by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. How these disturbances alter aquatic ecosystem function across systems and scales remains poorly understood. This seminar will examine controls on CO₂ production and emission from streams in relation to carbon loading and hydrologic regime shifts, identify physicochemical factors governing estuarine resistance to precipitation events, and reveal previously unrecognized dependencies of aerobic respiration on organic matter properties and nutrient limitation. Together, these findings highlight both generalizable patterns and system-specific controls that improve our ability to predict and manage aquatic ecosystem responses to environmental change.

Bio: Anna Turetcaia is a biogeochemist passionate about linking biotic processes with hydrological and biogeochemical dynamics in riverine systems spanning headwaters to coastal environments. By integrating field, laboratory, and modeling approaches, Dr. Turetcaia examines how natural and anthropogenic disturbances interact with riverine processes to influence ecosystem function. She received her doctoral degree in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin (2022), followed by a postdoctoral appointment at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2022-2024). She recently assumed the role of Water Resources Scientist at an environmental firm in Austin TX, (INTERA). Dr. Turetcaia is a proud Queens College, School Of Earth and Environmental Sciences alumna (EnSci BS ’17).