Peter C Esselman, PhD

My research extends the theory and approaches of landscape ecology into large lake and river contexts to support natural resource decision making from local to continental scales.  Since joining USGS in 2014, I have worked to apply emerging technologies and analytical approaches to the description of large-scale spatiotemporal variation in forage fish abundances and habitats that underpin Great Lakes commercial and recreational fisheries.  I am also actively engaged in the detection, measurement and modeling of invasive and nuisance species distributions and abundances to support the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.  I am a strong advocate for modernization of data collection methods, aquatic remote sensing, and improving bathymetric and habitat maps for the Great Lakes.  Prior to joining USGS I worked extensively in Central America where I studied tropical river ecosystems and supported global and local conservation organizations.  I have specialties in fish community ecology, landscape ecology, biological assessment, applications of machine learning models to ecological problems, field methods, and spatial planning.