Sarah A. Spaulding, PhD
(She/they)Sarah is an aquatic ecologist, with a focus of expertise in algae, including diatoms and harmful algae.
Sarah's research interests cover the application of taxonomy, paleoecology, and biogeography to environmental assessment. Most recently, Sarah worked on regional river surveys, using diatoms, eDNA, and algal metrics to assess the impacts of a variety of stresses on freshwater organisms. For several years, Sarah has managed the USGS BioData Algal Taxonomy section, keeping algal nomenclature up to date and in accordance with the International Code of Algae, Fungi, and Plants (INA). She is passionate about sharing algal taxonomy and ecology with scientists, students, and the public. Sarah currently serves as the Chair of the Editorial Review Board for the collaborative (USGS, EPA & University of Colorado), electronic, peer-reviewed flora, Diatoms of North America (diatoms.org).
Sarah's published research covers a wide range of topics including atmospheric deposition of nitrogen, aquatic invasive species, environmental DNA sequencing, harmful algal blooms, paleolimnology, automated identification of organisms, development of new assessment methods, and modeling algal species response.
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society for Freshwater Science, member (2016-), Taxonomic Certification Committee (2018-)
International Society of Diatom Research, President (2023-),Vice President (2021-2023), Member Advisory Council (2008, 2016, 2018-2020), Associate Editor (2013, 2016, 2017), Chair of Web Working Group
Phycological Society of America (2010-)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (2015-2017, 2019-)
Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (2019-)
Honors and Awards
Elizabeth Jester Fellows Award, National Water Monitoring Council (2023)
US Geological Survey Achievement Award (2007-2016, 2019-2020)
EPA Ecosystems Protection Program, Region 8, Greater Kudu Nomination (2007)
US Geological Survey STAR Award for Outstanding Technical Assistance and Outreach (2006)
Science and Products
Inland diatoms from the McMurdo Dry Valleys and James Ross Island, Antarctica
Holocene depositional environments and surface-level changes at Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
Increase in nuisance blooms and geographic expansion of the freshwater diatom Didymosphenia geminata
Antarctic climate cooling and response of diatoms in glacial meltwater streams
Scientific issues relating to temperature criteria for salmon, trout, char native to the Pacific Northwest
Valve morphology and systematic position of Navicula walkeri (Bacillariophyceae), a diatom endemic to Oregon and California (USA)
Diatoms in sediments of perennially ice-covered Lake Hoare, and implications for interpreting lake history in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica
Taxonomy and distribution of the genus Muelleria frenguelli
The microbial plankton of Lake Fryxell, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica during the summers of 1992 and 1994
Winter phytoplankton dynamics in a subalpine lake, Colorado, U.S.A
Phytoplankton and zooplankton under ice-cover in a subalpine lake, The Loch, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, 1987-89
Phytoplankton dynamics in three Rocky Mountain lakes, Colorado, USA
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Inland diatoms from the McMurdo Dry Valleys and James Ross Island, Antarctica
Holocene depositional environments and surface-level changes at Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
Increase in nuisance blooms and geographic expansion of the freshwater diatom Didymosphenia geminata
Antarctic climate cooling and response of diatoms in glacial meltwater streams
Scientific issues relating to temperature criteria for salmon, trout, char native to the Pacific Northwest
Valve morphology and systematic position of Navicula walkeri (Bacillariophyceae), a diatom endemic to Oregon and California (USA)
Diatoms in sediments of perennially ice-covered Lake Hoare, and implications for interpreting lake history in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica
Taxonomy and distribution of the genus Muelleria frenguelli
The microbial plankton of Lake Fryxell, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica during the summers of 1992 and 1994
Winter phytoplankton dynamics in a subalpine lake, Colorado, U.S.A
Phytoplankton and zooplankton under ice-cover in a subalpine lake, The Loch, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, 1987-89
Phytoplankton dynamics in three Rocky Mountain lakes, Colorado, USA
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government