Jennifer Dijkstra
<p>Dr. Jenn Dijkstra is a Research Associate Professor the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. Dr. Dijkstra was the University member representative on the New Hampshire commission for Coastal Marine Natural Resources and Environment. She is the chair of the Diving Control Board.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Broadly, we characterize the benthic environment (seafloor, including foundation and non-native species, and demersal fishes) communities using a combination of remote sensing (e.g., active acoustics (echosounders), unmanned aerial imagery, ground-truth, photogrammetry) and in-situ observations (diver surveys) and experiments. We study communities that span the deep sea to kelp forests and warm water coral reefs. This includes the study of changes in community composition, biogenic structure of reefs (temperate and coral), and relationships between bathymetry and species composition.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dr. Dijkstra received a B.A. from the University of New Brunswick (Canada), a M.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Bremen (Germany), and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire.</p>
Courses Taught
- BIOL 999: Doctoral Dissertation Research
- INCO 790: Advanced Research Experience
- ZOOL 999: Doctoral Research
Research Interests
- Biodiversity
- Climate Change - Impacts
- Coastal Environment
- Ecology
- Invasive Species
- Marine and Ocean Sciences
- Marine Biology
- Application of remotely sensed data and GIS
Selected Publications
Trudeau, G. A., Lowell, K., & Dijkstra, J. A. (2025). Coral reef detection using ICESat-2 and machine learning. Ecological Informatics, 87, 103099. doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103099
Beregovyi, K., Dijkstra, J. A., & Butkiewicz, T. (2025). Calculating 3D rugosity maps for complex habitat scans. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12. doi:10.3389/fmars.2025.1449332
Byrnes, J. E. K., Brown, A., Sheridan, K., Peller, T., Lawlor, J., Beaulieu, J., . . . Benes, K. (2024). Notes from the past show how local variability can stymie urchins and the rise of the reds in the Gulf of Maine. Ecosphere, 15(4). doi:10.1002/ecs2.4800
Hartwell, A. M., Wheat, A. E., & Dijkstra, J. A. (2024). Natural warming differentiates communities and increases diversity in deep-sea Ridge Flank Hydrothermal Systems.. Commun Biol, 7(1), 379. doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06070-3
Van Volkom, K. S., Harris, L. G., Lambert, W. J., & Dijkstra, J. A. (2023). The effect of surface orientation on early successional fouling communities in the southern gulf of Maine. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 569, 151952. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2023.151952
Dijkstra, J. A., Harris, L. G., Mello, K., Litterer, A., Wells, C., & Ware, C. (2017). Invasive seaweeds transform habitat structure and increase biodiversity of associated species. JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 105(6), 1668-1678. doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12775
Dijkstra, J. A., Buckman, K. L., Ward, D., Evans, D. W., Dionne, M., & Chen, C. Y. (2013). Experimental and Natural Warming Elevates Mercury Concentrations in Estuarine Fish. PLOS ONE, 8(3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058401
Dijkstra, J. A., Westerman, E. L., & Harris, L. G. (2011). The effects of climate change on species composition, succession and phenology: a case study. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 17(7), 2360-2369. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02371.x
Bullard, S. G., Lambert, G., Carman, M. R., Byrnes, J., Whitlatch, R. B., Ruiz, G., . . . Heinonen, K. (2007). The colonial ascidian Didemnum sp A: Current distribution, basic biology and potential threat to marine communities of the northeast and west coasts of North America. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY, 342(1), 99-108. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2006.10.020
Dijkstra, J., Harris, L. G., & Westerman, E. (2007). Distribution and long-term temporal patterns of four invasive colonial ascidians in the Gulf of Maine. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY, 342(1), 61-68. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2006.10.015
