Kayla VanPelt Presents Research Talk at International Biology Conference

Kayla VanPelt, of Tivioli, NY, presented a research talk titled "Thermocline Depth in Otsego Lake, NY" at the 2026 ASLO-SIL Joint Meeting in Montreal, Canada. VanPelt's research examined changes in the depth of the thermocline, where warm surface water meets colder, deeper water, in Otsego Lake from 2019 to 2025 using data collected by a lake-monitoring buoy.

Held from May 12-16, 2026, the international event was organized by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) and the International Society of Limnology (SIL). Biology researchers of all academic backgrounds, including undergraduate and graduate students, Ph.D. candidates, and biology professors, presented various topics in the aquatic sciences.

VanPelt's presentation was one of four topics discussed in the "Aquatic Sciences on Ice: Physical and Abiotic Processes" group session. This session focused on ice itself: its formation, structure and evolution, alongside the physical and abiotic processes that operate during the ice-covered season, including stratification and mixing, solute exclusion, gas dynamics and hydrology.

VanPelt's participation in this conference was supported by the Caroline '67 and David D'Antonio Student Travel for Excellence Fund, the Student Travel for Excellence Program (STEP) Academic Fund, and funding received by Associate Professor of Biology Kiyoko Yokota from the Otsego Lake Watershed Supervisory Committee.