Harvey Bootsma

Harvey Bootsma is an Associate Dean and Professor in the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), holding the Kohler Endowed Chair of Great Lakes Science. He earned a BSc in Marine Biology from the University of Guelph (1985) and a PhD in Limnology from the University of Manitoba (1993), followed by postdoctoral research at NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

His research focuses on freshwater system dynamics, including nutrient cycling, food web interactions, and ecosystem-scale processes in large lakes such as the Laurentian Great Lakes, African Great Lakes, and South American lakes. Key areas include benthic carbon dynamics, land-lake interactions, and the impacts of invasive species like dreissenid mussels on phosphorus cycling.

Bootsma’s publications emphasize collaborative, multidisciplinary approaches to understanding ecosystem responses to climate, land use, and species composition changes. Recent work highlights Lake Michigan’s phytoplankton dynamics, African Great Lakes monitoring needs, and modeling nutrient transport in nearshore zones.

He has advised numerous collaborative projects, though specific student names are not listed. His research aligns with UWM’s Great Lakes WATER Institute and the NOAA partnership, focusing on applied limnology for ecosystem management.