Tongyao Pu

Tongyao works with CIGLR Research Scientist Casey Godwin and the NOAA GLERL Ecosystem Dynamics team. Her current research focuses on developing dynamic energy budget (DEB) models for Dreissena mussels and improving harmful algal bloom (HAB) forecasts in the Great Lakes.

With a multidisciplinary background in Environmental Science, Ocean Science, and Limnology, Tongyao has studied a variety of aquatic and terrestrial systems, including lake hydrodynamics, redox chemistry, ocean circulation, and paddy soil remediation. She is passionate about using numerical and ecological models to better understand complex environmental systems and address challenges facing aquatic ecosystems.
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Education:

• • M.S. in Hydrology and Water Resources Science – University of Minnesota Duluth, 2023
  • B.S. in Environmental Science – University of Liverpool, 2020
  • B.S. in Environmental Science – Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 2018

Research Interests/Area of Expertise:

• • Hydrodynamics & Limnology
  • Biogeochemistry & Redox Chemistry & Dynamic Energy Budget
  • Ecological & Numerical Modeling
  • High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Scientific Programming

Selected Publications:

Pu, T., Haffner, G.D., Crowe, S.A., Katsev, S., 2025. Stratification stability of tropical lakes and their sensitivity to climate. Limnology & Oceanography, 70, 1535–1550. (DOI: 10.1002/lno.70055). [Altmetric Score]

Pu, T., Keretz, S.S., Elgin, A.K., Godwin, C.M., Rowe, M.D., Carrick, H.J., Glyshaw, P.W., Pietscher, R.M., Vanderploeg, H.A., 2025. Dynamic energy budget (DEB) parameter estimation for the globally invasive Quagga Mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis). Ecological Modelling, 505, 111100. (DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111100). 

Liu, Q., Rowe, M.D., Stumpf, R.P., Errera, R., Godwin, C., Chaffin, J.D., Anderson, E.J., Pu, T., 2025. Ten‐Year Hindcast Assessment of an Improved Probabilistic Forecast System for Cyanotoxin (Microcystins) Risk Level in Lake Erie. Water Resources Research, 61, e2024WR038952. (DOI: 10.1029/2024WR038952). [Altmetric Score]

Pu, T., 2023. Stratification stability of tropical lakes and their responses to climatic changes: Lake Towuti (Indonesia) (Master’s thesis). University of Minnesota.

Yuan, Z.F., Pu, T.Y., Jin, C.Y., Feng, W.J., Wang, J.Y., Gustave, W., Bridge, J., Cheng, Y.L., Tang, X.J., Zhu, Y.G., Chen, Z., 2022. Sustainable removal of soil arsenic by naturally-formed iron oxides on plastic tubes. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 439, 129626. (DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129626). [Altmetric Score]

Yuan, Z.F., Gustave, W., Bridge, J., Liang, Y., Sekar, R., Boyle, J., Jin, C.Y., Pu, T.Y., Ren, Y.X., Chen, Z., 2019. Tracing the Dynamic Changes of Element Profiles by Novel Soil Porewater Samplers with Ultralow Disturbance to Soil-Water Interface. Environmental Science & Technology, 53. (DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b05390). [Altmetric Score]