Danyka K. Byrnes, PhD

Data Science • Food-Water Nexus • Water Quality •
Water Security • Anthropogenic Impacts • Hydrology • Agroecosystems

EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy (2020 – 2024)

Thesis: Land-to-Water Linkages: Nutrients Legacies and Water Quality Across Anthropogenic Landscapes

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo
Advisors: Dr. Nandita Basu and Dr. Kimberly Van Meter

Visiting Researcher at Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany Visiting Researcher at The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Master of Applied Science (Water) (2017 – 2019)

Thesis: Typologies of Nitrogen Surplus Across Continental U.S.: Shifting Hotspots and Dominant Controls

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Advisors: Dr. Nandita Basu and Dr. Kimberly Van Meter

Visiting Researcher at University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

Bachelor of Applied Science (2012 – 2017)

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Graduated with Distinctions and on Deans Honor List (GPA 3.86)

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES

asterisk denotes shared first author

Chang, S.Y*, Byrnes, D. K*, Basu, N.B., Van Meter, K.V.M. (2024). gTREND-Nitrogen - Long-term nitrogen mass balance data for the contiguous United States (1930-2017). Accepted to Scientific Data.

Byrnes, D. K*, Van Meter, K.V.M., Basu, N.B. (2024). Nitrogen Memoryscapes: Decoupling of Nitrogen Inputs and Riverine Export Across the Continental United States. In revision.

Van Meter, K. J., Byrnes, D. K., & Basu, N. B. (2023). Memory and management: Competing controls on long‐term nitrate trajectories in U.S. rivers. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gb007651 (IF: 5.96)

N.B. Basu, K.J. Van Meter, D.K. Byrnes, P. Van Cappellen, R. Brouwer, B. H. Jacobsen, J. Jarsjö, D.L. Rudolph, M.C. Cunha, N. Nelson, R. Bhattacharya, G. Destouni, S. Bøye Olsen. (2022). Managing Nitrogen Legacies to Accelerate Water Quality Improvement. Nature Geoscience (IF:16.91).

S.Y. Chang, Q. Zhang, D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, K.J. Van Meter. (2021). Chesapeake legacies: The importance of legacy nitrogen to improving Chesapeake Bay water quality. Environmental Research Letters (IF: 6.19), doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac0d7b

F.Y. Cheng, K.J. Van Meter, D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu. (2020). Maximizing Nitrate Removal Through Wetland Protection and Restoration. Nature 588, 625–630 (IF: 43.07), doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-03042-5

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu. (2020). Long‐term shifts in US nitrogen sources and sinks revealed by the new TREND‐nitrogen dataset (1930‐2017). Global Biogeochemical Cycles 34-9 (IF: 5.73), doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006626

K.J. Van Meter, S. Chowdhury, D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu. (2019). Biogeochemical Asynchrony: Ecosystem Drivers of Concentration-Discharge Dynamics Across Temporal Scales. Limnology & Oceanography 64, 4 (848-862) (IF: 4.325). doi.org/10.1002/lno.11353

PUBLISHED DATASETS

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu. (2023). Trajectories Nutrient Dataset for Nitrogen (TREND-nitrogen) (Version 2). Figshare, doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.917583.

WORK IN PREP

D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, K.J. Van Meter. Phosphorus Management Across the US with gTREND-Phosphorus. In prep
Publication includes open source dataset.

D.K. Byrnes, Johnson, S., K.J. Van Meter, Layton, A., N.B. Basu. Nitrogen Retention and the Memory of U.S. Watersheds. In prep

L. Malik, D.K. Byrnes, M.M. McCleod, S.Y. Chang, N. B. Basu, K.J. Van Meter. TREND-P Canada Long-term phosphorus surplus across Canada.
Publication includes open source dataset.

HONORS & AWARDS

All monetary awards are approximately converted to CAD

Doctoral Thesis Completion Award, University of Waterloo, September 2024 ($4,000)

NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements (CGS-MSFSS), December 2021 ($6,000)

Horton Research Grant, American Geophysical Union, July 2021 ($13,000)

Outstanding Student Presentation Award (OSPA) Winner, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2020 ($250)

Term Activity Report Faculty of Engineering Awards for Academic Excellence and Scholarly Contributions, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Waterloo ($500)

First Place Graduate Students Poster (Basic Science Category). Society of Freshwater Science (SFS) Summer of Science Conference ($550)

Engineering Excellence PhD Fellowship, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario ($120,000) (deferred)

President’s Graduate Scholarship, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario ($55,000)

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) CGS D Scholarship, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario ($105,000)

Provost’s Doctoral Entrance Award for Women, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario ($5,000)

Globalink Research Award, MITACS, Exchange Program to the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL ($6,000)

Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science & Technology (QEII-GSST), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario ($15,000)

President’s Graduate Scholarship (PGS), University of Waterloo ($5,000)

RBC Water Scholarship for Academic Excellence and Commitment to Interdisciplinary Research, University of Waterloo ($5,000)

HeForShe Engineering Travel Grant, University of Waterloo ($500)

Best Graduate Student Poster Award, World Water Day 2018, University of Waterloo ($500)

Graduated Bachelors of Applied Science with Deans Honor and Distinction

Teaching Assistant Excellence Award, CIVE/ENVE 100, Sr. Sandford Fleming Foundation, University of Waterloo ($300)

PRESENTATIONS

first author is presenting author

2024

D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, K.J. Van Meter, “Sustainable Phosphorus: Balancing Food Security and Ecosystem Health”, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC 2024, (oral presentation, Invited)

2023

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Nitrogen memoryscapes: Spatial patterns in nitrogen inputs and riverine export across the continental United States over the last two decades”, American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA 2023 (oral presentation)

E. Ury, F. Y. Cheng, R. Bhattacharya, N. Singh, D.K. Byrnes, L. Malik, T. B. Hampton, G. Lakhanpal, N. B. Basu, “Beyond flood control: Assessment of nutrient retention in urban stormwater best management practice”, 2023 American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA 2023, (poster)

D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, K.J. Van Meter, “Sustainable Phosphorus: Balancing Food Security and Ecosystem Health”, 2023 American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA 2023 (poster)

N. Moosdorf, R. Reinecke, K. Befus, D.K. Byrnes, “Global Hydrological Modeling: Are we Missing an Uncanny Valley?”, European Geophysical Union 2023 General Assembly (oral presentation)

2022

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Decoupling of N Inputs and Watershed N Export: Point and Non-Point Source Controls on Stream Nitrogen Export”, Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Grand Rapids, MI, May 2022. (oral presentation)

K. J. Van Meter, F.Y. Cheng, N.B. Basu, and D.K. Byrnes, “Maximizing U.S. nitrate removal through wetland protection and restoration”, Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Grand Rapids, MI, May 2022. (oral presentation)

2021

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Nitrate Memoryscape: Point and Non-Point Source Controls on Stream Nitrogen Export”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, December 2021. (eLightning Talk, Invited)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Phosphorus Legacies: A Continental US Scale Estimate of Phosphorus Accumulation Over the Last 88 Years”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, December 2021. (poster)

K.J. Van Meter, F. Y. Cheng (presenting authors), D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, “Wetlandscapes: Land-Use Legacies and Water Quality Futures,” Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands, University of Florida, January 2021. (oral presentation, Invited)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Typologies of Nitrogen Surplus Trajectories using the new TREND-nitrogen dataset: Shifting Hotspots and Dominant Controls”, Canadian Geophysical Union Student Meeting, Virtual Conference, January 2021. (poster)

2020

K.J. Van Meter, S. Chowdhury, D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu “Biogeochemical Asynchrony: Land-Use Drivers of Seasonal Nutrient Concentration Regimes across the Great Lakes Basin”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2020, Virtual Conference. (oral presentation, Invited)

K.J. Van Meter, S. Chang, N.B. Basu, Q. Zhang, D.K. Byrnes, “Chesapeake Legacies: Implications of Legacy N Accumulation for Water Quality Improvements in the Chesapeake Bay”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2020, Virtual Conference. (oral presentation, Invited)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Typologies of Nitrogen Surplus Trajectories using the new TREND-nitrogen dataset: Shifting Hotspots and Dominant Controls”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2020, Virtual Conference (poster, OSPA Winner)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Long‐term shifts in US nitrogen sources and sinks revealed by the new TREND‐nitrogen dataset (1930‐2017)”, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University, October 2020, Department Seminar (oral presentation, Invited)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Trajectories Nutrient Dataset for Nitrogen (TREND-Nitrogen): Shifting Hotspots and Dominant Controls”, Society of Freshwater Sciences Summer of Science Conference, June 2020 (poster, Winner of Best Graduate Student Poster Award)

2019

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Typologies of Nitrogen Surplus Across Continental U.S.: Shifting Hotspots and Dominant Controls”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2019, San Francisco, CA (poster)

F.Y. Cheng, D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Missed Opportunities: Decoupling of wetlands from nutrient source areas limits denitrification potential across the United States”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2019, San Francisco, CA (oral presentation)

R. Bhattacharya, D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Watershed nutrient legacy and hydrological extremes as drivers of lake water quality trends and synchrony”, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2019, San Francisco, CA (poster)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Typologies of Nitrogen Surplus Across Continental U.S.: Shifting Hotspots and Dominant Controls”, World Water Day, March 2019, Waterloo, ON (poster)

2018

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Back to the Future: Impact of Current Versus Historical Land Use on Water Quality Trends Across the Contiguous U.S.”, 2018 American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, Washington DC, USA. (oral presentation)

K.J. Van Meter, S. Chowdhury, D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, “Biogeochemical Asynchrony: Ecosystem Drivers of Seasonal Concentration Regimes Across the Great Lake Basin”, 2018 American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, Washington, DC, USA. (oral presentation, Invited)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, S. Chowdhury, N.B. Basu, “Biogeochemical Asynchrony: Anthropogenic and Landscape Controls on Nutrient Seasonality in the Great Lakes and Beyond”, 2018 Joint Meeting of the Canadian Geophysical Union and Canadian Soil Science Society, Niagara Falls, ON (oral presentation)

K.J. Van Meter, S. Chowdhury, D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, “Biogeochemical Asynchrony: Ecosystem Drivers of Seasonal Concentration Dynamics”, Global Water Futures 2018 Annual Science Meeting, Hamilton, ON (oral presentation, Winner of Best Postdoctoral Presentation Award)

K.J. Van Meter, S. Chowdhury, D.K. Byrnes, N.B. Basu, “Biogeochemical Asynchrony: Ecosystem Drivers of Concentration Discharge Dynamics Across Temporal Scales”, Society for Freshwater Science 2018 Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI (oral presentation)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Time’s up! The Tale of Nitrogen Time Lags in Canada and U.S.”, World Wetlands Day, February 2018, Waterloo, ON (poster, Winner of Best Student Poster)

2017

N.B. Basu, K.J. Van Meter, D.K. Byrnes “A Race Against Time: Time Lags in Terrestrial-Aquatic Linkages”, 2017 American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, New Orleans, USA. (oral presentation, Invited)

D.K. Byrnes, K.J. Van Meter, N.B. Basu, “Nutrient Legacies and Time Lags in Eastern U.S. and Southern Ontario”, American Geophysical Union 2017 Virtual Poster Showcase (poster)

SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES

2024

‘Plotting Your Course with Effective Data Exploration’ workshop developer

  • Developed a workshop guiding participants through effective data exploration
  • Topics covered include best practices to find new data, data cleaning complexities, pattern exploration tools and tricks, and the importance of domain knowledge
  • Workshop available on GitHub

2023

AGU Hydrology Section Student Subcommittee (H3S) Chair

  • Led and organized team of 24 early-career hydrology researchers
  • Facilitated professional development and community-building services
  • Coordinated events, workshops, and mentorship programs
  • Fostered supportive network within hydrology field

2022

AGU Hydrology Section Student Subcommittee (H3S) Chair-Elect

  • Worked with Chair to facilitate H3S volunteers
  • Provided services to hydrology student and early career researcher community

2021

AGU Fall Meeting Town Hall Convener Finding You Place for Change: How and Where to Take an Active Role in DEI Initiatives as Early Career Researchers and Students

  • Hosted town hall discussing ways students and early career researchers can engage in DEI initiatives
  • Addressed inequity and diversity challenges in Geosciences

AGU Hydrology Section Workshop Organizer and Marketing Team

  • Organized and hosted AGU Hydrology Section workshop delivered by NSF Funded ADVANCEGeo
  • Workshop focus: “Improving Our Work Climate: Bystander Intervention Training and Responding to Hostile Behaviors”
  • Taught participants about exclusionary behaviors and intervention strategies

AGU Early Career Improving Field Work Culture Coffee Hour

  • Organized coffee hour with AGU Atmospheric Science Early Career Committee and H3S
  • Introduced tools and approaches for being active allies during field campaigns
  • Facilitated breakout room discussions with scientists from all career stages

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair AGU Hydrology Section Student Subcommittee (H3S)

  • Facilitated H3S committee’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives
  • Compiled resources for students and early career researchers
  • Worked to remove barriers to success

Canadian Geophysical Union 2020 Student Conference Co-Chair University of Waterloo (delayed due to COVID-19)

  • Organized annual student meeting for CGU hydrology and biogeochemistry chapters
  • Executed 2-day virtual conference with poster sessions and oral presentations
  • Managed attendance exceeding 100 students and early career researchers

2020

AGU Fall Meeting JEDI Town Hall Convener Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in the AGU Hydrology Community and Beyond

  • Presented JEDI initiatives from H3S JEDI committee White Paper
  • Moderated discussion on improving diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts in hydrology section leadership

WaterPOC Database Co-Creator

  • Curated and maintained database of BIPOC scientists in water resource research
  • Inspired by Dr. Jennifer Glass’s Geoscientists of Color database
  • Now hosted by AGU Hydrology Section Student Subcommittee

Development Team Co-lead AGU Hydrology Section Student Subcommittee (H3S)

  • Developed “Navigating Academic Waters” cyberseminar series
  • Provided professional and academic skill development
  • Achieved average attendance of 170 people

2017

Let’s Talk Science, Science Outreach Volunteer University of Waterloo

  • Taught elementary students about hydrology and water quality issues
  • Focused on Grand River Watershed and broader water challenges

Students of the Water Institute Graduate Section (SWIGS) World Water Day 2017 Academia and Industry Outreach, University of Waterloo

  • Engaged with academic and industry partners
  • Promoted water research and education initiatives

PEER REVIEW

Peer Reviewer for:

  • Global Biogeochemical Cycles (IF: 5.703)
  • Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (IF: 5.748)
  • Environmental Research Letters (IF: 6.79)
  • Earth’s Future (IF: 6.14)
  • Journal of Environmental Quality (IF: 2.405)

STUDENT SUPERVISION AND TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS

  • Nikita Haus, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Continental Phosphorus Surplus Budget (2022)

  • Anisha Karkera, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Continental Phosphorus Surplus Budget (2021)

  • Celina Mohni, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Global Groundwater Nitrate (2020)

  • Nicole Khun, Undergraduate Thesis, Seasonal Biogeochemical Regimes of Nutrients Across the Contiguous U.S (2018)

  • Multiple Undergraduate Research Assistants for project: Quantifying Nitrate Time Lags Under Changing Management Regimes across the Contiguous U.S (2018)

    • Kathryn Starratt
    • Nicole Khun
    • Linea Miller
    • Megan Jordan

  • Sara Deschant, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Quantifying Nitrate Time Lags Under Changing Management Regimes across the U.S Eastern Seaboard (2017)

  • CIVE 382 Teaching Assistant, Hydrology and Open Channel Flow (Winter) (2019)

  • CIVE 100 Senior Teaching Assistant, Concepts for Civil and Environmental Engienering (2015)

  • CIVE 100 Teaching Assistant, Concepts for Civil and Environmental Engienering (2013) (Awarded the Teaching Assistant Excellence Award)

PRESS AND MEDIA

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU)
  • Society of Freshwater Sciences (SFS)