Freshwater ecosystems are gravely threatened by myriad interacting anthropogenic and natural stressors, including changes resulting from landscape development, climate change, invasive species, and excessive nutrient inputs. Over the past few decades, assessing the health of aquatic ecosystems and their responses to these changes has been accelerated by adoption of newer tools and technologies, including satellite-based remote sensing and fixed buoys carrying sensors for temperature, oxygen, and chlorophyll. Here, we highlight the next stage of emerging technologies - including new satellites and sensors as well as eDNA, bioacoustics, and robotics - together with methods for data sharing, analysis, and modeling. We then describe the frontiers in integrating these approaches with one another and with established approaches to address the most pressing freshwater challenges. Finally, we identify research needs to unlock the potential of these emerging tools and to remove barriers to full-scale integration. Altogether, we aim to highlight emerging technologies and their potential uses in monitoring and management of our aquatic ecosystems.

Authors:

Kathy Cottingham, Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA  (kathryn.l.cottingham@dartmouth.edu)

Paul Frost, Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada  (paulfrost@trentu.ca)

John Gardner, Department of Geology and Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA  (gardner.john@pitt.edu)

Hans-Peter Grossart, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Dept. Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Stechlin Germany & Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam, Germany  (hanspeter.grossart@igb-berlin.de)

Matthew Heydenrych, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia  (matt.heydenrych@curtin.edu.au)

Amber Ignatius, Institute for Environmental & Spatial Analysis, University of North Georgia, Gainesville, GA, USA  (amber.ignatius@ung.edu)

Stephen McCord, McCord Environmental, Davis, CA, USA  (sam@mccenv.com)

Isabella Oleksy, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA  (isabella.oleksy@colorado.edu)

Caleb Robbins, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks  (Caleb_Robbins@baylor.edu)

Mattia Saccò, Subterranean Research and Groundwater Ecology (SuRGE) Group, Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Lab, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia  (mattia.sacco@curtin.edu.au)

Nicole Wagner, Department of Biological Science, Oakland University, Rochester, MI USA  (nicolewagner@oakland.edu)

Marguerite Xenopoulos, Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada  (mxenopoulos@trentu.ca)