Rate My Professor Sarah Mika

Mika's research centers on applying scientific principles to manage freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, with key interests in river restoration, environmental water allocation, catchment health, fine sediment impacts on aquatic life, hyporheic processes, and biogeochemical cycling in rivers. Her work spans wetlands, lagoons, regulated floodplain rivers in the northern Murray-Darling Basin, and unregulated coastal systems in eastern Australia, emphasizing aquatic species ecology, ecosystem metabolism, food web dynamics, monitoring programs for ecological condition, and restoration project evaluations. Notable publications include co-authorship on 'Ecology and management of the hyporheic zone: stream–groundwater interactions' (Freshwater Science, 2010), 'Inside the black box of river restoration: using catchment history to identify disturbance and response mechanisms' (Ecology and Society, 2010), 'Effects of inundation on water quality and invertebrates in semi-arid floodplain wetlands' (Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 2022), and 'The effects of hydrology on macroinvertebrate traits in river channel habitats' (2022), alongside reports like 'Long-term intervention monitoring in the Gwydir River selected area' (2022). With over 380 citations on Google Scholar, her contributions influence waterway management practices through collaborations with communities, industry, and government agencies. Mika teaches units including Aquatic Ecology (ECOL308), Catchment Science and Management (EM402), and Environment in Practice I (ENSC111), and serves on UNE's eResearch Committee while leading workshops on healthy waterways.