Projects & Partnerships
Surface Hydrology
The Northern Great Plains (NGP) has transitioned from a prolonged drought cycle to a period of heavy precipitation since the late 1900s, with significant shifts occurring in surface hydrology. Utilizing a physically-based hydrologic model, the CWR teams reveals different hydrologic responses before and after 2011, highlighting changes in streamflow and evapotranspiration dynamics.
- Examine Hydrologic Responses: Investigate how increased precipitation impacts the water budget and surface hydrology
- Model Evaluation: Assess the performance of a physically-based hydrologic model against snow and outlet streamflow observations to ensure accurate representation of hydrologic processes.
- Enhance Understanding: Contribute to the understanding of surface hydrology in northern glaciated prairie landscapes under changing climatic conditions, providing insights for future water management and environmental planning.
Featured Project
Impacts of Recent Wetting in Northern Great Plains
Water Quality
Algal blooms in the lakes of the Northern Great Plains are a growing concern, primarily due to increased streamflow that brings high phosphorus (P) levels into water bodies.
The CWR team focuses on understanding how hydroclimatic conditions influence P concentration, export, and concentration-to-streamflow relationships. Presenting high-resolution phosphorus observations during snowmelt runoff and employing physically-based hydrologic simulations, the CWR team captures the dynamics of dissolved phosphorus export versus particulate phosphorus and assesses how contrasting wet and dry water years affect these relationships.
- Investigate Nutrient Dynamics: Understand the impact of hydroclimatic variation on phosphorus concentration, export, and concentration-to-streamflow relationships.
- Assess Hydroclimatic Influences: Examine the controlling factors of phosphorus export using both field observations and simulations that reflect hydroclimatic variability.
Featured Project
Environmental Remote Sensing
The CWR team focuses on understanding the dynamics of surface water area to recent changes in precipitation using remotely sensed surface water area data.