Scientific insights from the Agricultural Research Service’s long-term study sites underpin dozens of models and research methods that guide global land management and conservation practices.
watersheds
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How River Capture Affects the Evolution of Aquatic Organisms
River basins are dynamic environments that are always changing and reorganizing under geologic forces. New research investigates how this shape shifting influences aquatic speciation and extinction.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Records and Risks of Legacy Phosphorus in Streams
A new study quantifies persistent phosphorus in a drainage basin in Sweden and points out risks and oversights to factor in to future stream management.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Environmental Impact Bonds Incentivize Watershed Restoration
Environmental Impact Bonds for financing new water and environmental infrastructure can be properly priced with the help of watershed modelling.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mapping Nutrient Inputs in the Great Lakes Basin
A new tool links nitrogen and phosphorus applications to land use classifications to better understand where and how much of the nutrients enter watersheds in the U.S. Great Lakes Basin.
Posted inNews
The Shape of Watersheds
Streams in flatter watersheds have carbon cycles more sensitive to temperature increases.
Posted inNews
Are Beavers Nature’s “Little Firefighters”?
It’s about dam time: Beavers are acknowledged for their firefighting skills in five recent blazes.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Hydrological Footprint of Atmospheric Rivers on Land
Atmospheric rivers that make landfall in the western United States have significant impacts on the surface water balance, sharpening the seasonality of water resources in coastal watersheds.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Using Radioactive Tracers to Determine the Ages of Streamflow
Radioactive isotope tracers can be used to determine the relationship between the ages of water that is stored in soil and bedrock, water in streams, and the water used by vegetation.
Posted inScience Updates
A Digital Mayfly Swarm Is Emerging
Low-cost, open-source data collectors and a suite of collaborative online tools are making big leaps in the field of watershed monitoring.