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> Air, Water and Aquatics > Mission
Air, Water and Aquatic Environments Science
Program Mission Statement
Mission Statement: To
develop and apply scientific knowledge to support management, conservation, and
restoration of terrestrial, riparian and aquatic ecosystems and provide for
sustainable clean air and water quality and delivery in the Interior West.
Air
quality, water availability, water quality, and aquatic habitats are critical
issues within the rapidly changing Western United States. Air, water, and
aquatic resources are essential to society, as a life support and as an economic
mainstay for individuals, communities, local and state governments. Forest and
rangeland land management, coupled with human expansion has a significant
influence on the quality and quantity of these resources. A long history of
overgrazing by livestock, timber harvest, fire suppression, mining operations,
recreational activities, road construction in valley and canyon bottoms and hill
slopes, and dams and water diversions is impacting entire
watersheds. Increasing dependence upon watersheds for off-site domestic water
supplies, irrigation, and recreation has added complexity to the challenges
faced by watershed managers. Natural disturbances, such as climate change and
uncharacteristic fires and weather patterns are rapidly changing known patterns
outdating current air, water, and aquatic management understanding and
monitoring. Research is needed to understand natural processes, and how human
management and other interventions impact these critical resources.
Research Field
Unit Locations located throughout the interior west each contribute to the
AWAE science program research.
Albuquerque Lab,
Boise Lab, Flagstaff Lab,
Fort Collins Lab, Missoula Lab,
Moscow Lab
All Field Unit Locations
Sierra Ancha Experimental Forest
(Arizona) - long-term hydrologic studies
Fraser Experimental Forest (Colorado) -
nutrient cycling, snow hydrology, ecosystem carbon storage, climate, streamflow,
and water chemistry
GLEES (Glacier Lake Ecosystem Experiments Site)
(Wyoming) - seedling germination, nitrogen deposition, riparian hydrology,
disturbance dynamics, tree growth, atmospheric pollutants
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