U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Fact Sheet 2005-3015
February 2005
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The National Research Program (NRP) in the hydrological sciences encompasses a broad spectrum of scientific investigations and focuses on long-term integrated studies related to water resource and environmental problems. The NRP provides an infrastructure within which the USGS can develop new information, theories, and techniques to understand, anticipate, and solve water-resource problems facing managers of Federal lands and the Nation. |
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Samples are prepared for laboratory analysis at a field site in Minnesota. |
Research in the NRP is focused on (1) site specific or problem specific studies of special interest to the USGS and DOI and (2) broad investigations on topics of scientific importance in the hydrologic sciences. This combination of approaches is essential to the development of scientific understanding and to the application of that understanding to problems related to the use and preservation of the Nation's water resources.
The NRP makes a deliberate effort to anticipate research needs that will be pertinent to hydrologic science issues of the future. New information, theories, techniques, and tools developed by scientists within the program are used by other USGS scientists and managers, by members of the hydrologic community outside the USGS, nationally and internationally, and by the public. The emphasis of NRP research activities changes through time, reflecting the emergence of needed new areas of inquiry and the demand for new tools and techniques with which to address water-resources issues and problems.
The program is directly linked to and funded by other USGS programs and initiatives to ensure that NRP research addresses current water-resource needs. These programs include the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets Program (WEBB), the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, the Integrated Priority Ecosystems Program, the Volcano Hazards Program, the Ground-Water Resources Program, and the National Streamflow Information Program. Research investigations are often pursued in collaboration with scientists in USGS Water Science Centers; with scientists in the Geology, Biology, and Geography Disciplines of the USGS; and with scientists at other educational and research institutions. The NRP's staff of about 250 permanent and 90 non-permanent individuals is located principally at USGS centers in Reston, Virginia; Denver, Colorado; and Menlo Park, California.
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Research in the NRP is subdivided into research areas. Scientists, representing each area of research, serve as technical advisors to NRP managers and as a peer resource for other research scientists. NRP managers are the Chiefs of the Branches of Regional Research who are located in the Eastern, Central, and Western Regions and the Chief Scientist for Hydrology, who oversees the entire national program. Below is a brief description of the research areas and topics. |
Research Areas |
General Topics |
WATER CHEMISTRYAssess natural and contaminant chemicals in water and sediment, and study fundamental chemical and biochemical processes that affect the movement of organic and inorganic solutes in aquatic systems. |
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GROUND-WATER HYDROLOGYUnderstand the processes that control movement and availability of subsurface water, its transport of dissolved substances, microbes, particulate and other fluid phases, and its interactions with the geological environment. |
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SURFACE-WATER HYDROLOGYQuantify, understand, and model the physical processes that control the distribution and quality of the Nation's surface-water resources. |
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GEOMORPHOLOGY AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORTUnderstand stream-channel morphology and erosional processes that govern the source, mobility, and deposition of sediment. |
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ECOLOGYInvestigate the ecological and biogeochemical processes that affect the quality of water in aquatic systems. |
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Descriptions of research projects in the NRP and recent publications are on the Internet at http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/ |
The Need for Hydrologic Research |
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Research in the hydrologic sciences is important to the Nation to address changes in hydrologic regimes. Research combined with the transfer of research results is essential to provide information and data to help water resource managers make the best possible decisions. National needs requiring continued support for hydrologic research include: |
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For Additional Information
Chief Scientist for Hydrology
U.S. Geological Survey
436 National Center
Reston, Virginia 20192
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