Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health
Addressing complex water-energy resource challenges
The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Group strives to provide scientific knowledge and technical innovation to address highly complex and multi-faceted water-energy resource challenges. These scientific challenges include the need to 1) understand and predict environmental responses to energy alternatives (e.g., hydropower, fossil fuel, biofuel and nuclear), 2) develop scientifically sound technologies that can enhance energy security and minimize environmental impacts, and 3) provide society and stakeholders the information and tools necessary to inform policy and decision-making. The group’s research strengths center around its capabilities in water resource evaluation and ecological restoration, which includes long-term evaluations of field sites, the use of an 8,000 square foot Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, and the creation of unique, national aquatic resource geospatial databases and modeling tools.