River Basins Research Initiative NSF-REU Site

Furman University, Greenville SC

Investigators

Abstract

Sargent The River Basins Research initiative (RBR) NSF-REU Site will incorporate 12 undergraduate science majors into an extensive interdisciplinary research program that is focused on the systematic characterization of river systems throughout the upstate of South Carolina. At present the RBR effort encompasses the Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biology, and Chemistry Departments in the sciences, and the Sociology, Economics, and Political Science Departments in the social sciences. The faculty involved in this program have developed a model system for interdisciplinary integration. The result is a symbiotic interaction between faculty and students from different disciplinary areas. The long-term goal of this research program is to quantify the extent of human impact on river systems in the Lower Broad River Basin in the upstate region of South Carolina. The Greenville-Spartanburg metropolitan area, one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, is located in the headwater region of the Lower Broad River Basin. As a result, water quality and water resource issues are of increasing importance to the local community as well as the communities in the downstream portion of the Broad River/Santee River Basin. Water quality data collected include chemical data (seven cations including trace metals, seven anions, and alkalinity), conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, fish and aquatic insect abundance and diversity, bacterial abundances, and discharge.