REU Site: River and Coastal Restoration

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

This NSF-sponsored undergraduate research program ?REU Site: River and Coastal Restoration,? involves 10 students for 10 weeks of cutting-edge research on two sets of critical environmental restoration problems with scientists and engineers of the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED) (www.nced.umn.edu), an NSF-funded Science and Technology Center. Students work on one of two teams, ?Team Delta? focused on issues in coastal Louisiana or ?Team Marmot? focused on issues related to the 2007 removal of the Marmot dam on Oregon?s Sandy River. Both teams spend June at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) (www.safl.umn.edu), at the University of Minnesota, using experimental modeling to develop an understanding of the processes they will explore in the field. They also develop their field research questions and participate in scientific writing, research, and ethics seminars in June. The teams then perform field research in July, one team in coastal Louisiana; the other on the Sandy River. Both teams then return to the University of Minnesota to synthesize their research in posters and papers. Students share their posters at the SAFL summer research symposium and at a larger, interdisciplinary poster session on campus. Team Marmot participates in an ongoing campaign to document the geomorphic response of the Sandy River to the 2007 removal of the Marmot Dam. NCED research staff, in collaboration with state and federal agencies, use high resolution measurements to compile a detailed record of how the river redistributes sediment formerly trapped behind the 50 ft tall Marmot dam. Sediment redistribution of this magnitude has important implications for ecological habitat, in this case for salmonid species in particular. This project provides a real-world experiment, critical to the development of more effective river management and restoration practices. (www.marmotdam.com) Team Delta participates in research related to coastal restoration of the Mississippi River Delta. NCED?s Wax Lake field laboratory presents an excellent opportunity to examine linkages between geomorphology and ecology in a coastal restoration context. Additional historical field research areas in the deltaic plain provide students the opportunity to integrate short term projects into a longer-term perspective of geomorphic, biogeochemical, and ecological processes. (http://www.wbi.lsu.edu)