COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WSC CATEGORY: 1 COUPLED OBSERVATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT -- A NATIONAL SURVEY PROGRAM

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project will lay the groundwork for a national program of surveys to collect data on people and social institutions that complement ongoing and anticipated hydrologic and ecological data collection efforts and are capable of answering two fundamental science questions: Q1: What drives the human behavioral, institutional, and infrastructural decisions that affect the functioning of coupled water systems across the range of natural and socio-political environments found within the U.S.; and Q2: What are the opportunities for and limits to protection of water-related ecosystem services and future water supplies in the face of climate uncertainty, growing demands on water resources, and advancing technologies? The project will: (1) build awareness in and receive input from the scientific community concerning survey objectives and design; (2) engage with mission agencies (e.g., NOAA, USEPA, USDA, USGS, BLS) to explore opportunities to draw on existing sources of physical, biological, and social data; (3) organize and conduct a design/scoping workshop focusing on specific research goals and strategies for data collection and integration; and (4) recommend further steps in survey development and design.