NSF-SNSF: Hydrology from Genes: Resolving snow and ice contributions to streamflow using environmental DNA (eDNA)

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

Hydrologic changes, such as shifting precipitation patterns and changing storage in glaciers, snowpacks, groundwater, and soils makes it increasingly complex to forecast water availability. These changes also make it challenging to accurately quantify water flow and storage. Water tracers are commonly used to determine sources of water based on field measurements. Current water tracers, such as ions and isotopes, are often limited in their ability to distinguish between water sources or pathways, especially when the underlying geologic materials are similar. This project will explore the potential for DNA-derived tracers to overcome these limitations in watersheds where snow and ice are major water sources. The main objective of this research is to establish DNA-derived tracers as a reliable tool for hydrologists to better understand how water flow and storage in catchments is influenced by snow and ice, providing new insights where traditional tracers fall short. By providing more precise tools to assess water flow and storage, this research advances knowledge in both hydrology and environmental DNA tracing, with cross-disciplinary applications in environmental monitoring and biodiversity analysis. The project will benefit society by improving water management strategies in climate-sensitive regions, supporting biodiversity conservation efforts, and contributing to climate change adaptation policies. This bi-lateral international project examines water sources and flow paths in snow and ice-dominated catchments of the Oregon Cascades (USA) and the Swiss Alps. Combining traditional tracers with naturally occurring environmental DNA (eDNA) data will allow a more detailed analysis of water dynamics during hydrologic transitions, such as seasonal shifts. This project will conduct eDNA sampling across four study streams as well across multiple water sources, including snowpacks, glaciers, groundwater, soil leachates, and tributaries. At each site, non-target metagenomics analysis will be conducted on samples of watershed discharge and water sources throughout the catchment to identify the individual genes present in water samples. Two traditional hydrologic tools, end member mixing analysis and concentration-discharge analysis will be applied using eDNA information from different sources as the end members and discharge-dependent target tracer. The combination of traditional and eDNA-based tracers offers a robust mechanism to assess the success of these methods in improving water flow and storage predictions. Success will be measured through data integration, model improvements, and the production of peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. This collaborative U.S.-Swiss project is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), where NSF funds the U.S. investigator and SNSF funds the partners in Switzerland. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.