Project 4: Sustaining and improving water-related ecosystem services (WES) in the urban environment is becoming important in many growing cities

Project abstract:
Together with ongoing land intensification, climate change is also expected to shift the magnitude and timing of runoff in urban areas. Such modifications of the hydrologic cycle include increases in peak flow during the wet season and decreases in baseflow during the dry season. Our integrated approach to the urban WES research has focused on monitoring and modeling of the dynamics of provisioning and regulating WES with explicit engagement of local stakeholders. We have been examining how cities can prepare for climate change via smart planning such as the installation of green storm infrastructure (GSI) and sensors. We are interested in testing how such GSI helps mitigate negative consequences of climate change across different spatial and temporal scales. The REU participants will be involved in the installation and monitoring of stream temperature as well as investigating the dynamics of flow and water quality during specific storm events. Students will obtain field sampling as well as analyzing time-series water resource data that have been collected through various community partners.

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