Ecosystems We Study: Freshwater Systems
Managing the world’s freshwater ecosystems including lakes, rivers, and springs, and the water they supply to meet environmental and societal needs in a changing climate is one of the biggest challenges for the 21st century.
Fresh waters are one of the most valuable and threatened resources worldwide. They supply critical services to society and harbor many of the world’s most imperiled species. From seasonal pools to the Great Lakes, freshwater systems play many important roles in the environment such as water purification, providing water for vegetation, and flood prevention. As habitat, wetlands support more than fish, amphibians, and waterfowl. Wetlands provide critical resources for species ranging from moose to bats, and beavers to butterflies.
Oftentimes there is no stark boundary between aquatic and terrestrial systems, and animals, nutrients, and even pollution move freely between them. Rivers also connect the terrestrial landscapes to offshore marine systems. USGS scientists conduct research on the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems; efficacy of various management, conservation, and restoration practices, and how the uses of aquatic ecosystems affect the watershed and its biodiversity.
Freshwater Research
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS freshwater research is listed below. A complete listing of USGS freshwater data is available from the button below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS freshwater research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS freshwater publications is available from the button below.
Great Lakes harmful algal blooms: Current knowledge gaps
Understanding constraints on submersed vegetation distribution in a large, floodplain river: The role of water level fluctuations, water clarity and river geomorphology
Mercury and water level management in lakes of northern Minnesota
The extent and variability of storm‐induced temperature changes in lakes measured with long‐term and high‐frequency data
Half of global methane emissions come from highly variable aquatic ecosystem sources
Aquatic ecosystem metabolism as a tool in environmental management
Drivers of methane flux differ between lakes and reservoirs, complicating global upscaling efforts
Examining historical mercury sources in the Saint Louis River estuary: How legacy contamination influences biological mercury levels in Great Lakes coastal regions
Trophic ecology
Long-term ecosystem and biogeochemical research in Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Does taxonomic and numerical resolution affect the assessment of invertebrate community structure in New World freshwater wetlands?
Nutrients and warming alter mountain lake benthic algal structure and function
Managing the world’s freshwater ecosystems including lakes, rivers, and springs, and the water they supply to meet environmental and societal needs in a changing climate is one of the biggest challenges for the 21st century.
Fresh waters are one of the most valuable and threatened resources worldwide. They supply critical services to society and harbor many of the world’s most imperiled species. From seasonal pools to the Great Lakes, freshwater systems play many important roles in the environment such as water purification, providing water for vegetation, and flood prevention. As habitat, wetlands support more than fish, amphibians, and waterfowl. Wetlands provide critical resources for species ranging from moose to bats, and beavers to butterflies.
Oftentimes there is no stark boundary between aquatic and terrestrial systems, and animals, nutrients, and even pollution move freely between them. Rivers also connect the terrestrial landscapes to offshore marine systems. USGS scientists conduct research on the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems; efficacy of various management, conservation, and restoration practices, and how the uses of aquatic ecosystems affect the watershed and its biodiversity.
Freshwater Research
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS freshwater research is listed below. A complete listing of USGS freshwater data is available from the button below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS freshwater research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS freshwater publications is available from the button below.