Forests and Water
Water is essential for life. Globally, increasing scarcity and declining quality of water has underscored the need to improve our understanding and management of water resources. Among the paramount conclusions of the last 50 years is that ecological systems in general, and forests in particular, provide critical services with regard to the provision of abundant quantity and high quality water.
Development pressure in Florida and beyond has led to an inexorable decline in forest and wetland cover, with important implications for water yields and natural water treatment. Our research focuses on the hydrologic, biogeochemical and biological processes occuring within watersheds and wetlands in an effort to improve water management, and permit more sustainable relationships between Florida's (and indeed the globe's) exploding population and finite water supplies.
Watershed Systems Background
Systems ecology has deep roots at the University of Florida. At one time, two of the preeminent thinkers in the field were on the faculty (Dr. H.T. Odum and Dr. C.S. Holling); their students and collaborators have carried their ideas about system self-organization, pulsing, feedback and amplification, resilience, energy hierarchy and coupling across scales throughout the world. For the study of landscapes and hydrologic fluxes and stores, the watershed system is the ideal research unit, and is the focus of my own systems research. Further, interactions between biophysical and social drivers are managed at the large scale, which necessitates research designed to address questions particular and often peculiar to this scale.
Florida is among the nations leaders in the manner in which water is managed. The Florida Water Resources Act (FWRA) of 1972 mandated regulatory authorities charged with managing water be created along hydrologic boundaries. The thought was that providing jurisdiction over entire river basin would streamline and standardize management. The 5 Water Management Districts were the result. Our research is tightly coupled to the research needs of the St Johns River Water Managment District.
This website offers a snapshot of my current research and teaching, as well providing a portal to student research opportunities, project information and introduction to the body of theory that I regularly draw on.
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