Watershed Ecology

Watershed studies at Harvard Forest focus on headwater streams and the linkages between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Research questions include:

1. How are streams and wetlands connected to the ground water system?
2. How are diurnal and synoptic variations in stream biogeochemistry related to terrestrial processes and to storm events?
3. How will aquatic organisms respond to the conversion of hemlock forests to hardwoods?
4. How will drinking water quality and quantity be affected by long-term changes in climate and land use?

Future plans call for real-time integration of meteorological (precipitation, snow pack), hydrological (stream discharge, soil moisture, ground water), and eddy flux (evapotranspiration) measurements to study how water moves through the forest ecosystem over a range of temporal scales.

In addition to researchers listed below, numerous students and teachers collect and contribute watershed data via Schoolyard Ecology vernal pool lessons.