Some Ideas For Research -

STREAMS & DITCHES
Track the variation of water conductance with storm runoff (field monitoring)
Evaluate the physical and / or biological function of different agricultural ditches (field sampling & assessment)
Assess the flashiness of ditches and streams in the Red River Valley (computer data analysis)
Compare the water quality between a buffered and non-buffered ditch (field monitoring & lab analysis)
Better define the meaning of bankfull flow for streams and ditches in our region (theory and field mapping)
Develop a stream enhancement and protection plan for a nearby or familiar watercourse (conservation planning)
Estimate physical changes in a Red River Valley stream course since 1939 (aerial images available from MNDNR)
Develop L. Agassiz Plain regional curves for effective discharge and channel form (mostly field measurement, some computer)
Does a ditch clean-out affect the hyporheic zone?

WETLANDS
Evaluate the water budget of a discrete wetland (field monitoring)
Model the effect that a discrete wetland has on the downsteam hydrograph (computational)
Examine the influence of settlement and agriculture of prairie pothole stratigraphy (field sampling & lab analysis)
Classify the prairie pothole province (mostly GIS)
Are all calcareous wetlands in northwestern Minnesota fens (groundwater discharge wetlands)? (field and laboratory analysis)

MODELS
Build a MODFLOW model of a nearby aquifer (computational)
Build a HEC-HMS model of a small watershed or SWAT model of a larger watershed (computational & GIS)
Calibrate wetness index for this region (computational & GIS)
Build an ArcHydro profile database for a reach of a nearby stream or river (the Turtle?) (GIS)
Measure how ATVs affect soil infiltration (field data collection & computational)

WATERSHEDS
Use nitrogen isotopes to relate groundwater pathline to land cover (field sampling)
Assess changes in a western Minnesota watershed between 1939 and the current time (GIS)
Develop a methodology to assess the affect of lakeshore development on lake function (conservation planning)
Assess the relationship between average buffer width and water quality (aerial imagery & data analysis)

SOIL WATER, GROUNDWATER, SPRINGS, AND SEEPS
Assess the affect of flowing wells on groundwater quality in the Sheyenne delta (field sampling)
Explore the origin, history, and water quality of a large spring near Pisek, ND (historical research, field study)
Correlate soil moisture during a growing season with the distribution of native vegetation (field monitoring)
Characterize differences in infiltration for native prairie vs. cropland for silty clay soils (field sampling & data analysis)
Monitor, measure, and analyze the effect of fire and grazing on grassland infiltration and runoff (field and modeling)

last updated on 18 December 2007