NSF Org:	DEB Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient:	LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Initial Amendment Date:	August 15, 2009
Latest Amendment Date:	August 15, 2009
Award Number:	0921423
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Matthew Kane mkane@nsf.gov  (703)292-7186 DEB  Division Of Environmental Biology BIO  Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:	August 15, 2009
End Date:	April 30, 2010 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$150,874.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$150,874.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2009 = $0.00
History of Investigator:	Emma Rosi (Principal Investigator) rosie@caryinstitute.org
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Loyola University of Chicago 820 N MICHIGAN AVE CHICAGO IL  US  60611-2147 (773)508-2471
Sponsor Congressional District:	05
Primary Place of Performance:	Loyola University of Chicago 820 N MICHIGAN AVE CHICAGO IL  US  60611-2147
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	05
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	CVNBL4GDUKF3
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	ECOSYSTEM STUDIES, Hydrologic Sciences, Cross-BIO Activities, EMERGING TOPICS
Primary Program Source:	01000910DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	1181, 1579, 6875, 7764, 9169, EGCH
Program Element Code(s):	118100, 157900, 727500, 776400
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.074

ABSTRACT

Inland river networks regulate the export of nutrients from the terrestrial landscape, making them critical for mitigating eutrophication of downstream ecosystems. Yet the ability of rivers to process and retain nutrients has been understudied as previous research has focused mainly on small headwater streams. It is critical to understand how entire river ecosystems, not just sections of streams, influence regional and continental patterns of nutrient export to protect water resources. This research will use a novel field approach to gather empirical measurements of nutrient uptake in multiple rivers across the west and midwest and integrate the data into a dynamic network scale model to evaluate controls on nutrient uptake, thereby integrating aquatic ecosystem ecology and hydrological modeling. This approach will generate critical predictive relationships regarding the capacity of rivers spanning a range of nutrient and sediment conditions to mitigate downstream nutrient export, which is an essential step towards effective water quality management at the river network scale. The intellectual merit of the research includes the transformation of ecological theory regarding nutrient cycling in rivers and improved understanding of the ecosystem services that rivers provide. In turn, the broader impacts of the work will result in unparalleled educational opportunities for graduate students to collaborate on cutting edge river research, watershed modeling tools immediately useful to water resource managers, and data to improve emerging technologies for real-time nutrient monitoring to be used by national observatory programs.

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