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Award Abstract # 2015619
Collaborative Research: Scales and drivers of variability in dissolved organic carbon across diverse urban watersheds

NSF Org: DEB
Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
Initial Amendment Date: July 13, 2020
Latest Amendment Date: June 25, 2021
Award Number: 2015619
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: May 1, 2021
End Date: April 30, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $117,956.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $163,590.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2020 = $117,956.00
FY 2021 = $45,634.00
History of Investigator:
  • Krista Capps (Principal Investigator)
    kcapps@uga.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
310 E CAMPUS RD RM 409
ATHENS
GA  US  30602-1589
(706)542-5939
Sponsor Congressional District: 10
Primary Place of Performance: University of Georgia
310 E. Campus Rd.
Athens
GA  US  30602-1589
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
10
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): NMJHD63STRC5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Cross-BIO Activities,
Ecosystem Science,
MacroSysBIO & NEON-Enabled Sci
Primary Program Source: 01002021DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002122DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 102Z, 108Z
Program Element Code(s): 727500, 738100, 795900
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.074

ABSTRACT

Most ecosystems are impacted by human activities to some degree, but this can vary considerably beteween locations. For example, cities differ in their impacts on streams and rivers depending on age, storm water infrastructure, amount of green space, and other factors of the built environment. Natural factors such as climate (temperature and precipitation) and geology also affect how different cities influence water quality and quantity at different times of the year. In this project, differences in urban impacts on carbon inputs and outputs in streams will be evaluated across cities in the U.S. that have different urban and climate contexts. This research is critical for understanding ecological patterns and processes in urban streams. Broader impacts of the work will include training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, workshops, and an innovative training and internship program for high school students.

This study will take a novel approach to jointly consider how the human and ecological dimensions of ecosystem ecology interact to control the quality, quantity, and timing of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) ? the largest flux of carbon in streams ? entering watersheds across the continent. This project will assess how urbanization affects DOC, focusing on how urbanization affects stream ecosystems in regionally-specific ways. Researchers will test the hypothesis that human activities introduce novel sources of DOC and affect the spatial and temporal scales and variability of ecological processes in different geographies and urban contexts. The hypothesis will be tested using a comparative approach to understand urban effects on DOC in five urban study areas ? Miami, FL, Boston, MA, Atlanta, GA, Salt Lake City, UT, and Portland, OR. Extensive synoptic sampling of DOC concentrations and quality will be combined with intensive sensor networks to develop a multi-scale understanding of the quantity and quality of DOC in urban systems. Spatial statistics and time-series analyses will identify key spatio-temporal characteristics of human development (e.g., wastewater infrastructure, housing density) and biophysical factors (e.g., discharge, precipitation, canopy cover) that control the concentration, characteristics, and bioavailability of DOC.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.

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