Each year, the USGS in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources supports research that improves and enhances the nation's water supply. Known as USGS 104(g) grants, the proposal process is highly competitive with applicants requesting up to $250,000 to support their research. Recent awardees, Dr. Stephanie Ewing and Dr. Robert Payn (Montana State University), are teaming up with USGS researchers, Dr. James Paces and Dr. Rob Striegl (USGS Colorado), to understand how hydrologic storage changes across the transition between steep mountainous headwaters and depositional valleys within intermountain basins. The team will use geochemistry of soil and bedrock weathering products to understand sources of base flow (i.e. groundwater) water supply across these mountain-basin transitions in the Upper Missouri watershed. The Gallatin River watershed will serve as a case study for understanding the mechanisms of longer-term watershed hydrologic storage in the intermountain west, with implications for the coupling between human and natural systems associated with increasing demand for water resources driven by growing populations. Stay tuned for more about this exciting research!
Interested in the next round of Water Resources Research grants? Pre-proposals are due February 15, 2017 (email pre-proposals directly to wyatt.cross@montana.edu). Researchers from accredited institutes of higher learning are eligible to apply for a grant through the Montana Water Center and proposals that involve collaboration with USGS and scientists are strongly encouraged. You can view the full RFP here.
