Anthropogenic inputs of nutrients via river runoff are the primary drivers of ecosystem degradation in Chesapeake Bay (CB) and the northern Adriatic Sea (NAS). The annual cycle of river flow is typically unimodal in CB (seasonal peak during spring) and bimodal in the NAS (peaks during April–June and October–December). Dissolved inorganic nitrogen accounts for most of the total nitrogen (TN) in both systems.

Read more

Nutrient and sediment transport exhibit strong spatial and temporal inequality, with a small percentage of locations and events contributing to the vast majority of total annual loads. The processes for determining how to reduce total annual loads at a watershed scale often target spatial, but not temporal, components of inequality.

Read more

Stretching across 31 US states and 2 Canadian provinces, America’s Watershed benefits millions of people and thousands of communities. It supports our many economic activities while remaining a natural and recreational treasure of global importance.

Read more

In the annual IAN Report Card, IAN staff reflect back on accomplishments from 2019. The self-assessment is based on indicators in three categories: social impacts, ecological outcomes, and partner engagement. Overall, IAN received an overall grade of B (84%) which is a slight decrease from the 2018 score of B (86%).

Read more

Pacific and Atlantic data from 2012–2018 indicate that U.S. coral reefs are in fair condition. Most themes did not meet their historical references, meaning they are moderately to very impacted. There are exceptions, but overall, the data suggest that reefs are vulnerable to further decline due to threats from ocean warming and acidification, coral disease, and fishing impacts. Download the document to learn more about U.S. Coral Reef condition.

Read more

The primary purpose of this document is to describe the scoring process used for all the Atlantic jurisdictions: Florida, the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), Puerto Rico, and the Flower Garden Banks.

Read more

The first-ever Lower Kafue River Basin Report Card examines the health of the Kafue River in Zambia. Sixteen indicators in five categories were assessed across seven regions within the basin. The basin received a moderate score of 49, a C, illustrating that some regions of the basin are in better condition than others. This report card includes a detailed summary of the process and indicators as well as proposed management interventions and strategic actions to improve basin and river health.

Read more

Novel forms of drought are emerging globally, due to climate change, shifting teleconnection patterns, expanding human water use, and a history of human influence on the environment that increases the probability of transformational ecological impacts. These costly ecological impacts cascade to human communities, and understanding this changing drought landscape is one of today’s grand challenges.

Read more

About one-third of the total population of the Great Lakes Basin lives within the Lake Erie Watershed. The lake provides drinking water for 11 million residents and is home to one of the largest freshwater commercial and recreational fisheries in the world. The lake and surrounding areas provide many recreational opportunities, such as camping, kayaking, boating, hiking, birding, and fishing, and are vital to the economy of the region.

Read more

The Evaluating Transdisciplinary Approaches Workshop was convened by the Belmont Forum at the National Science Foundation and facilitated by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Alexandria, VA, USA on 26–28 June 2019. Participants of the workshop are part of a growing community of transdisciplinary research supporters and practitioners. Their efforts contribute to our fundamental and applied understanding of complex systems.

Read more