A.  Center/Institute/Program

 

Center for Freshwater Studies (CFS)/University of Alabama

 

P.O. Box 870206

Tuscaloosa, AL 35487

 

Phone:  205-348-1796

Fax:  205-348-1403

E-mail:  award@biology.as.ua.edu

Web Page: http://www.as.ua.edu/biolaqua/cfs/

 

Director/Chairperson:  Dr. Amelia K. Ward

Representative to AERC:  Dr. Amelia K. Ward

Alternate:  Dr. G. Milton Ward

 

B.  Major objectives of the Center/Institute/Program

 

The CFS is an interdisciplinary education, research, and outreach program that seeks:

 

1.         Development of interdisciplinary research themes and grant proposals conducive for pursuit of extramural funds.

 

2.         Enhancement of undergraduate and graduate training in interdisciplinary freshwater studies by research/education synergisms.

 

3.         Expansion of outreach activities in freshwater areas from local through international levels.

 

C.  Major ecosystem research emphases

 

1.         Critical interfaces in ecosystems:  land water (riparian zones, wetlands, river floodplains); land-atmosphere (gas flux); and surface-subsurface interfaces.

 

2.         Biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics:  focused linkages between systematics/evolution and ecosystems.

 

3.         Water policy and economics:  socio-political problems related to water use and management of freshwater ecosystems.

 

D.  Staff

 

Permanent scientific staff:  PhD: 33

Scientific support staff:  Research Associates:  0, Technicians:  3

Other support staff:  Program Assistant:  1

Graduate students:   PhD:  35, MS:  30

 

E.  Approximate annual funding (recent year)

 

Core funding:  $22,000/yr, Source:  University of Alabama

Grants:  $9-10 million in active extramural grants; Major sources:  NSF, DOE, EPA, DOD

 

F.  Areas and facilities for ecosystem research studies

 

Research areas: Mobile River Basin (112,000 km2): River system drains 70% of Alabama and parts of Georgia and Mississippi; ancient, biologically diverse, aquatic "hotspot" that traverses 4 major physiographic provinces: discharges into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico.  Upland rocky-bottom streams, sandy coastal plain streams, wetlands, river floodplains, and large impounded and unimpounded fifth-order rivers are sites of ecosystem research. Talladega Wetland Ecosystem (TWE) in west-central Alabama: Pristine wetland formed by beaver activity in a coastal plain stream in a forested watershed; has served as a continuing site for interdisciplinary ecosystem research for over 10 years and has substantial field instrumentation on site.  The Sipsey and Cahaba rivers are among the last free-flowing rivers in the Mobile River system and are the sites of a number of faculty and student research projects.  http://www.as.ua.edu/biolaqua/cfs/resprojects.htm

 

Experimental Mesocosm Facility (glasshouse) on the University of Alabama campus augments wetland and riverine ecosystem studies. Fiberglass units are configured to simulate replicated wetland and stream habitats.  http://www.as.ua.edu/biolaqua/cfs/cfsmeso.htm

 

Laboratory facilities (water chemistry, microscopy, GIS, geochemistry) are described at  http://www.as.ua.edu/biolaqua/cfs/resfacilities.htm

 

Systematics Collections: Documentation of aquatic plants, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, and aquatic insects of Alabama in collections facilities http://www.as.ua.edu/biology/scf

 

 

G.  Research staff directly involved in ecosystem research (names and specialty areas)

 

Addy, Sam N. – economic research

Aharon, Paul – environmental geology

Andreen, William – environmental law

Andrus, C. Fred T. – paleoclimatology and stable isotope geochemistry

Benke, Arthur C. - aquatic invertebrate productivity

Benstead, Jonathan - freshwater ecology, stream ecology, and vertebrate biology

Bryan, C. Hobson – social impact assessment

Cherry, Julia - global change on coastal wetlands, population and community dynamics in freshwater wetlands

Churchill, Perry F. - bioremediation

Clark, John - evolutionary development of flower form and function, plant systematics, taxonomy, biodiversity and conservation

Davis, Lisa (Boulton) - geomorphology, watershed processes and dynamics, and environmental change

Donahoe, Rona J. – metal cycling/mobility in fresh water

Durrans, Rocky S. – surface water modeling/statistics

Edmonds, Jennifer - freshwater microbial ecology/molecular

Findlay, Robert H. – freshwater microbial ecology

Han, Luoheng – remote sensing, GIS applications

Harris, Phillip M. – molecular systematics and conservation genetics of freshwater fishes

Huryn, Alexander D. – aquatic entomology and stream ecology

Johnson, Pauline – water and wastewater engineering

Lopez-Bautista, Juan - phycology with emphasis on green algal evolution

Olson, Julie B. – molecular microbial ecology

Pitt, Robert - "urban water", stormwater management, water problems, control technologies

Powell, Martha J. – systematics/ecology of aquatic fungi

Rissler, Leslie – ecology and evolutionary biology

Shankman, David – biogeography, bioclimatology

Sponseller, Ryan - landscape ecology, relationships between land use, spatial scale, and stream function and structure

Starr, Greg - controlling factors for carbon, water and energy fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems

Tick, Geoffrey - contaminant hydrogeology, soil and groundwater restoration

Ward, Amelia K. – freshwater microbial ecology

Ward, G. Milton – stream ecology, aquatic insects

Williamson, Derek - fate and treatment of environmental contaminants

Zheng, Chunmiao – groundwater contaminant transport

 

H.  Long-term data sets (code name, number of years of data, computer accessibility)

 

Talladega Wetland Ecosystem (TWE) (contact Milton Ward - mward@biology.as.ua.edu):