December 17, 2012

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's spring semester water seminar will feature more than a dozen lectures covering a variety of timely water-related topics.

The free public lectures begin Jan. 16 and continue weekly through April 24, except for March 20, during spring break. The 14 lectures are Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the first floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege streets, UNL East Campus.

"Weekly topics run the gamut of timely and provocative water and water-related subjects, which broadens the scope of the lecture series and ensures that there are at least one or two lectures that anyone interested in water can relate to and have interest in," said Nebraska Water Center assistant director Lorrie Benson, who organizes the annual series. The NWC is part of the University of Nebraska's Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute.

Andrea Brookfield of the University of Kansas opens the lecture series with a talk on integrating hydrologic models, building new tools for managing water.

"Modeling is an essential and critical tool, both for water quantity and quality, for current and future water management, so it's not unusual to use the lecture series to increase our knowledge of the latest practices in that field," Benson said.

Other speakers and lectures include a talk on estimating and measuring global precipitation in the 21st century by George Huffman of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Feb. 6; the new local politics of water by Megan Mullin of Temple University on Feb. 20; and adaptive governance of urban watersheds by Ahjond Garmestani of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 6.

Invasive species is another issue of increasing importance in managing water and water systems and David Strayer of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will speak on the effects of the Zebra Mussel invasion on aquatic ecosystems in the Hudson River and other areas on March 13. Zebra Mussels are a persistent and increasing threat to many Nebraska and Iowa ecosystems, as well.

On April 10, Jeremy Weiss of the University of Arizona will address the ramifications of recent variations in low temperature and moisture constraints on vegetation in the southwestern U.S.

Later in the month, Steven Peterson of the U.S. Geological Survey will address the High Plains groundwater availability study and how abundant groundwater in the High Plains aquifer region doesn't necessarily mean abundant surface water.

Other speakers in the series hail from the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of Iowa.

The complete January through April schedule appears below and is posted online at watercenter.unl.edu. Videos of most lectures, along with speaker PowerPoint presentations, will also be posted at that web address within a few days after the lecture.

Dates & Speakers

• Jan. 16: Integrated Hydrologic Models: Building New Tools for Water Management — Andrea Brookfield, University of Kansas
• Jan. 23: The Niobrara River Basin Study: Using Various Models to Assess Water Supplies and Demands — Brandi Flyr, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources
• Jan. 30: Participatory Water Governance: Experiences & Issues from Around the World — Kate Berry, University of Nevada, Reno
   
• Feb. 6: (Williams Memorial Lecture) Global Precipitation in the 21st Century — George Huffman, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Feb. 13: Do We Really Have Too Much Water Pollution? The Nexus Between Economic Science and Physical Science — Steven J. Taff, University of Minnesota
• Feb. 20: The New Local Politics of Water — Megan Mullin, Temple University
• Feb. 27: Resistance and Resilience of Aquatic Communities to Low Flow Disturbance — Annika Walters, University of Wyoming
   
• March 6: Adaptive Governance of Urban Watersheds — Ahjond Garmestani, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• March 13: Effects of the Zebra Mussel Invasion on Aquatic Ecosystems: the Hudson River and Beyond — David Strayer, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
• March 20: No seminar (UNL Spring Break)
• March 27: Dynamics of Transport and Fate of Solutes in Hydrologic Landscapes — Adam Ward, University of Iowa
   
• April 3: (Williams Memorial Lecture) Implications for Water, Food and Energy from the Latest IPCC Climate Simulations — Lawrence Buja, National Center for Atmospheric Research
• April 10: Recent Variations in Low-Temperature and Moisture Constraints on Vegetation in the Southwestern U.S. — Jeremy Weiss, University of Arizona
• April 17: The U.S. Drought of 2012: Once-in-a-Generation Crop Calamity — Brad Rippey, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• April 24: The High Plains Groundwater Availability Study: Abundant Groundwater Doesn't Necessarily Mean Abundant Surface Water — Steven Peterson, U.S. Geological Survey

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