Notre Dame researchers unveil innovative system for studying the impact of climate change on streams
Earth owes its nickname “The Blue Planet” to the seas and oceans that cover over 70% of its surface. And yet, for most people, it is Earth's smaller freshwater sources that serve their daily needs. Over half of the world’s population lives within two miles of a river or stream. These replenish aquifers and deliver water for drinking, washing, irrigation, and other purposes.
Scientists know that climate change poses a significant threat to the world's freshwater, including rivers and streams. A few degrees of warming can upset their balance and can lead to blooms of toxic algae, contamination from disease-carrying pathogens, a rise in invasive species, and other serious problems.
However, predicting and controlling changes in freshwater ecosystems can prove challenging. Jennifer Tank, the Galla Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, explains, "The impact of temperature changes on streams and rivers is not well understood. Researchers need an experimental setting that closely resembles natural conditions but also includes a way to manipulate water temperatures."
To fill the gap in scientific understanding, Tank and her colleagues at Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI) have added a crucial new capability to the Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility (ND-LEEF) called the Linked Experimental Temperature System (ND-LEEF-LETS).
Latest Research
- A game, not a grind: Notre Dame students develop mobile app to make math funStudents often say that math is their least favorite subject—too abstract, too much about memorizing rules and formulae, and, frankly, not much fun. That’s why two Notre Dame students have created an educational, gamified math app, Pi-Squared. Their mobile phone app, designed for students aged 15-18, prepares users for standardized math exams, while also appealing to those who enjoy math puzzles.
- ‘Who the messenger is matters’: Lakshmi Iyer shows that cultural leaders can positively influence population growthFertility rates across the world have been steadily dropping since 1950. Pinpointing the reasons is at the heart of Lakshmi Iyer's work as a professor of economics and global affairs. Her research exemplifies the kind of population-level research that Notre Dame Population Analytics (ND Pop), a new research initiative at the University, seeks to foster.
- ND Founders Profile #164: Turning waste into opportunity — Ben Moore’s mission to reduce food waste with The Ugly CompanyAfter being discharged from the Army due to an injury, Ben Moore returned to his family’s farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley, a region that produces nearly 80 percent of the fruit and nuts consumed in the United States. However, when his father, a fourth-generation farmer, explained there was…
- American studies professor wins Russell Sage Foundation grant for research on untold Southeast Asian refugee stories…
- Lee Gettler, professor of anthropology, elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceOn Thursday, March 27, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows including Lee Gettler, the Rev. John A. O’Brien College Professor of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame.
- Rare disease drug nitisinone makes human blood deadly to mosquitoesA study in Science Translational Medicine found when patients take the drug nitisinone, their blood becomes deadly to mosquitoes.
