Diking and channelizing in the Toppenish Creek basin, associated with irrigated agricultural development, has altered its natural ecosystem function and hydraulic processes. We seek to answer two research questions: if surface waters are diverted for aquifer recharge in the winter, will this water be available for ecosystem function in the...
This thesis explores the challenges of monitoring stream hydrology in a warmer and wetter climate in the Kenai Peninsula (KP) and Prince William Sound (PWS) region of Southcentral Alaska, located on the traditional territories of the Dena’ina, Ahtna, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, and Eyak People. The physical and climatological extremes of this region...
Over the last 150 years, Oregon white oak habitat in the Willamette Valley has been converted to support grass crops, orchards and vineyards, cities, and conifer forests, nearly extirpating it from the Willamette Valley. Yet Oregon white oak offers many ecosystem services to the Willamette Valley and its residents. Recent...
Coastal landslides and erosion are major natural hazards resulting in unstable slopes, constituting immense challenges to modern infrastructure. Developing, maintaining, and performing risk assessments of infrastructure on, or close to, these hazards require a detailed understanding of the geophysical processes destabilizing the slope. These efforts start with the collection of...
Consistent with its charge under Oregon House Bill 3543, the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI) conducts a biennial assessment of the state of climate change science, including biological, physical, and social science, as it relates to Oregon and the likely effects of climate change on Oregon. This fifth Oregon...
Climate Change in the Northwest: Implications for Our Landscapes, Waters, and Communities is a report aimed at assessing the state of knowledge about key climate impacts and consequences to various sectors and communities in the Northwest United States. This report draws on two recent state climate assessments in Washington in...
The group of scientists that make up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found in 2007 that the warming of Earth’s climate is unequivocal and largely due to human activity. Earth’s climate has changed in the past, though the recent magnitude and pace of changes are unprecedented in human existence....
Headwater streams represent the majority of the drainage area of a river network and provide many critical functions supporting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem health. The riparian zones that surround these streams are transitional areas between terrestrial and stream ecosystems, which provide key habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms, especially during...