Yao's Blowout at Gudmundsen Ranch, NE. "Ridge" above people in picture is buried soil and the 800-year-old dune sand above.

Critical issues being examined are:

•  The ecological effects of altered streamflow in the Platte River.
• The evolution of row-crop agricultural practices in Nebraska
• Grazing practices in the Nebraska Sand Hills and in southeast Nebraska;
• Woody species encroachment into riparian corridors, semiarid grasslands, and rangeland, particularly in Nebraska.  Faculty have published recent papers on water uptake and availability in woody species, invasive woody species, and the hydrologic effects of conifer encroachment.
• The roles of woody plants in agricultural systems, particularly in shelterbelts.  Faculty have recently published papers investigating the aerodynamic effects and microclimate variability of shelterbelts and agroecology and water-use efficiency.
• Dune destabilization and its consequences in the Nebraska Sand Hills in the context of past and future climate change