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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

School of Natural Resources

From Earth to Sky and Everything In Between

Ed Harvey, SNR hydrogeologist, drops a saline water probe into standing water in a salt marsh of the Natural Conservancy near Raymond, Neb. Harvey and SNR hydrogeologist Jerry Ayers are studying these rare saline wetlands.
Ed Harvey, SNR hydrogeologist, drops a saline water probe into standing water in a salt marsh of the Natural Conservancy near Raymond, Neb. Harvey and SNR hydrogeologist Jerry Ayers are studying these rare saline wetlands.

Water Resources Program


The Water Science program area within the School of Natural Resources is one of the most varied specializations and carries on a long and storied tradition in water research at the University of Nebraska that dates back to the earliest days of the university. Key areas of investigation are in water quality and chemistry; hydrologic modeling; isotope hydrology for tracking of water and pollutant movement; groundwater and surface water systems; wetlands; lake ecology; and soil moisture.

Teaching, research and outreach on water takes place over a wide array of interdisciplinary applications. These can be in agricultural meteorology, aquatic biology, groundwater or surface water hydrology, hydrologic science, water policy, water quality and watershed management. The undergraduate major and graduate specializations allow for collaboration with and assistance from faculty in the departments of Agricultural Economics, Agronomy and Horticulture, Biological Systems Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Studies, Geosciences and the School of Natural Resources.

Research possibilities in the state are extensive. Nebraska is endowed with about 2 billion acre-feet of usable groundwater, as much as any other state in the nation. It also ranks tenth in the nation in miles of running water. In addition, wetlands-rich regions in the Sandhills of west-central Nebraska and the Rainwater Basin in the south-central part of the state make it an excellent place for wetlands field work. It also is home to the second-highest total of irrigated acres in the nation and sits on the edge of the drought-prone American West, adding to the complexity and interest attending possible research into its water systems.

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