Research projects listed on this page represent a sampling of project from the last year. Please use the search box above to investigate our research project archive.
Mother-daughter pair pursues conservation of Nebraska’s terns, plovers
Alisa Halpin and daughter, Summer Larkihn, a research technician at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, spend hours each summer tracking the endangered birds, aiding conservation efforts. (8/8/2023)
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Research Roundup: Water Quality Control
Arindam Malakar and Daniel Snow recently led a study of how irrigation and fertilizer application may contribute to nitrate leaching, which in turn can trigger chemical reactions that potentially mobilize arsenic and uranium. (8/4/2023)
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Nebraska Water Center Researchers Conduct Statewide Project to Characterize Nitrogen Transformation Beneath the Ground Surface
Surface soil, the deeper vadose zone, and groundwater are all interconnected and of particular importance due to Nebraska’s agricultural practices and reliance on groundwater for multiple uses. The vadose zone refers to the unsaturated zone above the water table, where water and air occupy the pore spaces in the soil and rock. (8/2/2023)
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Nebraska researchers conduct largest biochar field trial in the state
A University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team led by Michael Kaiser, began trials of biochar on 16 acres of land, with the aim of further understanding its benefits to soil. (5/30/2023)
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Protection of America: Surprising Role of Plant Ecophysiologist
Defense of the United States is an undertaking that requires the help of experts from a wide array of obviously related disciplines — physics, engineering, computer science, political science and more. One discipline that might not immediately come to mind is plant ecophysiology. (5/18/2023)
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Temperature, drought influencing movement of Plains bison
A study of Plains bison has found that the once-endangered mammals respond to air temperature and severe drought in ways that should inform their long-term management. (4/17/2023)
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NIMBUS receives $2M to advance robotics’ role in climate change research
NIMBUS researchers have earned two grants to push the boundaries of what robots can do and expand human understanding of how climate change is impacting agricultural, aquatic and wildland systems. (3/27/2023)
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Husker researchers contribute to innovative study of California mountain lions
Husker scientists have contributed to a wide-ranging research collaboration in California that is pursuing innovative methods in the study of wildlife ecology. (3/22/2023)
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Study confirms nitrate can draw uranium into groundwater
Nebraska’s Karrie Weber, Jeff Westrop and colleagues have established that nitrate, a compound common in fertilizers and animal waste, can help transport naturally occurring uranium from the underground to groundwater. (3/22/2023)
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Joeckel's analysis of ancient carbon cycle deepens understanding of modern Earth
Matt Joeckel, a professor in the School of Natural Resources at Nebraska, headed the field work for a collaborative project at Utah’s Cedar Mountain Formation. The scientists expanded knowledge of ancient carbon-cycle changes relevant to understanding present-day environmental conditions. (2/24/2023)
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Spread of redcedar tree may threaten quantity, quality of Nebraska's water
Though planting the eastern redcedar tree in grasslands often began as an effort to establish windbreaks against dangerous gusts and detrimental erosion, the woody vegetation has since spread well beyond those shelterbelt origins. In the past 20 years, Nebraska has seen the planting and expansion of more eastern redcedar than almost any other state. Even the Nebraska Sandhills, a semiarid region once thought too dry for eastern redcedar, has experienced a 30-fold increase in the tree’s presence over the past two decades. (2/24/2023)
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Husker researchers, Game and Parks partner on statewide elk study
John Benson, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources, is leading a comprehensive study of Nebraska’s elk population. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, a partner in the project, is providing $831,942 in federal grant funds for the research work, set to extend to 2028. (2/10/2023)
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SNR Alumni: Mikaela Cherry - Rust-coated irrigation pipes hint at lack of nitrate in groundwater
FINDING COULD GUIDE SAMPLING OF GROUNDWATER FOR CONTAMINANT LINKED TO HEALTH ISSUES
A stray observation would lead Husker alumna Mikaela Cherry to hunt for a link between a groundwater contaminant and the irrigation pipes that crisscross rural Nebraska. She appears to have found it.
(12/7/2022)
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Significant Workshops
Implications of a Changing Arctic on the Water Resources and Agriculture in the Central U.S. (2015)
The focus of this workshop was on how the significant climatic and environmental changes being observed in the Arctic may be affecting changes in mid-latitude weather and the implications of these changes on the frequency of extreme weather and climate events (e.g., severe weather, droughts, floods, heat waves) in the Central U.S.
Climate Change Implications for Nebraska (2014-2016)
In September 2014, the University of Nebraska published a report summarizing climate change impacts to the state. This comprehensive report summarized the current understanding of climate change science, projected changes in climate for Nebraska and the implications of these changes for some of the state’s primary sectors. Eight roundtable discussion focusing on areas such as wildlife, human health, energy availability were conducted and summarized.