Research Projects

Across six agricultural watersheds draining to the Chesapeake Bay, scientists are measuring changes in stream temperature, water chemistry, and aquatic ...

This funding supports Stroud Water Research Center’s efforts to help Delaware River Watershed Initiative partners better understand their streams and ...

These projects use water chemistry and aquatic macroinvertebrates such as mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies to provide assessments of current water ...

This project examines the timeline for changes in soil health after the application of cover crops. Funded by: U.S. Department ...

Scientists are studying PFAS transport and transformation at a Pennsylvania farm with a history of biosolid use to better understand ...

This project quantifies carbon storage in restored riparian forests of varying ages across eastern Pennsylvania. Funded by: Pennsylvania Department of ...

Aquatic insects have long been essential in assessing stream health and setting water quality standards based on aquatic ecotoxicity studies ...

This review of published peer-reviewed research identifies river restoration techniques that effectively mitigate climate change impacts. Funded by: Chesapeake Bay ...

Panama contains vast Indigenous territories of mixed land use. This project seeks to facilitate the development of economically sustainable reforestation ...

Scientists are evaluating the negative effects of an invasive species, the New Zealand mud snail, on trout and shad populations ...

This project uses water chemistry and aquatic macroinvertebrates such as mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies to provide assessments of current water ...

This research explores how viruses function within the microbiomes of agricultural soil and investigates their impact on soil health and ...

This study investigates the physical, biogeochemical, and microbial characteristics of novel anthropogenic soils that have accumulated in the valley bottoms ...

Water chemistry, temperature, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and fish are being monitored in Bennett’s Run, a small tributary to Brandywine Creek in ...

Researchers are studying how well biochar works in engineered structures to remove excess nutrients from runoff on agricultural fields. Results ...

The study focuses on reducing flooding along the main stem of the Brandywine Creek. It will identify areas prone to ...

Engaging adults and youth from Wilmington, Del., the Stream Stewards Program monitors water resources in the 1,100 acres of open ...

Researchers examine how fluctuations in river algae levels during river floods can help identify the impact of nitrogen and phosphorus ...

The National Park Service has monitored stream water quality and quantity for more than 15 years in shallow streams located ...

Ergothioneine, an amino acid that has scientifically proven benefits to human health, is exclusively biosynthesized by fungi and certain bacteria ...

This project contributes to ongoing operations, monitoring, and synthesis of long-term research at Maritza Biological Station in Costa Rica. Seed ...

This project evaluates the hypothesis that protection and/or maintenance of natural land maintains ecological stream quality by limiting, preventing, or ...

After 25 years of litigation, a massive ecological restoration is underway in the Upper Clark Fork River in Montana. Metal-laden ...

These projects use aquatic macroinvertebrates such as mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies to provide assessments of current water quality in these ...

Using glass microscope slides as tiny gardens to grow microbial biofilms, this project explored differences in microorganisms between three reaches ...

Scientists monitored fecal indicator bacteria on a monthly basis at the east and west branches of the Red Clay Creek ...

This project monitors biological conditions, water quality, habitat integrity, and fish at 37 sites in 10 national parks in the ...

Researchers deploy and maintain two sampling buoys to gather real-time data on algae populations in two Wilmington, Del., reservoirs. Data ...

This program coordinates and executes the taxonomic certification program for the Society for Freshwater Science, conducting family- and genus-level tests ...

This research explores how microbes and biogeochemical processes in buried relict soils evolve after restoration and how these organisms and ...

Riparian soils above low-head dams (milldams) usually contain large amounts of bioavailable nitrogen that could impair the adjacent streams if ...

This project evaluates water resources at Silk Grass Farms in Belize through physical, biological, and chemical indicators and identifies potential ...

Little is known regarding soil microbes and nutrition levels in vegetables under various farming practices. This project measures soil microbial ...

Scientists monitor fecal indicator bacteria in White Clay Creek during summer and identify potential bacterial contamination by molecular microbial source ...

To evaluate how watershed restoration practices improve stream health and water quality, scientists are monitoring nutrient and sediment loads and ...

Scientists are using environmental DNA to determine whether wild brook and brown trout populations are in streams near Stroud Water ...

This project examines whether the lower White Clay Creek in Delaware provides suitable habitat for migratory fish like American shad ...

In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, watershed restoration projects spearheaded by the Stroud Center address water quality issues on about 1,400 acres ...

During storms, sediment plumes play a crucial role in the export of nutrients from rivers. This project investigates the changes ...

Chloride concentrations in surface waters have been increasing over the last several decades at multiple locations throughout the United States ...

This project investigates how different agricultural management practices influence water quality and soil health. Using Rodale Institute’s 37-year-old Farming Systems ...

Scientists are investigating whether biosolid application on Pennsylvania farms represents a significant source of PFAS in soils and water. Per- ...

By examining the bacteria, Archaea, and fungi living in soils, this project will provide insights on how farming practices and ...

This project characterizes microbial soil health through detailed community structure of bacteria and fungi and determines the relationship of microbial ...

Less is known about Archaea than the other two domains of life on Earth (Bacteria and Eukarya), particularly the role ...

This project explores how the molecular characteristics of microbes attached to sediment particles can help identify the sources of sediment ...

This project continued to enhance the Macroinvertebrates.org. site, in addition to creating aquatic macroinvertebrate identification resources for learners, teachers, and ...

This project supports water quality monitoring and development of a water quality model to guide an alternative restoration plan for ...

This project quantifies the positive impacts of restoration projects on water quality and soil health associated with the Delaware River ...

Plowing, disking, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides have damaged the health of agricultural soils, resulting in reduced rainfall infiltration and storage, ...

As dam removal has increased in recent years in an effort to improve fish habitat and reduce financial liability, few ...

Stream restoration in the United States is a multibillion-dollar industry, yet long-term monitoring of its effectiveness is virtually nonexistent. To ...

In early 2020, stream bank fencing, forested buffers, and barnyard improvements were installed on Amish farms in Lancaster County, Pa ...

This project, part of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative, provides technical background and assistance to grantees of the William Penn ...

The 1,670-acre Runnymede Sanctuary was created to preserve the extensive natural, historic, and scenic resources harbored by the property and ...

This project collects and interprets data on macroinvertebrate specimens from stream sites to provide a baseline for the evaluation of ...

Professional and volunteer monitoring of chemistry, macroinvertebrates, and fish to support restoration and protection efforts represent an invaluable (and often ...

High-frequency temperature, oxygen, and chlorophyll sensors, canoe float trips, and nutrient monitoring are the tools being used to study how ...

This project tests the hypothesis that temperature limits the distributions of aquatic insects through its effect on resource allocation, and ...

This project engages watershed residents to be active participants in efforts to document conditions across the focus areas of the ...

This funding supports the Stroud Center’s Robin L. Vannote Watershed Restoration Program to participate in the Delaware River Watershed Initiative’s ...

This Watershed Renaissance Initiative grant will enable Stroud Water Research Center to implement extensive watershed restoration projects designed to capture ...

This collaborative project develops a model to predict the potential impact of climate variability, climate change, land use, and human ...

Stroud Center staff and members of the Society for Freshwater Science Education and Diversity Committee held a Leaf Pack workshop ...

For this project, scientists and watershed restoration professionals restore one headwater basin to reduce flooding downstream, improve water quality, and ...

Scientists are studying a number of mayfly species in White Clay Creek as well as in streams throughout eastern North ...

By installing monitoring wells for groundwater, soil-water samplers, and probes to measure the conductivity in soil and groundwater, researchers are ...

Like underwater engineers, caddisflies and other net-spinning macroinvertebrates attach gravels to one another on the bottom of streams in a ...

Scientists are monitoring fecal indicator bacteria, sediment, and water chemistry from the barns at the Fair Hill Training Center. Based ...

This Watershed Renaissance Initiative grant will enable Stroud Water Research Center to implement extensive watershed restoration projects designed to capture ...

The recovery of biological communities after disturbance has always been at the core of ecology as a discipline. While much ...

The potential for streambank legacy sediments as nutrient sources for aquatic ecosystems has been understudied and is a critical gap ...

Particulate nitrogen (PN) in stormwater runoff can increase dramatically with large storms, thus constituting a significant component of nitrogen cycling ...

Stream temperatures are dramatically affected by land use in the watershed and riparian zone. In this project, we measure stream ...

To determine the extent of changes in water quality that may be related to land use, Stroud Center staff installed ...

All species of trout are highly sensitive to stream temperature. Native brook trout at the most sensitive, needing colder temperatures ...

As part of a plan to meet new drinking water regulations, United Water Delaware (UWDE) applied best management practices at ...

Across the United States, sulfate concentrations tend to be elevated in areas where acid rain or coal mining is present ...

This project monitored macroinvertebrates to establish a water-quality baseline at 10–16 selected sites associated with protection and restoration efforts for ...

Professional and volunteer monitoring of chemistry, macroinvertebrates, and fish to support restoration and protection efforts represent an invaluable (and often ...

This project collected and interpreted data on macroinvertebrate specimens from 38 stream sites to provide a baseline for restoration projects ...

This project documents how small dams have fragmented stream networks in the Central Great Plains region. Many fishes native to ...

In 2000 Federal legislation designated White Clay Creek and its tributaries as a National Wild and Scenic River. The White ...

Funding for the Peru Project was provided by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Stroud Water Research ...

Overview In 1989 Stroud Water Research Center helped establish the Maritza Biological Station in the Área de Conservación Guanacaste of ...

Stroud Water Research Center and its 800 ha, 3rd-order drainage basin was designated an Experimental Ecological Reserve in 1981 by ...

Looking for the macroinvertebrate photo gallery? Schuylkill Project Overview Download the Schuylkill River Project report summary Download the Schuylkill River ...

The University of Delaware, in collaboration with Stroud Water Research Center received a $4.3 million grant from the National Science ...

This project is testing sediment microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a source of clean, sustainable, environmentally friendly energy. The study ...

Chloride concentrations in surface waters have been increasing over the last several decades at multiple locations throughout the United States ...

Investigators explore how the quality of organic molecules changes with distance downstream and how those changes influence the composition of ...

In an effort to restore chestnut trees to watersheds, blight-resistant varieties of American Chestnut have been developed over the last ...

Determining that a species is present in a stream has traditionally required collection surveys to visually observe one or more ...

This grant supports the acquisition of a high-sensitivity stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) at Stroud Water Research Center, which ...

For this study, we set out to determine the feasibility of using microbes to generate clean energy on a large ...

A collaboration with researchers at Princeton University will leverage the exceptional sensor and geochemistry data from our Critical Zone Observatory ...

Human activities over the last 100 years have introduced exotic earthworms into many pristine northern forests. These earthworm invasions are ...

As microbes process dissolved organic matter from leaves that fall into streams, they release CO2 into the atmosphere. Scientists are ...

In collaboration with the University of Delaware, Stroud Center scientists established one of 10 Critical Zone Observatories in the U.S ...

The goal of this project is to collect and interpret entomological data from 35 stream sites. These sites represent an ...

The production of natural gas from the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania results in water that travels up through the well ...

Many water quality standards for pollutants in streams are based on laboratory toxicity tests that rely on macroinvertebrate species that ...

This pilot study was designed to test how the use of a new technology called DNA barcoding can improve water ...

Stroud Water Research Center has expanded on 20 years of research on tropical streams near the Maritza Biological Station in ...

This collaborative involved conducting a comprehensive assessment of water quality impacts for streams and rivers intersected by South America’s first ...

In 2012 the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) collected striped bass (Morone saxatilis) from the Delaware ...

Stroud Water Research Center biologists completed a project to better understand the threat of contaminants from agriculture entering the fish ...

Stream fish appear largely immune from physical, chemical, and biological changes between meadow and forested habitats. A study in which ...

Climate science relies on interpreting proxies of past environmental conditions in dated sediment and ice cores. Our study will develop ...

The Congo River is the second largest river in the world, but little is known about it because regional conflict ...

Stroud Water Research Center scientists sampled stream macroinvertebrates (i.e., primarily insects, crayfish, and worms) and baseflow water chemistry to assess ...

This project focuses on the molecular DNA characterization of microbial species colonizing the anodes and cathodes of microbial fuel cells ...

This project took advantage of the unique facilities of Stroud Water Research Center as a field station with first-rate laboratory ...

Suspended organic particles are important to river food webs and in the transfer of organic carbon from land to ocean ...

This collaborative proposal will generate the mathematical models that simulate stream flow in White Clay Creek and the movement of ...

Scientists have grown young deciduous trees in an atmosphere enriched with the stable isotope of carbon so as to follow ...

Stroud Water Research Center scientists conducted surveys of fish in small streams in the Bucktoe Preserve in the Red Clay ...

The collapse of the once thriving human population on Easter Island has been largely attributed to environmental degradation, but questions ...

This research, education, and outreach project continues efforts with local watershed groups to monitor macroinvertebrates in streams throughout the Schuylkill ...

This study was designed to determine the impact of abandoned mine drainage (AMD) on stream ecosystem functions, such as algal ...

This collaborative research will generate the first model that links the water and carbon cycles of river catchments by focusing ...

We are conducting laboratory studies to test criteria of existing legislation for protecting fish and macroinvertebrates from excessive temperature changes ...

This ongoing project to track water quality improvements provided by a riparian forest buffer in the Stroud Preserve, Chester County, ...

This project addresses long-term changes in a stream ecosystem in southeastern Pennsylvania to evaluate best management practices for riparian or ...

The study seeks to determine whether nutrients from Kent County's wastewater treatment plant contribute significantly to the seasonal absence of ...

We used species composition and relative abundance of aquatic insect populations to measure water quality changes from deforestation, cattle farming ...

Most microorganisms in nature grow attached to surfaces, encased in a protective matrix — or biofilm. Our research focuses on ...

This project explores the role of extreme flood events during La Niña in burying — and thus preventing from entering ...

This research, which is part of a larger, multi-institution project to assess the health of the nation's great rivers (the ...

Overview Project Years: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Download ...

Overview Download final report In 2000 Stroud Water Research Center was awarded a Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) grant funded ...