Research
Hydrology, Water Resources & Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Our faculty are always seeking well-qualified graduate students to participate on research projects. Please feel free to contact individual faculty members to learn more about their research. Examples of current research includes:
Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems
Researching and developing decision support systems (DSS) that are used by government agencies and others to improve the management of finite natural resources, particularly water. Funded primarily by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CADSWES has developed DSS tools, including RiverWare, that are now widely used to provide a foundation for long-term resource planning that supports water conservation, ecosystem health and balanced natural resource management.
Ecological Fluid Dynamics Lab
Research focuses on interactions between fluid physics and ecological or biological processes. The group uses a combination of experimental and numerical approaches to study fluid stirring, mixing, and reactions, and to investigate how organisms have evolved and adapted to opportunities and constraints associated with their physical environment.
We have a particular interest in how chemicals, odors, and biological entities are transported by complex and turbulent fluid flows in air and water. The group’s research makes advances and contributions in the fields of fundamental fluid mechanics as well as aquatic science, ecology, and biology.
Current projects include:
- Physics of Scalar Transport, Mixing and Reactions
- Odor Plumes and Animal Navigation
- Hydrodynamics of Ecological Flows
- Engineered Mixing in Porous Media
Gooseff HydroEcology Science & Engineering Lab
We study the intersections of earth systems and ecosystems focusing on hydrology, solute transport, watersheds, streams and glaciers. Our research focuses on stream-groundwater interactions, hyporheic exchange, stream/hyporheic restoration, and climate change in polar and temperate regions. We conduct field experiments/monitoring and numerical modeling studies to uncover new knowledge about how natural systems function and how they respond to change.
Current projects include:
- McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER (Antarctica)
- Hyporheic Stoichiometry
- Columbia River GW exchanges (DOE)
- Upper Colorado River
Hydro-Urban Bhaskar Research Group
Our research group primarily researches how urban development affects water resources, including:
How much streamflow comes from urban irrigation and causes of variations in urban irrigation.
How green stormwater infrastructure affects hydrology and street flooding.
How hydrologic processes such as streamflow regime, water balances, and infiltration change with urban development.
Kasprzyk Research Group
Research focuses on decision support systems for water, environment, and infrastructure.
Current Projects:
- Colorado River (Reclamation)
- Water-Energy Nexus (GAANN)
- MOEAs in Front Range;
- Drought Planning (NOAA)
- Water Treatment (EPA)
- Sustainable Materials (NSF)
Roseanna Neupauer Lab
Research focuses on groundwater flow and transport modeling– theoretical advances and applications
Current projects include:
- Active spreading to enhance in situ groundwater remediation
- Chaotic flows in natural and engineered systems
- Numerical Investigation of the formation of aufeis
- Adjoint simulations for source water protection, stream depletion, and others
Rajagopalan Balaji Lab
Research focuses on hydroclimate variability & statistical learning techniques for modeling, simulation and prediction. This work has applications to hydrology and water resources, water and wastewater agriculture, ecology, health, paleoclimate, construction safety, and building systems energy.
Current Projects include:
- Arctic Sea Ice (NOAA)
- S2S Forecast (NOAA)
- S.W US and Prairie Pothole Hydroclimatology & Ecology (NSF)
- Flood forecasting and climate extremes in India (MOES, India)
- Colorado River variability & predictability
Water and Climate Research Group
Studying physical hydrology—research focuses on quantifying hydrologic impacts of landcover and climatic changes.
Current projects include:
- Closing the Water Cycle from Space (NASA),
- Cascading Hazards (NASA)
- The Future of Western U.S. Snowpack for Water Supply (NOAA) and Wildlife (NCCASC)
- Economics of Water Scarcity and Trade (NSF)