The Wonders of Water.

• Author: Lindman, Sylvia
• Position: EYE ON TECHNOLOGY

"... Ecohydrology research today often overlooks the majority of people on the planet--those who live in cities." FROM CITIES TO RURAL and wild areas, Kevan Moffett wants to better understand the role of water on the planet. On the southern slope of Mt. Adams in Washington, Moffett and her students are working to learn how soils recover moisture following wildfires so that trees and plants can sprout again. The field area has suffered three fires in the last 16 years--McDonald Ridge fire of 2004, Cold Springs fire of 2008, and Cougar Creek burn of 2015.

"With three fires in overlapping areas, we can study field sites that have overlapping fires or just one," says Moffett, assistant professor of environmental hydrology at Washington State University. "That's the whole point of this project: these repeated fires are becoming more common. Finding a special spot to study them that's really convenient is a unique opportunity."

The research is supported by a National Science Foundation grant Moffett shares with Andres Holz, assistant professor of geography at Portland (Ore.) State University. They are studying "short-interval reburns" to better understand the effects of repeated wildfires on Cascades forest ecology and hydrology. Over the next few years, Moffett, Holz, and their student research teams will examine whether an altered hydrological cycle and changes in soil moisture may change how plants regrow after a fire and also make them more vulnerable under some conditions to repeated fires in the future. They also will help identify whether, and over what time scales, reburns might mitigate or worsen the downstream flood risks that often follow fires.

Ecohydrology encompasses Moffett's global interests in water as a critical sustaining resource for humans and ecosystems. Her research ranges from forest rejuvenation after wildfires, to the effects of heat and water balances on urban life, to the ability of rivers to cleanse themselves of some pollutants before their waters reach the sea. "One of my great interests is how water plays a key role on our planet, including the basic landscape changes it can make, how it can help support ecosystems, and of course how water is important to people," Moffett says.

These interests led her to think about how ecohydrology research today often overlooks the majority of people on the planet--those who live in cities. Currently, most environmental science research takes place in rural areas that still are...