Waters of the World: Author shares Stories of the Adventurers and Expeditions that shaped Water Science

Hanna Bates, Iowa Water Center

How have our stories about water changed? What do these changes tell us about what we know or think we know about water? These are the questions the author Sarah Dry poses in her book, Waters of the World, The Story of the Scientists Who Unraveled the Mysteries of Our Oceans, Atmosphere, and Ice Sheets and Made the Planet Whole. Published in 2019, these questions are very timely: society is now at a crossroads considering the anthropogenic impacts of climate change and how to be ready for an uncertain future of droughts, floods, and coastal regions facing increasing frequency of extreme weather events like hurricanes.

Waters of the World explores the lives of scientists, their research methodology, and their relationships with others as they explore the unknown and develop new fields of research in water resources. In this book, Dry explores the lives of six scientists who each study different aspects of water – water vapor’s heat trapping capabilities, cloud formations, precipitation patterns, hurricanes, ocean currents, and ice as earth’s climate record-keeper. The book explores a time when scientists were adventurers who often wrote about their expeditions and their discoveries for the general public. As inquiries progressed, efforts in meteorology and other climate sciences became both a competition among contrasting ideas and theories as well as a community of researchers who crowd-source data, water samples, and even air from around the globe to find answers.

The book not only features the discourse over science and the development of scientific instruments that measured the skies above and the movement of water in the oceans, but also the personal lives and struggles of scientists that make them a complete person outside of their work in science. The author explores the insecurities felt by Henry Stommel who established dynamical oceanography as a new science before his 28th birthday and without possession of a PhD. Dry illustrates the challenges faced by Joanne Simpson, a woman pursuing higher education who often got belittled for her area of study. Dry quotes Simpson who stated, “To understand how a woman, or a man for that matter, creates original work in any field, it is necessary to penetrate the emotional masks, and my masks have intentionally been hard to penetrate.”

One of the most important aspects of the book is the role larger systems of society and governments played in pushing the boundaries of water science in particular directions. The author explores the study of weather forecasting (which is better noted to be foreshadowing) in the book. This inquiry was critical to agriculture in India due to the life and death of millions that were dependent on the monsoon season to grow crops during colonization. Passages in the book show that it is not just the weather, but also governing systems, that can enable the fragility of a food system.

Furthermore, ethical considerations play a role in the study of science to not only understand, but to also try and control natural resources. In the 1940s, General Electric (GE) scientists, including Bernard Vonnegut, discovered the ability to manipulate little clouds to produce rain within GE freezer units. This led to US government-funded research into cloud seeding with silver iodide in active hurricanes to see if they could be modified with human influence. This research would create shock waves across society and popular literature because Kurt Vonnegut, a writer and teacher at the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, was Bernard’s brother. The research conducted at GE significantly influenced the topics and ethical explorations within several of his award-winning books.

In this book, Sarah Dry makes the argument that science is more than facts and statistics, but is shaped by civilizations, governments, and most importantly, by the scientists themselves. Those interested in history, interdisciplinary research, climate science, and the human dimensions of research should read this book. Content of this book is mostly accessible to a general audience, but a little background in climate science would be helpful to understanding some of the terminology used.

Water Scholars is a Water Resources Research Learning community at the Iowa Water Center. This community offers programming to Iowa water resource researchers and professionals throughout the year that spans a book club, monthly communications, and professional development sessions. To learn more or to join, please visit our website.

 

Hanna Bates is the Acting Assistant Director for the Iowa Water Center. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Iowa and an MS in Sociology and Sustainable Agriculture from Iowa State University. Follow on Twitter @hannatbates or email hbates@iastate.edu.

A fond farewell to the water community

It was June 25, 2012 – my first day on the job at the Iowa Water Center. Rick was in Canada on a fishing trip, so I went to get lunch on my own. I ran to an old standby, Hy-Vee Chinese, and when I got to the fortune cookie, what did I see?

You will be successful in your work.

I kept that fortune taped to my desk at work from that very first day up until now, my last day at the Iowa Water Center. Looking at the eight years in-between, I think we can safely say that my fortune proved true, thanks to the patience, energy, and collaboration of the hundreds of brilliant colleagues I’ve met since that first day.

On August 10, I will begin a new chapter in my career as the associate director of operations for the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education(NIAMRRE). Similar to the Iowa Water Center, NIAMRRE is administered by Iowa State University’s Office of the Vice President for Research and seeks to connect researchers, educators, and practitioners to solve one of society’s most pressing issues. Also similar is the systems approach taken by both institutes: One Water, where we recognize that all water is connected and has value, and One Health, where we recognize that human health, animal health, and environmental health are inseparable and sectors must work together to advance science and practice.

Anyone who has met me knows that I’m not a person of few words, but I’ll try to succinctly capture our success together over the last eight years:

  • In 2012, we managed $92,335 in sponsored funds each year; today, we administer over $1.75M in sponsored funds for multi- and interdisciplinary research, outreach, and education projects.
  • We grew our outreach from a static website to a comprehensive multimedia strategy with thousands of engagements each month.
  • We supported nearly 50 faculty and 60 graduate and undergraduate students through our competitive grants program, including directly funding original projects designed by graduate students through the addition of our graduate student supplemental grant program.
  • We grew the Iowa Water Conference in every single metric: attendance, exhibitors, posters, workshops, planning committee members. But more importantly, the conference became the embodiment of the vast amount of hard work and passion the water community expends each year. It is more than a conference. It is a celebration.

What these statistics don’t capture is the breadth of new projects and initiatives to which we’ve led or contributed, and, most importantly, the friends we’ve made along the way. When we launch our new website later this month, I hope you’ll see your role in achieving our vision of a robust and connected water science community.

While leaving my water family is bittersweet, I am absolutely confident that the foundation we’ve laid together will continue to advance water science to meet Iowa’s water resource needs. I won’t be far, and I look forward to watching the Iowa Water Center and the Iowa water community flourish.

Melissa headshot_0

 

Melissa Miller served as the associate director of the Iowa Water Center from 2016-2020 following her tenure as program coordinator from 2012-2016. She holds a BS in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Community and Public Health and MS degree in Community Development with an emphasis in Natural Resource Management, both from Iowa State University.

Bohn Selected as a Recipient for the Iowa Water Center’s Research Grant Competition

Ames, Iowa – The Iowa Water Center (IWC) annually administers a statewide grant competition known as the IWC Graduate Student Research Competition.

The purpose of this funding is to help graduate students to complete additional research objectives beyond the scope of their current work, with an emphasis on submitting their research to peer-reviewed publications.

Meyer Bohn is one the recipients, along with three other graduate students across Iowa. Each recipient will receive funding for various different research studies.

Bohn’s research focuses on mitigating soil and water degradation.

There are several programs for predictive agroecosystem modeling that are used to target solutions for soil and water quality issues in Iowa, but these models can be sensitive to soil input data. Soil maps that are available now use outdated information and lack the spatial resolution necessary for precision agroecosystem modeling. That is where Bohn comes in.

Bohn, along with his research advisor, Dr. Bradly Miller, have presented the idea of making soil maps through Digital Soil Mapping (DSM). The duo currently has a DSM project running in Story and Boone Counties, and are looking to widen their research to a “quad-county” study, including the counties: Osceola, Clay, Emmet and Dickinson.

There are two main purposes of this study. First, to create an updated soil map that can accurately target soil properties and spatial resolution. Second, to test the spatial models’ transferability used to construct the digital soil maps for their soil variation prediction capability in the greater Des Moines Lobe area.

Get to know Meyer Bohn, a PhD student at Iowa State University.

Bohn is originally from North Dakota and chose to attend Iowa State University for not only the unparalleled agriculture work and research performed there, but also because of his advisor, Dr. Bradley Miller. Dr. Miller is an assistant professor in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University and is considered by many as one of the leading digital soil mapping researchers in the field.

Bohn also explained the benefit of living in Iowa as a soil scientist with an emphasis in digital soil mapping.

“Iowa is a particularly important place for improving soil map accuracy and precision. Our understanding of how soil properties vary in space has crucial implications for agricultural production and water quality. Iowa’s agricultural wealth and prosperity stems directly from the state’s rich abundance of inherently fertile prairie soils. This great wealth coincides with a critical responsibility, finding the balance between intensive agricultural production while sustaining soil and water quality.”

With the knowledge Bohn holds on the current state of soil maps, he knew that his research plans could make a significant improvement to the foundation of water and soil research throughout Iowa. This led him to apply for the IWC Graduate Student Research Competition.

Bohn shared that his favorite part of the research process is field work.

“I get to travel across the state sampling soils with a hydraulic probe mounted on the back of a pick-up truck,” said Bohn. “I get to see soils in ways that a textbook or journal article could never articulate, and I’ve met some incredible people along the way. The farmers of Iowa are some of the most genuine and charitable people I’ve ever met.”

Bohn also mentioned that he likes to focus on the cartography part of his research process. Cartography is the work of drawing out maps. Bohn shared that mastering the art of cartography was necessary to accurately communicate his research results. Although reaching the final product he is satisfied with can be challenging, it is very rewarding.

When Bohn isn’t in the field researching soils or perfecting maps, he enjoys being in the outdoors, such as camping, fishing, hunting and hiking. He also plays the guitar, and shared that if he ended up not being a soil scientist, he would have probably become a country music singer. On behalf of Iowa’s soil and water quality, we are so glad he chose the career that he did.

Sermet Selected as a Recipient for the Iowa Water Center’s Research Grant Competition

Ames, Iowa – The Iowa Water Center (IWC) annually administers a statewide grant competition known as the IWC Graduate Student Research Competition.

The purpose of this funding is to help graduate students to complete additional research objectives beyond the scope of their current work, with an emphasis on submitting their research to peer-reviewed publications.

Yusuf Sermet is one of the recipients, along with three other graduate students in Iowa. Each recipient will receive funding for various different research studies.

Sermet’s research predominately focuses on next-generation environmental knowledge generation and communication, as well as affordable water monitoring devices and applications.

Accuracy and reliability are two necessary components when it comes to the monitoring of our water resources. Current monitoring practices are accurate, however the cost to apply these systems on a large scale are restrictively expensive. This inspired Sermet to create a cost-friendly solution. Sermet’s research project created a water level measurement methodology that only relies on prevalent sensors, commonly found on smartphones. This allows for the camera-based embedded system to measure water levels, detect objects on the water surface (e.g. debris, boats, trees) and supply annotated data for hydrological processes, such as surface water modeling and streamflow estimation.

Get to know Yusuf Sermet, a PhD student at the University of Iowa.

Sermet first learned about the IWC when he participated in the annual Iowa Water Conference in 2016. He, along with his research group, took part in the student poster presentation and won second place that year. Sermet shared that, through this opportunity, he was able to learn from Iowa’s most prevalent researchers, professionals, stakeholders and peers in the field.

“Since then, I followed IWC’s activities and opportunities closely,” said Sermet. “With my advisor, who is the director of the Hydroinformatics Lab at the University of Iowa, Professor Ibrahim Demir, we felt that our research proposal on affordable stage sensors fit perfectly to IWC’s mission and vision, and will hopefully be useful to Iowans to prepare for future floods.”

Sermet grew up in Izmir, Turkey, where he received his undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. After his junior year in his undergraduate studies, Sermet joined Professor Demir in the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa for a summer internship. He is currently working toward his PhD in electrical and computer engineering through the University of Iowa, where he is able to continue working as a researcher in this center. During his PhD, Sermet has been given the opportunity to work on creating artificial intelligence solutions for environmental and climate issues. When asked what his favorite part of the research process is, Sermet answered,

“What I like about the research process is the excitement of taking on new challenges, audaciously brainstorming ideas and innovating novel solutions.”

According to the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), the United States currently has 2.7 million streams and associated watersheds with poorly monitored network of only 8,300 sensors. Sermet stated that the federal and state governments in the United States use stage sensors can range in cost from $3,000-$30,000, with an additional expense of anywhere between $1,000-$10,000 in annual maintenance costs.

“These expensive sensor prices cause challenges for effective data coverage, which is crucial for natural disaster mitigation, water resource management and climate change,” Sermet said. “This data scarcity led us to come up with a novel approach that will allow the development of next-generation stream sensors within the cost range of $100-$400.”

When Sermet takes a break from his lab research work, he enjoys playing basketball, going to different concerts and movies and discovering new places. Sermet mentioned that most of these hobbies were put on pause due to COVID-19, so he has recently picked up the art of cooking. He likes to create Mediterranean dishes in particular.

The well-being of people and our communities inspired Sermet to complete his research proposal on affordable monitoring practices. Sermet shared that, over the last 40 years, water related natural hazards, such as floods and droughts, have killed more than 3,500 people in the United States and have caused over $350 billion in damage. Water resources support a plethora of daily-life necessities, including providing safe water for consumption, recreation, irrigation and power generation. Sermet explained that, because of the dire need for safe water, it is vital to have a reliable, water resource monitoring system in order to diminish the loss of life and property that water related disasters can create. It is his hope that with his completed research, this goal can become a reality.

Morris and Arbuckle’s Twitter Takeover

On April 7, Chris Morris and J. Arbuckle took over the Iowa Water Center’s Twitter account with another edition of our #TwitterTakeover series. Morris and Arbuckle delve into a discussion on their research process behind farmer adoption of conservation practices, as well as the transition to working from home due to COVID-19.

Morris is a graduate student in the Sustainable Agriculture program at Iowa State University. Arbuckle is a rural sociologist with emphasis on social dimensions of soil and water conservation. Arbuckle is the director of the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll and administers an annual farmer survey. He also is the Chair of the Sustainable Agriculture Graduate Program at Iowa State University.

Morris’s first research project that he conducted revolved around analyzing the 2016 Iowa Farm Poll to study the connection between a farmer having a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation plan and their application of the nine recommended conservation practices by the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

His initial prediction of what the data would show was that applying the NRCS conservation plan would lead to the adoption of all nine recommended conservation practices. Their research did not show this, as a surprise to Morris. The research analysis concluded that having the conservation plan only predicted applying two of the nine conservation practices. This data also showed that the more frequent a farmer visits their local United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) service center, the more likely they will adopt conservation practices. The overall outcome that they found from this research was that farmer interaction with conservation specialists was the most consistent predictor of practice application.

The current project that Morris is working on is centered around targeted conservation, referring to science-based techniques to pin-point areas on land that are the most vulnerable to soil erosion and water quality issues.

Morris explains that targeted conservation is seen as a way to improve agriculture impacts in a watershed more efficiently, as opposed to just using “random acts of conservation.” Farmers are contacted by personnel and presented with the information, as well as offered technical assistance if needed. Targeted conservation is starting to be adopted by state and federal conservation agencies, and even private consultants, but its feasibility and success relies on the acceptance of the farmer.

Morris and Arbuckle analyzed data from the 2009 and 2014 Iowa Farm Polls to see if farmers’ relationships and attitudes about targeted conservation have changed over time. Their research found that even though the approval of targeting has slightly decreased in those five years, the majority of farmers still approve of targeted conservation.

The duo also examined in-depth interviews and focus groups to add to their survey analysis. Overall, they found that even though most farmers supported the idea, some farmers had concerns about being targeted, the use of the data and the need for cost share programs. Here are some snippets from the interviews that Morris shared on Twitter:

To end this #TwitterTakeover, Arbuckle and Morris shared the struggles that have come along with adapting to remote work. This is a quick glimpse into their working-from-home life:

You can follow Chris’s personal Twitter account, @JChrisMorris81, J’s personal Twitter account, @Jfullstop, their ongoing project’s account, @ISU_CCHANGE, and of course, the Iowa Water Center account @IowaWaterCenter to see the Twitter takeovers in live action.

Grace Wilkinson’s Twitter Takeover

Grace Wilkinson, a limnologist, ecosystem ecologist and assistant professor at Iowa State University, took charge of our Twitter account on March 27th for our #TwitterTakeover series. She shared her experiences on her group research projects and statewide water quality monitoring programs.

Wilkinson starts her #TwitterTakeover by making sure everyone knows what limnology is (the study of inland waters, FYI). She explains further that limnology is the basis of understanding the physical, chemical and biological components of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, wetlands, etc. Wilkinson also has a research emphasis on links between lakes and the landscape.

Wilkinson and her lab group monitor over 130 lakes and reservoirs in Iowa. They measure the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, algae, zooplankton, stratification and even more. This summer marks the 21st anniversary of the Iowa Ambient Lake Monitoring program.  This program consists of Iowa State University students preparing to be limnologists that collect data from each 130+ lakes through the months May-September. The data that is found is used for listing and reporting lakes as a part of the federal Clean Water Act, as well as for additional research. All of this data is open to the public, and you can access it here.

Wilkinson’s research team also partners with the United States Army Corps to monitor the Des Moines River and its key reservoirs. This has been an ongoing program for over 45 years, with continuous data collection all year. She explains that long-term data is crucial to understand ecosystems and how they change over time. Her team published a paper revolving around the Des Moines River data to shed light on the importance of wavy patterns in aquatic ecosystems – you can read the paper here.

Since her research group is commonly referenced, Wilkinson took the time to highlight the group members and what they are studying.

First, we have Ellen Albright, a PhD student studying the mechanisms that control internal P loading in shallow lakes that are often found in Iowa. This field of interest helps guide in-lake management interventions, including alum application, dredging, fishery renovations and more.

Next, there is Tyler Butts, a PhD student studying the understanding of how a food web structure mediates the response of algae to changes in the environment that could potentially alter biomass. This can be caused by a big storm or an event similar. Butts is also one of the 2020 Iowa Water Center Grant Recipients for his research on the relationship between food web structure and ecosystem resilience, as well as how food web structure affects greenhouse gas flux.

Here is a little insight into the projects Butts has done in the past:

Finally, Quin Shingai, a master’s student studying cryptic fluxes of microcystin, is the last lab research group member. Microcystin is a cyanotoxin that can lead to human exposure. For those that don’t know, a cyanotoxin is a type of toxin produced by bacteria that can be found almost anywhere, but specifically in lakes and oceans. Shingai is interested in the absorption of microcystin to sediment particles that could be resuspended in shallow waters, such as beaches.

You can follow Grace’s personal Twitter account, @goodgracious23, Ellen’s personal Twitter account, @limnoellen, Tyler’s personal Twitter account, @Eco_Butts, Quin’s personal Twitter account, @Shingai_Science, and of course, the Iowa Water Center account, @IowaWaterCenter, to stay updated with recent news and events happening in the Water World.

Dennis Todey’s Twitter Takeover

Dennis Todey, the director of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Midwest Climate Hub, took the reigns of our Twitter account on April 23rd to discuss the ongoing conversation around climate and water issues in Iowa.

The climate hubs were created in 2014 by the USDA and consist of 10 hubs spread around the United States. Each hub develops the latest information regarding topics including climate change, agriculture and forestry. The hubs also help to develop new tools, work on adaption efforts in ag-climate change and several other areas of regional agriculture and forestry.

The Midwest Climate Hub (MCH) includes the states: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. A main objective of the MCH is working hand in hand with the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center (NWSCPC) to compare and contrast current information with the information presented by NWSCPC to make accurate predictions of future climate issues. The MCH also revolves heavily around work with agriculture climate issues, especially impacts on specialty crops.

The MCH also collaborates with many services, including federal and regional partnerships. Some of these partnerships include National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC), National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA Farm Service Agency and USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The MCH works with many extension programs across the Midwest as well to discuss climate issues and land grant programs.

Todey explains that one of the largest issues the Midwest sees in regards to climate is increased precipitation. Precipitation totals have increased 10-15% in the central United States in the last 100 years, with this causing wetter springs and falls that lead to various agriculture issues including floods and increased surface runoff. With more wetness comes with the possibilities of soil and nutrient loss, as well as an interest for more agriculture draining systems.

Picture attached in tweet:

Of course, another “hot” topic in this discussion was the increase in temperature. The temperature is rising year by year, with positives and negatives in result. One positive is that now Iowa winters are not as painful – it is still cold, but not as severe or lasting as long.

Pictures attached in tweet:

To end the Twitter takeover, Todey inquired about the community’s favorite weather based songs. Here is a link to a Spotify playlist of all of the replies – as well as some of my own additions.

Todey received his Bachelor of Science in meteorology from Iowa State University, his Master of Science in meteorology from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and earned his PhD in agriculture meteorology from Iowa State University. He served as the South Dakota state climatologist for 13 years at South Dakota State University and has been in Iowa working with the USDA since 2016.

You can follow Dennis’ personal Twitter account, @dennistodey, the USDA Climate Hub Twitter account, @USDAClimateHubs, and of course, the Iowa Water Center account @IowaWaterCenter to see the Twitter takeovers in live action.