This website provides information about the proposed Pacific Northwest Hydrologic Observatory (PNW HO). It is one of about 20 sites competing for funding from the National Science Foundation. Below are answer to some of the key background questions.
What is a hydrologic observatory (HO)?
A hydrologic observatory is intended to be a large, instrumented watershed where fundamental hydrologic questions can be investigated. The concept has been developed by the Consortium of Universities for Advancement of Hydrologic Science (CUAHSI), a group formed to advance research and education agendas for the hydrologic sciences.
CUAHSI envision HO's to be watersheds on the order of 10,000 square kilometers where intensive measurements of water cycling can be made. The goal is to collect a data set that is more spatially and temporally comprehensive than has ever been collected before for such a large watershed.
The HO's are intended to be a national resource. A local, university-based team and their partners will collect a core data set and make it widely available. The data will permit local questions to be addressed but will also allow researchers to compare data sets from across the country. The HO's are intended to be a place where national and international scientists can come to investigate fundamental hydrologic questions.
What types of issues will the hydrologic observatories address?
CUAHSI has established five key science topics for the HOs.
Who will fund the HOs, how many will there be, and what is the timeline and funding level?
The HOs will be funded by the National Science Foundation through a competitive grant process. An organization called Consortium of Universities for Advancement of Hydrologic Science (CUAHSI) has helped develop the concept of HOs. There will be two HOs funded during the first year of the program. Proposals will be due in Spring 2005 and funding will begin in 2006. Each HO is expected to receive 25 million dollars over five years -- $10 million for initial set up the first year plus $3 million each year of operation.
For answers to more Frequently Asked Questions about Hydrologic Observatories, please see the CUAHSI website.
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