Background

An observatory is a building, place, or institution designed to make observations of nature. Most people probably think of observatories in terms of telescopes that scan the night sky for cosmic discoveries. But there’s a new kind of observatory being proposed in the United States—observatories where the telescope is essentially turned around and pointed back toward Earth to make discoveries about what makes our planet unique: water.

The Pacific Northwest Hydrologic Observatory (PNWHO) will be a new window on how water “works” in our region. Our future quality of life hinges on knowing the details of how water moves from the atmosphere through our landscape. Every aspect of our Northwest life in some way depends on water—how and where our cities grow; the kind of businesses and industries we attract; the kinds of crops we market; the distribution and abundance of our native fish, animals, and plants.

The PNWHO is being proposed in response to the National Science Foundation’s interest in advancing the science of hydrology. A primary avenue for doing this will be to establish a national system of hydrologic observatories. These observatories will be designed “big” to answer big-picture questions. They will look at areas of at least 10,000 square-kilometers (3,800 square miles) to: assess the sustainability of water resources; link water and biogeochemical cycles; address how water-borne contaminants are transported; improve understanding of hydrologic extremes; and identify links between hydrologic and ecologic systems.

Observatories will concentrate on: dynamics between states or systems (e.g., feedback mechanisms or couplings); how scale affects processes and our understanding of them; and the implications for prediction. 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.

Hydrology has long provided an ordered, disciplined way of understanding our water-works in the Northwest. Thanks to the efforts of many organizations over many years, we have an impressive network to measure rain, snow, streamflow, water quality, and water tables. And we have the benefit of cutting-edge research that has helped develop the science of hydrology through such efforts as the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest program, the U.S. Geologic Survey’s NAWQA study, and the Willamette River Basin Alternative Futures project—to name a few.

However, we are coming to understand the importance of many questions that we just don’t have good answers for yet. For example:

• How will the doubling of human population in the next 50 years affect water quantity and quality?
• To what extent will our current environmental programs influence freshwater resources in Oregon under continued human population growth?
• How will climate variability and potential climate change manifest itself across this very diverse landscape?

The PNWHO will build on our already-substantial scientific foundation to answer these and other pressing questions. It will bring a sustained focus on a place where our hydrologic knowledge can be enriched by increasing measurements in time and space—and by inviting new, nationally significant research that will contribute to the science of hydrology, while answering questions critical to our region’s future. The PNWHO will also be in business to deliver new information through continuous communication with communities, economic and environmental interests, decision-makers, and citizens.

So, the PNWHO will be both:

• A Place: the Observatory’s “field of view” will be the Willamette and Deschutes. It’s here that new instruments will be installed to measure water and its qualities as it moves down from the atmosphere, through soils and rock formations; across diverse terrain; and through time; and,
• An Institution: a diverse team of scientists will: establish the measuring network and manage the data generated; recruit and assist scientists from across the nation and the world to utilize the Observatory’s resources to test new theories and develop new methods; and provide new information to Northwest communities.
  

For more information, you can also link to some Frequently Asked Questions about the PNH WO.

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