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Research

About our research

The River Basin Center works in three broad areas: a) Conservation ecology of aquatic ecosystems; b) Applied research on aquatic system stressors and development of appropriate management tools; c) policy development and outreach.

The River Basin Center includes over 80 affiliates from 27 different University of Georgia units and $6,400,000 in active grants from external funders.

To learn more about River Basin Center research or request a project description of your own work, email UGARiverbasincenter@uga.edu.

Research Stories

Two figures work in shallow ocean water.

What it takes to create a successful oyster reef breakwater

Affiliates Brock Woodson and Jeb Byers recently coauthored a publication on successful oyster reef breakwaters.
Two men converse in button downs.

UGA environmental law professor tackles complex climate issues

Water has always been an undercurrent in Adam Orford’s life and career, and the attorney now serves as UGA’s environmental law professor. 

Garing awarded NSF MRI grant to bring a micro-CT at UGA

Dr. Charlotte Garing has been awarded a grant of $1,177,779 from the Major Research Instrument program of the National Science Foundation.

UGA researchers to leverage AI, remote sensing for NASA-funded conservation project

In a grant project focused on levee setbacks, UGA scientists are filling a critical gap in biodiversity benefit assessment for USACE. 

Parts of Clean Water Act not effective in controlling nutrient pollution

The Clean Water Act of 1972 remains the guiding legislation for regulating America’s water quality. But new research from the University of Georgia suggests parts of it may not be working.The study found that Clean Water Act regulations haven’t significantly reduced the amount of nonpoint source nutrient pollution in America’s waterways.
A stream in the woods.

Nutrient pollution reduces nutrient retention services of streams, new research shows

Few nutrients are as fundamental to or ubiquitous in modern life as nitrogen and phosphorus. As fertilizers, they form the bedrock of our global agricultural systems—but at a cost to our waterways. 

Pellet power: Could biomass become a carbon-neutral fuel for heat and electricity?

As small trees and other woody debris are harvested, other trees are growing across the landscape. So, argues Warnell associate professor and RBC affiliate Puneet Dwivedi, it’s not that a tree that was cut to produce pellets would take another 10 years to grow back, but more accurately that across the landscape, other small trees are growing to replace what was cut.