Ameli's HG-WM Research Group
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Toward Science-Based Forest & Agricultural Management With Minimal Environmental Impact
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What is the gap?
 Land-use change due to  forestry  and agricultural practices have negatively impacted our environment. Stump harvesting forestry practice for biomass production in North of Europe is hypothesized to enhance the excessive transport of solutes (e.g., methyl mercury) toward surrounding aquatic ecosystems.  Wetland drainage in North America due to agricultural intensification is hypothesized to enhance the risk of lake Eutrophication (growth of toxic green bacteria) as well as to enhance the risk of drought and flood in local and regional water bodies. These are only two simple examples of unscientifically-designed watershed management planning with catastrophic environmental impacts.
So, how can we maximize forest biomass yield and agricultural productivity, while minimizing their environmental effects?


How do we fill the gap? 
UBC's HydroGeoScience for Watershed Management (HG-WM) research group advances the knowledge on materiel (water & solute) transport and reaction in deep and shallow subsurface as well as over the land surface. We also explore how material transport and reaction processes vary with land developments. This knowledge is critically required for  science-based watershed management planing and, particularly, to locate areas where intensive agricultural and forestry practices can be conducted with minimal environmental impacts on local and regional ecosystems. Below read more about four interrelated research questions that HG-WM research group explores. ​​

 
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I. Where does water go after it rains?

HG-WM research group focuses on developing new hydrologic transport models to identify source, pathway and residence time of water within watersheds. These models set a fundamental foundation for understanding the interaction between hydrological, geochemical and ecological processes. Check out related papers.
Picturesource:www.egr.msu.edu/hydrology
                   


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​​​II. How does chemistry of rainwater alter on its way from being rainfall to being streamflow?
The extent to which chemistry of water particles alter along their way from land surface to stream depends on their pathways and the time they were in direct contact with solute sources within the watershed. HG-WM research group combines new hydrologic transport models (developed in research area I) with geochemical algorithms to explore how chemistry of rainwater alter before being discharged into stream. Check out related papers.
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​III. How do forest & agricultural developments impact water pathways and ultimately stream water quality & quantity?
Forest and agricultural land developments may alter the timing and pathways of water transport, and ultimately may alter hydro-geochemical processes within watershed and stream water quality and quantity. Climate variability may also exacerbate the impacts of forest and agricultural land developments on stream water quality and quantity. HG-WM research group  extends new hydrologic transport and hydrogeochemical models (developed in research areas I & II) to explore these impacts. Check out  related papers.
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IIII. Where are suitable locations for forestry & agricultural land developments with minimal impact on water quality & quantity, under changing climate?

Research areas I & II & III inform watershed management decisions on locating areas where intensive agricultural and forestry practices can lead to negative environmental impacts on stream water quality & quantity. HG-WM research group develops hydro-geochemical mapping tools to identify areas sensitive to forestry and agricultural practices as well as climate variability at local to regional scales.  
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