Project Grant 2229616

This two-year, $259,515 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Integrative Activities program will fund the development of deep learning models and tools to assess dynamic connectivity and nitrate removal efficacy across wetlandscapes. Awarded on January 15, 2023 to the University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc., the grant provides support for an assistant professor fellowship and graduate student training in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling. Specifically, the grant will further the representation of dynamic wetlandscape connectivity through benchmarking a deep learning model against existing process-based models. It will also quantify hydrologic, anthropogenic, and geomorphic controls on nitrate removal across regions and scales using deep learning modeling. Outcomes include fundamental advances to identify, quantify and predict wetland behavior, as well as tools for stakeholders to enable improved land management under the National Science Foundation's mission to enhance U.S. competitiveness in science and engineering.