NSF-snsf: geochemical signatures of water stress

The National Science Foundation Office of International Science and Engineering awarded $200,000 to the University of Illinois on October 1, 2026, under the Office of International Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.079) to investigate geochemical signatures of water stress in watersheds responding to drought, extreme precipitation, and changing water availability.

The project develops and tests a reactive transport modeling framework integrating hydrologic variability, water storage and flow pathways, mineral weathering, and ecosystem water and nutrient demands. Research pairs model development with field observations from intensively monitored Mediterranean watersheds, combining long-term streamflow and water chemistry records with new measurements from soil and subsurface waters, elemental tracers, and stable isotope analyses. The work seeks to produce distinct and measurable geochemical signatures in rivers that diagnose changes in watershed processes and improve the ability to interpret and predict watershed responses to increasingly variable hydro-climatic conditions. The project engages local communities through field-based outreach and education, fosters international collaboration among scientists and water managers, and provides training for students and early-career researchers.

Work is performed in Urbana, Illinois, with a period of performance from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2030.

Abstract

Water plays a critical role in shaping landscapes and sustaining ecosystems and communities. As droughts become more frequent and intense and extreme rainfall events increase, many regions are experiencing changes in the quality and availability of water resources. This project seeks to improve understanding of how watersheds respond to these changing water conditions and to develop new tools to detect early signs of ecosystem stress. By combining long-term environmental monitoring, advanced analytical techniques, and predictive modeling, the research will provide knowledge that can support more effective water resource management in regions facing increasing water stress. The project will engage local communities through field-based outreach and education activities, foster international collaboration among scientists and water managers, and provide training opportunities for students and early-career researchers. This project investigates how drought, extreme precipitation, and changing water availability influence the chemical composition of river water and the functioning of upland watersheds. The central hypothesis is that ecosystem water stress produces distinct and measurable geochemical signatures in rivers that can be used to diagnose changes in watershed processes. The research will develop and test a new reactive transport modeling framework that integrates hydrologic variability, water storage and flow pathways, mineral weathering, and ecosystem water and nutrient demands. Model development will be paired with field observations collected from intensively monitored mediterranean watersheds. The project will combine long-term records of streamflow and water chemistry with new measurements from soil and subsurface waters, elemental tracers, and stable isotope analyses. Together, these observations and models will improve the ability to interpret and predict watershed responses to increasingly variable hydrologic conditions. This collaborative US-swiss project is supported by the U.S. National science foundation (NSF) and the swiss national science foundation (SNSF), where NSF funds the U.S. Investigator and SNSF funds the partners in switzerland. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.