Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area, is amongst Minnesota’s greatest natural resources providing drinking water, shipping, recreation, and tourism. Recently the lake has been undergoing significant changes including increasing water temperatures, decreasing ice cover, increasing nutrient loads, decreasing biological productivity, increasing invasive species, and changes in species abundance and distribution. The reasons behind these changes and the interactions amongst them are not well understood.
With detection of coronavirus in human feces, there are urgent concerns about microbiological contamination of drinking water sources by wastewater. We will investigate this contamination, identify sources, and evaluate solutions.
Invasive carp have breached Minnesota?s southern border. The last place they can be stopped is Lock&Dam 5 but time is of the essence. This proposal enables this solution.
The project will evaluate the effectiveness and benefits/impacts of locally sourced woodchip, corncob, and iron-bearing minerals as alternative effective abrasive materials to lower salt use for protecting Minnesotas water resources.
Project seeks to decrease water demand in communities at risk for inadequate ground water supply or quality by providing technical assistance to identify cost-effective ways to reduce industrial/commercial use.
The Raptor Center is proposing to build environmental literacy and engagement by bringing an integrated environmental education program featuring live raptors and standards-based curriculum to underserved communities throughout Minnesota.
Our Minnesota bogs are an essential resource. As we investigate inter-bog microbial diversity in these critical habitats, we could find the next antibacterial, antifungal, or antiviral medicinal product.
We will develop a farmer-led, market-based working lands approach for protecting water by targeted expansion of alfalfa production, and enable farmers to take this approach by expanding markets for alfalfa.
Elms were once a very widespread tree in Minnesota and amongst the most common and popular in urban landscapes due to their size, shading capability, and tolerance of pollution and other stresses. Over the past five decades, though, Dutch elm disease, an exotic and invasive pathogen, has killed millions of elms throughout the state. However, scientists at the University of Minnesota have observed that some elms have survived the disease and appear to have special characteristics that make them resistant to Dutch elm disease.
This project is an expansion of the work began under LCCMR 2019 Forest and Bioeconomy Research. NRRI is requesting continuing Legislative support for two strategic applied research and demonstration projects
This project is an expansion of the work began under LCCMR 2019 Forest and Bioeconomy Research. NRRI is requesting continuing Legislative support for two strategic applied research and demonstration projects.
Freshwater sponges from Minnesota will be collected using citizen scientists thereby stimulating STEM education. Compounds produced by sponges will be tested against invasive species such as zebra mussels.
Geologic atlases provide maps/databases essential for improved management of ground and surface water. This proposal will complete current projects and start new projects to equal about 8 complete atlases.
Geologic atlases provide maps/databases essential for improved management of ground and surface water. This proposal will complete current projects and start new projects to equal about 8 complete atlases.
The Soudan Iron Mine near Ely, Minnesota is no longer an active mine and is now part of a state park, as well as the home to a state-of-the-art physics laboratory at the bottom of the mine. The mine has also been discovered to contain an extreme environment in the form of an ancient and very salty brine bubbling up from a half-mile below the Earth’s surface through holes drilled when the mine was active. Strange microorganisms – part of an ecosystem never before characterized by science – have been found living in the brine.
We will collect native seed throughout Minnesota's prairie region, study microbial effects on plant survival, estimate the geographic scale and rate of adaptation, and communicate results aiding restoration and propagation.
Moose, one of Minnesota's prized wildlife species, are dying at much higher rates in Minnesota than elsewhere in North America. Recently observed increases in mortality rates amongst some moose in northeastern Minnesota have led to concern that the population there may be entering a decline like that seen in the northwestern part of the state, where moose populations fell from over 4,000 to fewer than 100 in less than 20 years. Additionally the specific causes of increased mortality amongst individual moose remain under investigation.
