Research

Research and Outreach Units/Laboratories

Environmental Research Laboratory (ERL)photo of administration building at ERL

ERL is an off-campus University of Arizona facility and an established leader of environmental research and education in arid regions. The overall goal of ERL is to improve the health, welfare and living standards of communities in desert areas through the application of appropriate and sustainable technologies. ERL houses administrative and laboratory facilities for the University of Arizona National Science Foundation Water Quality Center. Visit the website for more details about the programs.

 


Water Quality Center Laboratory photo of scientist performing assays

The WQC Laboratory is located in the Fleischmann Building of the Environmental Research Laboratory, an off-campus University of Arizona facility. The Lab focuses on water quality and is equipped to perform state-of-the-art chemical and biological analyses. Chemical analyses include metals, salts, alkalinity, anions and dissolved organic carbon. Biological analyses include bacterial and viral pathogens and indicator organisms. The Lab also performs assays on other environmental samples including soils, wastes, effluents, and plant materials. The Water Quality Lab only supports research, teaching, and extension programs, as well as special projects at the University of Arizona. Visit the website for further details about the services offered.

 

Center for Environmental Physics and Mineralogy (CEPM)

CEPM provides high quality physical and mineralogical characterization of earth surface and other porous materials. Capabilities include qualitative and quantitative identification of mineral phases, thermal analysis of mineral and organic materials, particle and pore size distributions, surface area, liquid adsorption and retention properties, and saturated and unsaturated hydrodynamic properties. The center also provides expertise in in-situ characterization and monitoring of vadose zone processes. Visit the website for further details about the services offered.

Research Programs

Some SWES Research Programs maintain individual websites. Links to these sites are provided below

Aquaculture and Aquatic Ecology

Chemical and Pathogen Transport and Fate

Ecosystem Assessment and Restoration

Global Change

Soil and Crop Management

Soil and Groundwater Restoration

Pedology

Vadose Zone Hydrology

Water and Waste Management

The current research interests of the SWES faculty can be broadly organized into three areas:

  • soil, plant, atmosphere systems, with emphasis on remote sensing, soil-water-plant relations, and pedology
  • environmental science, with emphasis on contaminant transport and fate, waste management/reuse, and soil/groundwater remediation
  • subsurface science, with emphasis on physical, chemical, and microbiological processes.

The majority of SWES faculty work on interdisciplinary projects that are focused on or related to water quality. Thus, SWES plays a major role in water quality research and water management in the State of Arizona.

Current areas of research programs are presented in alphabetical order.

Links to SWES Research Websites (in alphabetical order)

SWES research projects on YouTube

Research Programs/Projects