This work involves the development of a consensus document by a multidisciplinary team of scientists on the needs for ecological freshwater research in the United States. This report will be developed in light of the national need for a predictive understanding of freshwater ecological systems and resources in the context of environmental change. Document development will take place at the University of Washington in 1992, building upon previous disciplinary efforts to articulate research agendas for specific types of freshwaters (e.g. streams, lakes, wetlands and reservoirs) and for specific scales of interest (e.g. organisms to landscapes). Products of the multidisciplinary collaboration will be a consensus document of key issues, an analysis of each issue, priorities for future research directions, communication of significant advances that can be achieved if the priority recommendations are followed, and an analysis of how priority recommendations could be implemented. The report will synthesize the current status of freshwater ecological research, as well identify the most significant future directions for this discipline. It will also enhance our understanding of research and management needs for the freshwaters which sustain the social, economic, and ecological systems of North America.
