This explores new applications of satellite radar altimetry in the analysis and observation of lake/wetland systems over large areas. Data from various satellite (TOPEX/Poseidon (TP), Jason, IceSat, Jason-1, GFO and Envisat) and shuttle missions provide new information for hydrologic investigations of lakes and wetlands of the Prairie Pothole region (PPR) and portions of the Boreal Forest region (BFR) of North America The combined regions contain millions of lakes and wetlands of all sizes. Significant variability in precipitation both seasonally and interannually causes tremendous variation in the occurrence of surface waters, cycling between drought and deluge. The study will rely on methods we have developed using IceSat and SRTM data in measuring stages on small lakes and new approaches involving TP/Jason-1 and similar altimetry data. Once these approaches are fully developed they will be used to examine how lakes and wetlands respond to climatic variability on a regional basis. The study emphasizes the transition from drought to deluge over the last 16 years. The droughts of 1988-92 were second in severity only to the dust bowl years of the 1930s. The most significant wet period of the century occurred in the middle to late 1990s. This variability in climate caused tremendous changes in the number, and size of lakes and wetlands. Fortunately, the historical record of data from TP and earlier altimeters spans much of this time period. Both the PPR and southern BF regions experience extreme variability in climate, with droughts reoccurring on a regular basis. Indications are that both of these regions will be sensitive to global climate changes, over the next century. The magnitude of climate changes might be such that the distribution and function of hydrologic and ecologic processes (especially fire, insect infestations, and duck production) will be pushed outside their normal ranges. Such changes in hydrologic and ecosystem function have the potential to release carbon, further increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. The educational component will focus on science literacy at the 5th grade level. We plan to develop wetlands as a vehicle to increase skills in science reading literacy, and science content and processes at the 5th grade. A major emphasis will be on reading, designed to develop appropriate vocabulary, and understanding the structure and format of nonfiction writing. Our approach will be to develop an interactive website with wetland ecology, as a major focus. Students will be presented with interesting examples of different nonfiction writing styles used in science writing (report, comparison/ contrast, summary), which are appropriate for 5th grade students. This website will also emphasize cross-curricular initiatives with fiction stories that build on a wetland theme.
