9224974 Dwoskin The Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) of the National Research Council (NRC) will assess the science of inland aquatic ecosystems, especially as it relates to interdisciplinary education and research and its application to the management of aquatic ecosystem. The study results from an increased awareness by the water science community that there is a growing need for fundamental advances in interdisciplinary water science, particularly of the ecosystem perspective the interactive role of physics, chemistry, and biology in the support of living communities. Continued development of this knowledge base calls for review of the educational and research issues in this area. The study would be carried out by a committee of approximately 15 scientists and engineers from various fields including limnology, environmental engineering, ground water science, ecology, aquatic , chemistry, hydrology, environmental fluid mechanics, fisheries biology, landscape ecology, and geomorphology. The committee will use case studies to consider how the application of the ecosystem perspective improves the management, protection and restoration of inland waters. The study would take two years to complete and would result in a report laying out recommendations for future improvements in research and education in the science of inland aquatic ecosystems and its application to protection, management, and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. %%% Society needs to predict how aquatic ecosystems change as a consequence of human activities such as physical manipulation of water bodies, flow manipulation, changes in land use, chemical inputs, introduction of exotic species, climate changes, and restoration efforts. These activities will affect water availability and quality, habitat conservation, and aquatic ecosystem integrity. The ability to make these predications rests on continued progress in the science of inland aquatic ecosystems.
