past faculty RESEARCH
Each year, the Montana Water Center awards funding to Montana University System faculty through the Faculty Seed Grant Program. See below for more information on past Faculty Seed Grant projects.
2018 FACULTY SEED GRANTS
DR. jeremy Crowley: Identifying seasonal distribution of geothermal groundwater discharge to surface water
Geothermal groundwater systems, which have a very high temperature and contrast compared to surface water, give us the potential to investigate year-round seasonality in GWSW interaction. This study will use UAV-based thermal infrared imaging, stream and groundwater discharge, and precipitation to evaluate the seasonality and spatial distribution of the ground water-surface water interaction of a small geothermal feature: LaDuke hot springs, a developed geothermal spring that discharges into the Yellowstone River about five miles northwest of Gardiner in southwest Montana.
Jeremy Crowley is a hydrogeologist, data scientist, and drone pilot who has been working on natural resource issues in the public and private sector for over 20 years. He is leading the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology drone research group, which is developing high-resolution 3D photogrammetric and light detection and ranging (Lidar) based digital elevation models and thermal maps to investigate ground water- surface water interaction and natural hazards. Currently he is conducting research into the seasonality of geothermal spring discharge, Lidar simultaneous localization and mapping and collision avoidance, and custom drone sensor integration, applications, and software development.
DR. Hongyi Li: Deciphering the combined effects of artificial and natural water storage structures on late-season flows
Natural water storage has been proposed and currently under implementation as a solution to mitigate the water stress caused by droughts. However, it remains a challenge how to scale-up these natural storage innovations and their impacts from the current pilot projects to the basin scale while accounting for the effects of artificial reservoirs. The goal of this study is to develop a basin-scale hydrological modeling framework to integrate the hydrological effects of the natural storage, groundwater storage, channel storage and reservoirs, and more importantly, their interactions. Research is being conducted in collaboration with the Montana Freshwater Program at the Nature Conservancy.
Dr. HongYi Li has been a tenure-track Associate Professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University. He is now an affiliated faculty at Montana State University and Associate Professor at the University of Houston. Li’s specific interests include developing novel modeling and data analysis tools to understand lateral transport of water, energy and biogeochemistry fluxes across land surface and through river systems under climate and human-induced changes, and pursuing the understanding and representing of two-way interactions and feedbacks between Human and Earth Systems within the climate-water-energy-environment nexus.
DR. Katherine Zodrow: Reducing Acid Rock Drainage Volume using Passive Solar Evaporation Islands
Acidic mine waste (AMW) affects numerous drainages in Montana, and the release of AMW into natural waters threatens human and ecosystem health. This research explores implementation of Passive Solar Evaporation Islands (PSEIs) for AMW volume reduction. The PSEIs will consist of a floating carbon-based material incorporated onto upcycled plastic bottles arranged in floating islands. The PSEIs will accelerate evaporation, reducing the volume of acid mine waste with the goal of reducing the risk of spills and contamination.
Dr. Katherine Zodrow is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at Montana Tech School of Mines and Engineering. The project includes the development of a children's exhibit for the Butte children's science museum, The Science Mine.