Research

Many of the critical questions in Earth system science focus on how the cycling and availability of water interacts with, and is controlled by, physical, ecological, and chemical processes.  These questions require the expertise of multiple disciplines and have led to a growing number of solicitations focused on large, multidisciplinary projects.  Effectively addressing these questions, and successfully competing in these solicitations, requires a group that can communicate across disciplines and combine state-of-the art knowledge and techniques from multiple fields into a cohesive proposal and successful project.

Research projects within and arising from SAHRA typically:

• Focus on basic research on the water cycle within the Earth system
• Include researchers from multiple departments and colleges
• Obtain significant funding from extramural sources
• Address high-profile, research questions of critical importance to the State of Arizona, the southwest in general, and the nation as a whole

The SAHRA center will meet the need to stimulate research with these characteristics, and through these projects maintain and advance University of Arizona’s role as a leader in Earth system science, especially and primarily as it relates to the cycling of water in a rapidly-changing world.  The coordination between researchers and projects that facilitates this scientific advancement is a key outcome and strength of the SAHRA center that must be retained.