Watershed Science Focus Areas

The Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program funds integrated research programs at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratories within specific science focus areas (SFAs). The SFA concept aligns DOE national laboratory research efforts with elements within the President’s annual budget request.  This approach is a recognition that the national laboratories are structured for conducting coordinated, team-oriented research in a manner that is distinct from, but complementary to, BER-supported research conducted via individual, single-investigator projects at other institutions such as universities or the private sector. This approach challenges the DOE national laboratories to build and sustain integrative, team-oriented research programs based on their unique scientific capabilities and administrative resources to meet the strategic goals of the ESS program. Additional information on national laboratory SFA program setup, review, and management procedures can be found on BER’s website.

Brief summaries of each current Watershed Science Focus Area program can be found at the links provided below:

Watershed Function SFA at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

Watershed Dynamics and Evolution SFA at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

River Corridor Hydro-biogeochemistry SFA at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Terrestrial Wetland Function and Resilience SFA at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)

Completed SFAs

Brief summaries of completed Watershed Science Focus Areas can be found at the links provided below:

Biogeochemical Transformations at Critical Interfaces in a Mercury Perturbed Watershed SFA at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Wetland Hydro-Biogeochemistry SFA at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)

BioGeoChemistry at Interfaces SFA at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

Floodplain Hydro-Biogeochemistry SFA at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC)