Water Resources Engineering Research

Fresh water is arguably the most important resource in the world. Climate change and population growth are rapidly changing the availability and distribution of fresh water resources. Water resources engineers manage, plan, and design water resources systems and structures, thus playing a pivotal role in dealing with the increasing complexities of fresh water systems. At the University of Nebraska, we strive to educate engineers who are capable of adapting to these rapid changes in water resources; engineers capable of developing better management strategies, better hydraulic designs and more efficient water resources systems.

Water resources engineering professors at the University of Nebraska conduct a wide variety of research in hydrology, hydraulics, groundwater, water resources systems and education. Their research helps to improve the designs of hydraulic structures so that they do not fail prematurely, improves conservation of limited quantities of surface and groundwater, protects people from polluted water, and helps to advance knowledge about water resources at an international level. In addition, their work has helped to advance new methods for measuring different properties and flow characteristics of water using both local and remote sensing technologies.

Specific topical areas of their research include:

• Computational Modeling of Groundwater Flow
• Nanoparticle Transport in Porous Media
• Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources
• Efficient Use of Water Resources for Food Security
• Analytical Solutions to Hydraulic Problems
• Numerical Modeling of Bridge Scour
• Hydraulic Instrumentation
• Streambank Erosion
• Complex Physical Models
• Evapotranspiration
• Remote Sensing of Vegetation, Land Use, and Water Consumption
• Spatial Characteristics of Water Resources using Geographic Information Systems
• Hydraulic Engineering Education
• Multi-criteria Decision Making
• Stormwater Quality Modeling