Montana State University
Watershed Hydrology
Welcome to the Montana State University
Watershed Hydrology Lab
Mission statement:
To conduct interdisciplinary research that improves understanding of how the storage and movement of water influences ecosystem structure and function.
To maximize the integrity, usefulness, and accessibility of research products within the scientific, local, state, national, and international communities.
To appreciate that the success of this research depends on the professional respect given to and earned from the stakeholders in those communities.
To develop the academic and professional skills of students and early career scientists in their work to fulfill this mission.
Summary of current research interests:
Interpreting the relative roles of climate variability, natural ecosystem behavior, and management decisions in determining the trajectory of Montana aquatic ecosystems and water resources.
Understanding the mechanisms controlling the water budget of the fluvial corridor hydrologic system, and scaling this understanding to whole-watershed behavior.
Integration of biogeochemical, ecological, hydrological, and sociological models in a common reference frame.
Inferring watershed structure and function from the spatial distribution of stream water quantity and quality.
Developing robust statistical approaches for selecting the appropriate level of complexity in mechanistic environmental models.
Directed by Robert A. Payn, PhD
Associate Professor of Watershed Hydrology
Office: 826 Leon Johnson Hall (back of lab in 827)
Phone: +1-406-994-7197
Email: rpayn@montana.edu
