The Pedernales River. (Leslie Lee, TWRI.)
Peer-reviewed publications by TWRI and Texas A&M University System scientists
Producer Willingness to Accept Incentive Levels for Cover Crop Adoption in the Southern Great Plains: Texas Water Resources Institute scientists and co-authors analyzed agricultural producers’ willingness to adopt regenerative cover crop practices in their operation. This research analyzed survey responses submitted by producers and non-operating landowners regarding the adoption of cover crop practices in the Texas and Oklahoma portions of the Southern Great Plains
Texas Water Observatory: A Distributed Network for Monitoring Water, Energy, and Carbon Cycles under Variable Climate and Land Use on Gulf Coast Plains: Researchers at Texas A&M University developed a network of state-of-the-art field observatories known as the Texas Water Observatory, or TWO. This observatory monitors high-frequency water, energy, and carbon storage and fluxes in the Brazos River corridor, which are critical for understanding the region’s hydrologic, biogeochemical and land-atmosphere processes.
Water quality estimates using machine learning techniques in an experimental watershed: Can water quality be estimated using machine learning? Texas A&M researchers studied the effects of machine learning and its approach to predict concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrate, and phosphate in water quality monitoring scenarios.
Soil bacterial and fungal microbiomes under cotton production are more sensitive to tillage and cover crops than irrigation level in a semi-arid sandy soil: Co-authored by Texas A&M scientists, this research was focused on the microbiome responses in soils due to different cropping systems. The study focused on the microbiome response in over seven years of tillage in sandy loam soil with both low and high irrigation. Their results found that management practices had a higher influence on microbiome structure than irrigation.
Destruction of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Reverse Osmosis Concentrate Using UV-Advanced Reduction Processes: Scientists in Texas A&M’s Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering studied how to degrade and rid per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in concentrated waste streams. This study evaluated the effectiveness of reverse osmosis concentrate using UV-advanced reduction processes.
Water-related research from universities around Texas
Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater in transboundary aquifers along the US-Mexico border and drinking water quality implications for Texas colonias: Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio analyzed the groundwater quality from private wells along the Texas-Mexico border across three aquifer types. In studying the three different aquifer types, their results highlight concerns about groundwater quality and aquifer sustainability in the region.
Unintended consequences of modifying coastal river systems: A team of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin studied the consequences that the modification of river channels can bring to waterways. Using a GIS analysis of historical maps and aerial imagery, this team was able to see the changes in long-term sediment and unintended geomorphic changes.
