Stream and lake ecosystem research at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest started in the mid 1960s, and has included: surveys of invertebrate taxa; long-term studies of stream chemistry, temperature and hydrology; flux, cycling and mass-balance approaches to element cycling; and numerous whole-stream manipulative experiments to examine stream dynamics and processes.
Current and recent projects include:
- Restoration of acidified stream ecosystems
- Role of organic debris dams in streams, salinization of Mirror Lake from road deicers added from nearby I93,
- Valley-wide export of solutes from the Hubbard Brook Valley
- Network analysis of multi-scale controls on streamwater chemistry
Long-term analysis of precipitation and streamwater chemistry reveal rapid and relentless dilution. Chemistry of precipitation and stream water are projected to reach demineralized conditions within a decade or so (Likens and Buso 2012, ES&T).