The Schmitt Lab for River System Science and Sustainability (RS³) promotes a new approach to river science and management—one that integrates systems thinking with a focus on sustainability. Just as earth system science has advanced our understanding of the planet as a deeply interconnected system, we apply river system science to explore how rivers function as connected networks across scales, processes, and human uses.
Rivers are fascinating natural systems, underpin ecosystem and societies, and “flow” through many global challenges, from climate adaptation and mitigation to natural hazards, meeting human needs for water, energy, and food, and tackling the global biodiversity crisis. At the same time, rivers are heavily altered by human activities, requiring us to conceptualize their functions and management at the intersection of human and natural systems.
Rivers are fascinating natural systems, underpin ecosystem and societies, and “flow” through many global challenges, from climate adaptation and mitigation to natural hazards, meeting human needs for water, energy, and food, and tackling the global biodiversity crisis. At the same time, rivers are heavily altered by human activities, requiring us to conceptualize their functions and management at the intersection of human and natural systems.
Rivers are fascinating natural systems, underpin ecosystem and societies, and “flow” through many global challenges, from climate adaptation and mitigation to natural hazards, meeting human needs for water, energy, and food, and tackling the global biodiversity crisis. At the same time, rivers are heavily altered by human activities, requiring us to conceptualize their functions and management at the intersection of human and natural systems.
