Freshwater Ecosystems: Revitalizing Educational Programs in Limnology

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To fulfill its commitment to clean water, the United States depends on limnology, a multidisciplinary science that seeks to understand the behavior of freshwater bodies by integrating aspects of all basic sciencesâ€"from chemistry and fluid mechanics to botany, ichthyology, and microbiology. Now, prominent limnologists are concerned about this important field, citing the lack of adequate educational programs and other issues.

Freshwater Ecosystems responds with recommendations for strengthening the field and ensuring the readiness of the next generation of practitioners. Highlighted with case studies, this book explores limnology's place in the university structure and the need for curriculum reform, with concrete suggestions for curricula and field research at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. The volume examines the wide-ranging career opportunities for limnologists and recommends strategies for integrating limnology more fully into water resource decision management.

Freshwater Ecosystems tells the story of limnology and its most prominent practitioners and examines the current strengths and weaknesses of the field. The committee discusses how limnology can contribute to appropriate policies for industrial waste, wetlands destruction, the release of greenhouse gases, extensive damming of rivers, the zebra mussel and other "invasions" of speciesâ€"the broad spectrum of problems that threaten the nation's freshwater supply. Freshwater Ecosystems provides the foundation for improving a field whose importance will continue to increase as human populations grow and place even greater demands on freshwater resources. This volume will be of value to administrators of university and government science programs, faculty and students in aquatic science, aquatic resource managers, and clean-water advocatesâ€"and it is readily accessible to the concerned individual.

 

Índice

Executive Summary
1
Status of Inland Waters
10
Evolution and Current
24
Role of Limnology
65
Current Status and Recommendations
118
Curricular Issues
134
Role of Field Research Sites in Aquatic Science Education
147
References
153
Training of Aquatic Ecosystem Scientists by Robert G Wetzel
218
an Essential Component of Curricula in Limnology by Eville Gorham
234
Applied Aquatic Ecosystem Science by Dean Premo and Douglas Knauer
247
Fundamental Research Questions in Inland Aquatic Ecosystem Science
257
The Role of Major Research Centers in the Study of Inland
279
Bringing Biology Back into Water Quality Assessments
289
APPENDIXES
325
Surveys of Professional Soci
344

BACKGROUND PAPERS
179
A Neglected Field of Study
203
Other Contributors to This Report
352
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