Our students and faculty come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds forming a collaborative team to support a wide range of educational and research goals. Participating faculty members come from the Departments of Geosciences, Civil Engineering, and Biology. Additionally, strong collaborations exist with faculty in Mathematics, Economics, and Public Policy and Administration. Approximately 75 students are enrolled in undergraduate, masters, and PhD degree programs.
Current active subdisciplines in Hydrologic Sciences at Boise State University include:
Hydrogeology
The study of groundwater, its flow, distribution, and the processes controlling its behavior.
Watershed Hydrology
The study of relationships between landscape form and hydrologic processes in watersheds.
Snow Physics/Hydrology
Physical processes governing the accumulation and and ablation of snow in the hydrologic cycle.
Surface Water Hydrology
The study of surface water, its flow, distribution, and the processes controlling its behavior.
Water Quality and Aqueous Geochemistry
The study of water chemistry, processes controlling water quality, and the application of chemical tools to a variety of hydrologic questions.
Biogeochemistry
The study of elemental cycling and processes at the microscopic to global scale with an emphasis on interaction of biology, chemistry and physics.
Global Climate Change
The study of the interaction of the bio, geo, hydro and atmospheres and their influence on global climate change.
Geomicrobiology
The study of microbial populations and associated processes in ground and surface water.
Fluvial Geomorphology
The study of feedbacks between stream systems, fluvial processes and landforms, and ecology in river systems.
Hydrogeophysics
The study and application of geophysical techniques to shallow subsurface questions, often interrogating groundwater related questions.
Glacier Hydrology
The study of glaciers, their structure and function, and their role in the hydrologic budget and global climate change.
Computational Hydrology and Modeling
The study and application of mathematical and often computer based tools to the study of hydrologic processes.
Contaminant Hydrogeology
The study of the fate and treatment of contaminants in groundwater.