Associate Professor Ryan Morrison details his latest research in the development of an index of floodplain integrity in an article published by Communications Earth & Environment entitled “Degradation of floodplain integrity within the contiguous United States.” Floodplains provide critical environmental benefits such as reducing the impact of floods and storing groundwater. However, they are also one of the most endangered ecosystems due to human modification (e.g., construction of dams and levees, development, etc.).

This research is the culmination of a three-year project which originally included only the state of Colorado. Morrison expanded the analysis to measure the integrity of floodplains throughout the contiguous U.S., closing a gap where previously no such dataset existed. His hope is for this dataset to be used to aid in prioritizing conservation or restoration efforts in floodplains.

Read the full article here.