National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC)
Scientists Provide Basis for Decisions in the Field

SURVEYING THE TITLES IN ITS LIBRARY, a reader is struck by the breadth of subject matter under study at the National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Scientists working in numerous disciplines— biology, geography, genetics, ecology — are examining every aspect of Louisiana’s complex coastal environment, from feeding patterns of microscopic organisms to land loss trends tracked through satellite imagery.

Top: Research in the labs and greenhouses at NWRC not only helps Louisiana fight wetlands loss, but also contributes to understanding the complexities of wetland ecosystems worldwide.
Bottom: In this study, greenhouse conditions are controlled to test the effects of different nutrients, salinities and water depth on a species’ performance.
National Wetlands Research Center

And the frequency with which the center’s scientists author these publications indicates the leading role they play worldwide in the field of wetland ecology. Their research not only contributes to academic scholarship, but also finds application as the scientific basis for environmental actions in the field. For instance, the center might

• identify plants with the genetic characteristics most beneficial to a project area
• determine how changing wetland conditions affect plant growth and survival
• monitor a project’s longterm influence on the coastal environment by surveying habitat and tracking changes

From microscopic examination of cells to mapping with satellite imagery, scientists work together at NWRC to unlock the wetlands’ secrets.
National Wetlands Research Center

Begun in 1975 as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in 1992 the center moved to the University of Louisiana’s research park in Lafayette. Today the NWRC is one of 18 science centers in the U.S. Geological Survey’s Biological Resources Discipline.