Washington Ocean Acidification Center
Research, Education, and Outreach
Freshwater is essential for life and the organisms contained therein constitute valuable natural resources for economic, cultural, aesthetic, scientific and educational enrichment. The conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems are critical to the interests of all humans, nations and governments. Fresh water is also critical for humanity beyond drinking water and habitat for aquatic organisms by being the fuel for hydropower systems, a resource for industrial use and supplies for irrigated agriculture and recreation. However, fresh waters throughout the world have become an increasingly scarce resource and, as a consequence, the ecological goods and services they provide have come under chronic, severe and increasing stress.
Fresh water researchers at the University of Washington are creating positive change through scientiﬁc discovery and technological innovation. We are educating the world’s future leaders to overcome the global challenges of water quality, resource management and access. Through research, policy and education, we aim to be the leading university in studying freshwater, maintaining our ranking as the #1 university on citations per paper (cpp) in the field of water resources in the last 5 years.
With $1.5 billion in sponsored research funds in 2011, the UW is a global leader in environmental science research, sustainability and technology transfer.