Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Research

The EMA subproject of CREST RESSACA is focused on improving fundamental understanding of scale-dependent behavior of water and air pollutants in semi-arid lands and shorelines by collecting high-quality environmental monitoring data and providing subsequent comprehensive assessment. Specific objectives are to: 1) identify key environmental stressors; 2) systematically investigate underlying physicochemical and biological processes impairing air and water quality; and 3) translate this knowledge into current environmental condition assessments and forecasts of natural resource management actions. The chosen research topics supporting EMA objectives and addressing environmental sustainability issues are: 1) environmental impact assessment of industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and traffic emissions in the river-urban system of the Middle Rio Grande Region on the US-Mexico border (TAMIU); 2) environmental stressor sources, transport, and transformation in the bay-urban system of the Corpus Christi Port area; and 3) environmental impact assessment of desalination concentrate discharges to coastal surface waters in the estuarine-lake system of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (UTB). These all share the common research theme: analysis of impacts and underlying transport and transformation mechanisms related to key environmental stressors, including heavy metals, pesticides, and air pollutants within a shared multimedia environment. The EMA research will provide a solid foundation for science-based decision making and contribute significantly to sustainable infrastructure development in South Texas .