Volume 1 | Issue 3
DISCOVER UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
WHAT WE DO + WHY IT MATTERS
Simply put, research from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is changing lives. With expertise in food and agriculture, environment and water, family and communities, health and wellness, and computing and data, our reach is both broad and deep. But uniting us is a commitment to solving real-world problems that affect people and places in Central Illinois, the United States, and the globe. Here, we showcase a fraction of our world-class research in the area of environment and water, demonstrating advancements that could mitigate threats to fisheries, reduce water pollution, and recycle nutrients in short supply.
STOPPING INVASIVE FISH WITH CO2 Invasive bighead and silver carp are filter feeders that can drastically alter aquatic environments and reduce populations of native fish, mollusks, and plankton. Having established in the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the fish now loom at the edge of the Great Lakes. Recognizing the threat, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers erected electric barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway, but they have proven fallible. Illinois researchers have shown treating water with repurposed carbon dioxide can effectively repel carp from an area. The inexpensive treatment is being tested now in a decommissioned lock near Lake Michigan. If proven effective in the field, carbon dioxide could provide another tool to keep the Great Lakes safe from invasive Asian carp.
CO2
Invasive Asian carp threaten the $7 billion fishing industry
CLEANING UP AG DRAINAGE WATER NATURALLY State and federal nutrient reduction strategies call for mitigation of nitrogen and phosphorus in agricultural drainage water, among other sources, to avoid dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Illinois researchers, saturated buffers may be part of the solution. Many Midwestern farms are equipped with belowground pipes that carry nutrient-rich water into adjacent ditches and streams. In a saturated buffer, these pipes are re-routed to empty into the rooting zone of edge-of-field stream banks. Perennial plants and soil microbes remove excess nutrients before the water reaches streams beyond. Illinois researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of saturated buffers at local and regional scales, and may recommend the passive, inexpensive practice for inclusion in official strategies.
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Saturated buffers could reduce nitrogen load from ag drainage up to
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