About Ecosystems Research
EPA's Ecosystems Research goal is to improve environmental quality through excellence in ecosystems exposure research. EPA scientists support this goal by discovering fundamental process knowledge and integrating it into state-of-the-science computational technologies and modeling systems.
EPA Ecosystems Research Mission Statement
EPA Ecosystem Researchers conduct process, modeling, and field research to assess the exposure risks of humans and ecosystems to chemical and non-chemical stressors. This research provides data, modeling tools and technical support to EPA, state and local governments, and other customers, enabling achievement of Agency strategic goals in the protection of human health and the environment.
Ecosystems research includes studies of the behavior of contaminants, nutrients, and biota in environmental systems, and the development of mathematical models to assess the response of aquatic systems, watersheds and landscapes to stresses from natural and anthropogenic sources. EPA field and laboratory studies support process research, model development, testing and validation, and characterize variability and prediction uncertainty.
Leading-edge computational technologies are developed to integrate core sciences into multi-media (air, surface water, ground water, soil, sediment, biota), multi-stressor, and multi-scale (organism, population, community, ecosystem; field, site, watershed, regional, national, global) modeling systems that provide predictive capabilities for complex environmental exposures.
To support this mission, EPA's Ecosystems Research Program is comprised of dedicated scientific and administrative professionals who deliver high-quality, timely, effective and understandable products and applications that meet our customers' needs, with a commitment to exceed their expectations.