WaterViz: A real time confluence of science, art and music. Dr. Lindsey Rustad is a Research Ecologist for the USDA Forest Service Center for Research on Ecosystem Change in Durham, NH, co-Director of the USDA Northeastern Hub for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change, andTeam Leader for the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in NH. She received a B.A. in Philosophy at Cornell University in 1980, an M.S. in Forest Science at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences in 1983, and a Ph.D in Plant Science in 1988 at the University of MaineHer areas of expertise include biogeochemistry, climate change impacts, advanced environmental sensor systems, and the integration of art and science.
The WaterViz for Hubbard Brook is a new water cycle visualization and sonification tool that lies at the nexus between the hydrologic sciences, visual arts, music, education and graphic design. In a nutshell, hydrologic data are captured digitally from a small first-order catchment at the USDA Forest Service Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire using an array of environmental sensors. These data are transmitted to the internet and are used to drive a computer model that calculates all components of the water cycle for the catchment in real time. The complete set of measured and modeled data are then used to drive a flash visualization and sonification of the water cycle at Hubbard Brook, which are available to viewers and listeners worldwide on the internet. The WaterViz provides a novel approach that allows the viewer to intuit the dynamic inputs, outputs, and storage of water in this small, upland forested watershed as they are occurring and from anywhere in the world. We invite you to view the WaterViz at: https://waterviz.org/.