The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is challenging research institutions to use large, nationally consistent statistical survey datasets to evaluate the health and impact of the aquatic ecosystems in the United States, a news release said.
It's called the National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) Data Analysis Innovation Challenge.
“For five decades, science has provided the foundation for managing and protecting our nation’s waters,” EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox said in a statement. “With this data challenge, we are inviting the next generation of environmental leaders to reveal new insights on the state of our waters, including the impacts of the climate crisis and the water equity gap.”
Participants will also evaluate successes as well as remaining challenges of the Clean Water Act, 50 years after its passage. They can win prize money and get national recognition for their institutions, EPA said.
NARS is "a collaborative program and is implemented by EPA, states and tribes to assess the quality of the nation's coastal waters, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and wetlands," EPA said.
The surveys "provide a point in time assessment of the condition of these resources, identify the extent of key stressors across the United States, and track changes over time," the agency said.
NARS is authorized by sections 104(a)(5) and 305(b) of the Clean Water Act, according to the news release.
