Communities around the world are experiencing worsening water availability and quality issues. Drivers of water scarcity and degradation stretch across multiple spatial and temporal scales and involve diverse stakeholders, making effective management of these human-water systems challenging. The aim of the Marston Research Group is to understand the scale of this challenge and find ways to meet it.

Our research answers fundamental scientific questions that help address pressing water sustainability issues afflicting the environment and society. We are guided by the following questions: How is water used within the economy and what are the environmental and societal implications of these water uses? How do interconnected hydrologic, economic, and infrastructure systems meet societal water demands? How resilient are these systems to climate change and infrastructure failure? How do changes in policy, regulations, and water rights propagate through human-water systems and what are the implications for society and environmental sustainability?