Tropical Research Reveals Climate Change Impacts on Water Quality

Contrary to popular belief, rainfall and temperature vary greatly in the tropics. In Costa Rica, temperature and rainfall vary on relatively small spatial scales in response to topography, elevation, and the presence of Pacific or Caribbean climatic influences. 

Arising from around the Orosí Volcano, six streams capture this climatic range within walking distance of each other. The streams are near Maritza Biological Station (Estación Biológica Maritza), the home base for Stroud Water Research Center’s tropical research program, which was established in 1990 with partners at the Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund and Área de Conservación Guanacaste (part of Costa Rica’s National Park system), leveraging earlier work in the region by the Nature Conservancy. These six streams have been a primary focus of Stroud Center scientists seeking to understand how natural systems respond to rapid changes in climate. 

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• Water Quality