Kahler Research Group

Lake Fundudzi, Limpopo, South Africa Duquesne University press release The  U.S. Agency for International Development  has awarded Duquesne University faculty,  David M. Kahler , and co-investigators  Joshua N. Edokpayi , University of Venda, and  Kevin C. Rose   Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a $1 million grant to conduct research on water resources and engage with stakeholders in the Limpopo River Basin. The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Mackenzie here! Well, it's good to be back. Dr. Kahler took the time to show Garrett how we use the acoustic doppler velocimeter in the river to get a measurement of flow for this transect site - so I watched for a while and caught some rays. 😎 Sitting on the bank of the beautiful Mutale River in Limpopo, I can't help but contemplate how lucky I feel to be here. It's absolutely stunning, this little corner of Africa. It's the most beautiful valley you'll ever see. In fact, beautiful views are readily available here; we're extremely close to Kruger, a national park that works very hard on animal conservation and biodiversity protection, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to visit there twice. But seeing all this beauty and all of the value of this place throws into sharp relief that what is not so readily available in this area: consistent access to clean water from the municipality. The struggle for access to water includes affordability, a...

Newly published in Water , a paper on the current drinking water resources in rural communities in Limpopo, South Africa.  The full article (open access) is available:  http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/2/159 .

Researchers in front of the weather station. Data are critical in water resources management.  Researchers from  Duquesne University  and the  University of Venda  conducted river discharge measurements and installed a weather station at a local school.  The weather station will provide, among other parameters, precipitation data, which will be used to model the watershed.    The river discharge measurements will be used to measure the amount of surface water that flows through the valley.  Students from Duquesne and Univen are also planning to deliver modules at the local primary school on weather and climate.  The river discharge measurements will be used to model the watershed and hopefully construct a method to determine surface water quantity from satellite  images.  Satellites allow researchers and resource managers to quantify the river water in the past where river gage measurements do not exist. Using a c...