Science Nation: Dams--What Goes Up Must Come Down, and Then What?
There’s been a lot of research on what happens to a river when dams are built, but what happens when a dam is torn down? With support from the National Science Foundation, Dartmouth College geographer Frank Magilligan is researching the impact of dam removal. His lab has been at the relatively small Homestead Dam, built more than 200 years ago along the Ashuelot River in New Hampshire. He and his team have collected data on the ecology and geology of the Ashuelot River both before and after the Dam removal. Now, they’ll be documenting the processes of ecological restoration and how the path of the river is changing.
Media Details
Runtime: 2 minutes 33 seconds
- Topic: Business, Geography, Science
- Subtopic: Construction, Earth Sciences, Ecology, U.S. Geography
- Grade/Interest Level: 7 - 12
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2009
- Producer/Distributor: National Science Foundation
- Series: Science Nation
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