EAGER: Collaborative Research: Role of Citizen Science in Watershed Hydrology Research: Relationships between Volunteer Motivations, Data Quantity and Quality, and Decision-Making

1644860/1644862梅耶尔/琼斯利用公民科学项目、公众参与科学研究来测量水文参数的兴趣越来越大。水文可变性需要在很长一段时间内和在广泛的地点进行重复测量。公民科学可能是一种成本效益高的水文监测方法，但对数据可靠性的担忧依然存在；这种可靠性包括数据质量和数量方面，其中数量指的是时间频率和空间分布。这个项目的总体目标是促进对公民科学项目设计、收集的水文数据的数量和质量之间的联系的科学理解，以及这种科学研究方法对为分水岭服务项目设计和支持提供信息的贡献。该项目的创新之处在于，它探索了公民科学数据可靠性的端到端影响，包括招募和保留公民科学志愿者、公民科学数据收集、将公民科学数据纳入工程工具，以及为政策设计和决策提供信息。该项目的目标是：(1)确定影响公民科学计划保留率的因素，(2)测试基于规范的消息传递对收集的数据的数量和质量的影响，以及(3)评估收集的公民科学数据的数量和质量对水文模型可靠性、流域服务计划决策的相应付款以及对流域服务计划的付款的支持的影响。这些目标将通过以下方式实现：(1)在墨西哥韦拉克鲁斯的两个流域招募公民科学志愿者，进行持续的水文数据收集，并为流域服务计划支付费用；(2)实施实验设计，通过随机向公民科学志愿者分配“轻推”来测试规范消息传递的效果；(3)与公民科学志愿者和公认的水文科学协议同时收集降雨和径流流量数据；(4)根据公认的科学协议收集的数据估计公民科学数据的精确度和准确性；(5)在有和没有公民科学数据的情况下校准流域水文模型，包括数据精确度和准确性的影响；以及，(6)确定在有和没有公民科学数据的情况下支付流域服务费用的优先领域。墨西哥是世界上支付分水岭服务项目付款时间最长的国家之一。负责支付墨西哥分水岭服务项目费用的国家森林委员会计划使用公民科学志愿者来监测当地支付分水岭服务项目的水文结果。因此，拟议的工作可以改善流域服务项目设计以及监测和评估协议的付款，特别是如果公民参与科学活动通过改善知识、行为和对流域服务项目付款的支持而间接受益的话。PIS计划从这项工作中产生几篇关于这项工作的社会科学、生物物理学和综合方面的参考论文和演示文稿。此外，该项目将支持对两名博士生的培训，这些博士生至少为两篇论文做出了贡献。

1644860/1644862Mayer/JonesThere is growing interest in using citizen science projects, public participation in scientific research, to measure hydrologic parameters. Hydrologic variability requires repeated measurements over long periods of time and over a wide range of locations. Citizen science could be a cost-effective approach for hydrologic monitoring, but concerns about data reliability remain; this reliability includes aspects of data quality and quantity, where quantity refers to both temporal frequency and spatial distribution. The overall goal of this project is to advance scientific understanding of the linkages between citizen science project design, the quantity and quality of hydrologic data collected, and the contribution of this method of scientific research to informing payments for watershed services program design and support.This project is innovative in that it explores the impact of citizen science data reliability "end-to-end" including, recruitment and retention of citizen science volunteers, citizen science data collection, incorporation of citizen science data in engineering tools, and informing policy design and decision-making. The project objectives are: (1) to determine the factors affecting retention in citizen science programs, (2) to test the effect that norm-based messaging can have on the quantity and quality of data collected, and, (3) to evaluate the impact of the quantity and quality of citizen science data collected on hydrologic model reliability, corresponding payments for watershed services program decision-making, and support for payments for watershed services programs. These objectives will be met by: (1) recruiting citizen science volunteers in two watersheds in Veracruz, Mexico with ongoing hydrologic data collection and payments for watershed services programs; (2) implementing an experimental design to test the effect of norm messaging by randomly allocating "nudges" to citizen science volunteers; (3) simultaneously collecting rainfall and stream discharge data with citizen science volunteers and accepted hydrologic science protocols; (4) estimating the precision and accuracy of the citizen science data against the data collected with the accepted scientific protocols; (5) calibrating a watershed hydrology model with and without the citizen science data, including the effects of data precision and accuracy; and, (6) determining priority areas for payments for watershed services with and without the citizen science data. Mexico has one of the world?s longest running payments for watershed services programs. The National Forest Commission, responsible for payments for watershed services programs in Mexico, plans to use citizen science volunteers for monitoring hydrologic outcomes of local payments for watershed services programs. Thus, the proposed work could improve payments for watershed services program design and monitoring and evaluation protocols, especially if there are indirect benefits of citizen science participation through improved knowledge, behaviors, and support of payments for watershed services programs. The PIs plan to generate several refereed papers and presentations from this work on the social science, biophysical and integrated aspects of this work. Additionally, this project will support training of two PhD students contributing to at least two dissertations.