Anza-Borrego Desert State ParkCourtesy California State ParksThe National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics or NCED is based at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. Partners of the center include colleges, universities, and education centers from across the United States one of which is the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM).

In their work, NCED wants to predict the dynamics and evolution of a landscape in order to better understand how to manage and restore the Earth-surface environment. They do this by modeling the evolution of the landscape and its ecosystem, studying the depositional systems in river deltas, and working on new research and tools for stream restoration. NCED programs that do this research include Desktop Watersheds, Subsurface Architecture, and Stream Restoration.

Education is a big part of what the center provides. You can see some of their work right here at SMM in the Big Back Yard exhibit where you can get a first hand look at some of the earth’s surfaces and learn how they were made. Water plays a big part in how the earth surfaces are formed and you can learn more about it in the exhibit Water:H2O=Life which is a collaboration of work of several groups and museums that is now traveling.

So go and explore what is shaping this earth and how NCED is helping in the understanding and revival of the earth’s surfaces.