With a fully equipped modern laboratory and computing facilities, SNARL serves as a major center for research for the eastern Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley.

Selected Research Projects:

Ecology of Mono Lake: UC research since 1976 on Mono Lake influenced a 1994 decision of the State Water Resources Control Board to raise the lake level, helping to restore its ecosystem; ongoing projects there include physical-limnology modeling and monitoring of brine shrimp and alkali fly populations.

Sierran Snowpack: SNARL scientists operate a snow laboratory on Mammoth Mountain; the National Science Foundation and NASA Earth Observing System Project fund ongoing studies of snowpack properties and snowmelt runoff.

Aquatic Biology: Ongoing studies examine impacts of livestock grazing on stream ecology and effects of nonnative trout on Sierra Nevada lake ecosystems.

Endangered Species Conservation: Ongoing studies are examining the causes of declines in populations for the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog, and the potential for recovery of this species

Fire Ecology: Valentine Camp fire-history studies, stand-age analysis, and fuel-loading maps will be used to develop a fire management plan.

Wetland mapping project: Identification and delineation of wetlands in Long Valley.

Plant ecology: Population ecology, ecophysiology, and genetics of mountain brome grass.

Avian ecology: Artificial nest boxes are used to attract house wrens for study in breeding behavior and endocrinology.