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About National-Synthesis Assessments

National teams synthesize the results of all the NAWQA investigations with information from other programs, agencies, and researchers. These national syntheses are possible because each NAWQA investigation adheres to a nationally consistent study design and uniform methods of data collection and analysis. National syntheses provide an understanding of how and why water quality varies regionally and nationally.

National Synthesis results help to answer the following types of questions:

• What water-quality issues occur only in isolated areas, and what issues are pervasive across the nation?
  
• How do the effects on water quality of human activities, such as pesticide applications, and natural factors, such as soil permeability, differ across different environmental settings?

National Synthesis addresses priority water-quality issues:

• Pesticides
  
• Nutrients
  
• Volatile organic compounds
  
• Ecology
  
• Trace elements

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Page Last Modified: Monday, 05-Feb-2018 14:34:29 EST