Scientists from different disciplines often work in parallel rather than together, producing insights that are difficult to translate into tools and practices that endure beyond a single project or funding cycle. In freshwater and wetland management, this disconnect can limit the ability of managers and communities to respond to rapidly changing conditions while also addressing long-standing challenges. Bridging disciplinary, organizational, and community boundaries is therefore essential for producing science that is both actionable and durable.
TealWaters is a collaboration among multidisciplinary scientists, data engineers, and community partners focused on operationalizing science for wetland and watershed management. Our work emphasizes co-production, ensuring that scientific advances are shaped by real management needs and can be applied directly on the ground. Our flagship effort, the Wetland Intrinsic Potential (WIP) Tool, is a remote sensing–based product with an intuitive web viewer that improves both the accuracy and spatial extent of wetland mapping. The WIP addresses a deceptively simple but persistent question—where are the wetlands?—while allowing users to tailor supplementary estimates of wetland functions to their specific objectives.
Born from a National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator Grant, TealWaters brings together collaborators from academia alongside community partners, including the Tulalip and Klamath Tribes. We present a case study from the Skykomish Watershed, recently affected by flooding from an atmospheric river precipitation event, to illustrate how this collaborative approach supports management-relevant outcomes. In addition to mapping wetlands, we estimate the proportion of previously unmapped wetlands, classify wetlands by hydrogeomorphic setting, identify catchments with high water storage potential, and estimate carbon storage. This example highlights both the opportunities and challenges of cross-disciplinary, cross-organizational collaboration and demonstrates how co-produced science can better support freshwater management in a changing climate.