The American Midwest’s rich farmland, diverse natural habitats, and strong rural communities have earned it the nickname of the nation’s heartland. But beneath the familiar image of golden fields and winding rivers lies a region increasingly shaped by extremes. Thanks to climate change, extreme weather—once seasonal and predictable—has become more frequent, intense, and disruptive. From heat waves and floods to winter storms and wind events, climate variability is now a defining feature of the landscape.

This shifting baseline has real consequences for those conducting environmental fieldwork. For more than 30 years, Waterborne’s scientists have operated field studies programs throughout the Midwest and beyond, collecting data critical to understanding environmental safety and ecosystem health. Today, our scientists collecting long-term data have had to channel their inner MacGyvers to continue working through weather conditions that are not just inconvenient, but at times transformational to their studies.

Environmental monitoring programs that depend on seasonal consistency, such as runoff sampling during spring planting or post-storm assessments, can suffer from scheduling challenges. With rain arriving earlier or in shorter, more intense bursts, conducting our studies at times feels like a moving target. These days, it’s hard to predict what weather is around the corner: droughts in some years are followed by record rainfall in others. For field teams tasked with collecting reliable, site-based data, flexibility has become a necessity.

Extreme weather events affect not only how science is conducted, but also what it observes. Floodwaters can alter stream channels and increase pollutant transport. Drought can reduce natural dilution and stress aquatic life. High temperatures can accelerate or delay chemical breakdown. These environmental shifts are not theoretical; they shape the data and influence risk assessments, regulatory decisions, and conservation planning.

With all of this in mind, our scientists now consider the weather itself as a variable, not just a condition under which data is collected. Safety is an additional concern: blizzards, heat waves, tornadoes, and storms all pose risks to crews in the field, especially in remote or agricultural areas. Adjustments in field methods, protective equipment, scheduling, and study design are all part of working through our new normal.

As the weather changes, so do we. Communities, conservationists, and farmers are already adapting. We’ve worked with clients on paths to live within our unpredictable world. These include:

• Investing in soil health and water retention to reduce erosion and buffer against both drought and floods.
• Diversifying crops and adopting climate-resilient varieties.
• Protecting and restoring natural areas that absorb stormwater and buffer extreme temperatures.
• Supporting climate-smart agriculture and local conservation partnerships.

As the Midwest continues to face growing challenges from extreme weather, proactive adaptation is essential. In our field studies, we’ve introduced tools and strategies to help teams navigate these conditions without compromising data quality or project integrity. Just as important as the data itself is ensuring the safety of our teams in the field:

• All field staff are American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Certified
• All field vehicles are equipped with First Aid kits and emergency supplies
• Field staff are in constant communication with project managers about changing weather forecasts, so that informed decisions may be made on priority actions
• Our staff pride themselves on their endurance and problem-solving capacity under challenging conditions. When conditions are safe for entry (and exit!), our staff are equipped with the resources and support to deliver high-quality field data to our clients.
• Our people are our priority: therefore, it is Waterborne’s mission to ensure that all staff feel comfortable and safe with the decisions made about field work in potentially adverse conditions

The realities of climate change are reshaping how environmental science is done, demanding flexibility, foresight, and a deep commitment to both data quality and human safety. Fieldwork in the Midwest now requires not only technical skill, but also the ability to adapt to a landscape defined by extremes. As conditions continue to shift, ongoing investment in resilient methods and thoughtful planning will be key to ensuring that science can continue to inform sound environmental decisions in an uncertain future.