The fifth-largest river in the U.S. traverses seven states and supplies water to over 40 million people, playing a crucial role in supporting agriculture, municipalities, and industries.
In a recent episode of the Growing Impact podcast by the Institute of Energy and the Environment at Penn State, researchers shed light on the challenges facing the Colorado River. The fifth-largest river in the U.S. traverses seven states and supplies water to over 40 million people, playing a crucial role in supporting agriculture, municipalities, and industries. However, prolonged droughts and climate change have significantly reduced the river’s volume, raising concerns about water availability.
The podcast featured a team of researchers, including Antonia Hadjimichael, an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences; Meetpal Kukal, an assistant research professor in agricultural and biological engineering; Alex Thames, a Ph.D. candidate in climate science; and Cibin Raj, a faculty member in agricultural and biological engineering and civil and environmental engineering.
Hadjimichael highlighted the impact of the prolonged drought, stating that decreasing stream flows and reservoir storage compromise the ability to provide water to the seven states and Mexico that rely on the Colorado River. The team is investigating the interplay between climate change, agricultural adaptation, and water availability in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
The researchers emphasized the importance of understanding the complexities of water rights and legal agreements governing the Colorado River, which involves seven U.S. states and international agreements with Mexico. The Prior Appropriation Doctrine, which prioritizes water rights based on historical usage, creates challenges during periods of drought, disproportionately affecting users with lower seniority.
Meetpal Kukal discussed the impacts of climate change on water demand, citing changes in evaporative demand and shifts in snowmelt timing. The reduction in snowpack and earlier snowmelt contribute to decreased water flow during peak demand periods, impacting the agricultural sector significantly.
The team is focusing on a sub-basin of the Colorado River, known as the Upper Colorado River Basin in Colorado, to explore how hydro climatic stressors interact with the agricultural sector. They aim to quantify the effects, considering water rights and allocation models unique to the region.
Alex Thames explained the concept of synthetic weather generation, a modeling technique that produces novel combinations of precipitation and temperature, helping to explore potential future scenarios. This approach allows researchers to test the impacts of unprecedented combinations and assess their relevance to stakeholders.
The researchers expressed their goals for the project, with Hadjimichael emphasizing the need for additional funding to conduct more extensive studies. Success, for them, involves capacity development, sustained funding, and further collaboration to address the complex issues facing the Colorado River Basin.
The research team at Penn State aims to provide valuable insights into the challenges posed by climate change, drought, and agricultural practices on the Colorado River. Their interdisciplinary approach seeks to understand the intricate relationships between human and natural systems, with the hope of contributing to more sustainable water management in the region.