A new airborne mission—a collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Department of Water Resources—is able to measure the amount of water held in snowpack in two mountain watersheds in the U.S., allowing scientists to better estimate...
In The News
New Mexico Outlines Water-Saving Proposals
May 9, 2013 |
New Mexico State University/Senator Tom Udall
Continued backing of desalination research and more funding for programs that help reduce water waste are just two of 40 proposals aimed at encouraging conservation and boosting water supplies in the Rio Grande Basin of New Mexico. The proposals are presented in a recent report developed from a...
Budget Cuts May Force Closure of 375 Stream-Gauges
May 9, 2013 |
USGS
Due to budget cuts including sequestration, the USGS may be forced to cease operation of up to 375 stream gauges across the nation. Currently the agency’s network contains more than 8,000 gauges that monitor stream discharge and help water managers predict and address drought and flood conditions. Many...
Hydraulic Fracturing Increases Water Stress in Already Stressed Regions
May 5, 2013 |
Ceres
A large portion of hydraulic fracturing operations in the U.S. are located in water-stressed regions, especially in Colorado and Texas, according to a recent report by the non-profit organization...
CO2 Concentrations to Surpass 400ppm
May 5, 2013 |
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions will soon pass 400 parts per million (ppm), up from 316 ppm in 1958 when modern record keeping began and an estimated 280 ppm at the start of the Industrial Revolution, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego. Scientists at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii...
Assessment Outlines Future Climate Changes, Impacts in SW
May 3, 2013 |
Island Press
The Southwest U.S. will continue to get warmer over the 21st century, with fewer cold waves and longer, hotter heat waves, according to an expansive new book published by Island Press. The book, prepared for the...
Energy Cost of Desal Merits Evaluation
May 3, 2013 |
Pacific Institute
Desalination consumes more energy per gallon of water than most other water supply options, according to the third report in a series by the Pacific Institute investigating issues related to seawater desalination projects in...
Streamflow Forecasts Grim for AZ, NM
April 25, 2013 |
CLIMAS
Conditions over the past month have once again been dry and warm in Arizona and New Mexico, according to the April Southwest Climate Outlook from CLIMAS. Temperatures have been 1 to 5 degrees F above average, and precipitation has been less than 70 percent of average in much of both states. Forecasts suggest both of these...
Scientists Confirm Recent Warming Trend Due to Humans
April 25, 2013 |
Nature Geoscience
Natural variability alone cannot explain the recent (past century) warming trend, confirms a new study published in Nature Geoscience. The authors used paleoclimate records—such as lake sediments and ice cores—from around the globe to reconstruct past temperatures in seven continental-scale...
Climate Zones Shifting Faster Than Previously Thought
April 25, 2013 |
Nature Climate Change
Climate change will shift climate zones at a faster rate than previously thought, according to a recent study in Nature Climate Change. Previous projections estimated a linear relationship between increasing global mean temperature and the pace of shifting climate zones, although few...