Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Felipe Jeferson Medeiros, Rafaela dos Santos Gomes, Mayte Duarte Leal Coutinho, Kellen Carla Lima
Summary: This study analyzes the relationship between meteorological droughts, future climate projections, and water resources in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The results show that drought years lead to a decrease in reservoir storage, while wet years result in an increase. The analyses of future climate indicate a higher degree of uncertainty, but suggest a prevalence of wetter years in the near future, with a potential water deficit in 2042-2047. These findings provide valuable information for decision-makers in planning water security strategies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Maryam Samimi, Ali Mirchi, Daniel Moriasi, Zhuping Sheng, David Gutzler, Saleh Taghvaeian, Sara Alian, Kevin Wagner, William Hargrove
Summary: Study region: Middle Section of the Rio Grande Basin (MRG), U.S.
Study focus: The study analyzed the long-term tradeoffs of various land and water management interventions in adapting irrigated agriculture to water scarcity in a desert environment. The results showed that traditional irrigation management methods are not sustainable and existing interventions have limited water savings. Strategies for future agricultural water sustainability in the study area could include transitioning to drought-tolerant crops, desalinating groundwater, and developing water markets.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nasrullah Khan, Hung T. T. Nguyen, Stefano Galelli, Paolo Cherubini
Summary: Increased flood risks and intensifying droughts pose significant threats for the Kabul River Basin. Future water management needs to account for both flood and drought risks and be informed by long-term hydroclimatic variability.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Philippa A. Higgins, Jonathan G. Palmer, Martin S. Andersen, Christian S. M. Turney, Fiona Johnson
Summary: Droughts are common in the South Pacific islands, and this study developed a reconstruction of November-April Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index for the region from 1640 to 1998 CE. By using machine learning algorithms, extreme drought events were identified and can help understand their potential impacts on the islands in the future.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Melanie Vines, Glenn Tootle, Leigh Terry, Emily Elliott, Joni Corbin, Grant L. Harley, Jonghun Kam, Sahar Sadeghi, Matthew Therrell
Summary: Seasonal reconstructions of streamflow using streamflow data and tree-ring chronologies were successfully created for several rivers, with validation through correlation and regression analysis. The study also identified the significant impact of the recent (2000s) prolonged drought on the rivers.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Samuli Helama, Hannu Herva, Laura Arppe, Bjorn Gunnarson, Thomas Frank, Jari Holopainen, Pekka Nojd, Harri Makinen, Kari Mielikainen, Raimo Sutinen, Mauri Timonen, Joonas Uusitalo, Markku Oinonen
Summary: Tree-ring records are valuable for climate science and paleoclimatology. However, there is a debate on whether tree rings can be used as low-frequency indicators of past climate. This study reconstructs summer temperatures using minimum blue channel light intensity and demonstrates the potential of this unconventional tree-ring variable to provide paleoclimate estimates on orbital forcing scales.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Kathleen D. Holman, Kristin M. Mikkelson, Dagmar K. Llewellyn
Summary: Increasing evaporative demand from storage reservoirs is exacerbating water scarcity issues in the American West. This study improves understanding of open water evaporation by comparing different models and field measurements at Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico. The results show variations in evaporation estimates and spatial heterogeneity in evaporation rates across the reservoir surface.
JOURNAL OF HYDROMETEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bethany L. Coulthard, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Gregory T. Pederson, Edward Cook, Jeremy Littell, Dan J. Smith
Summary: Climate change has led to recent declines in mountain snowpack and earlier runoff, intensifying hydrological droughts in western North America. Current understanding of trends and variability in mountain snowpack is limited, highlighting the need for further research in this area.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Miriam Calderon, Chuanyu Yang, Veronica Ancona
Summary: Irrigation is crucial for crop production, but it can also spread plant pathogens that cause crop damage and yield losses. This study used the ITS2 amplicon metagenomic method to evaluate the fungal diversity and presence of plant pathogens in irrigation water. The results showed the presence of potential plant pathogens in both the water reservoir and the irrigation valve at a farm, indicating the need for measures to mitigate the risks.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Karen J. Heeter, Maegen L. Rochner, Grant L. Harley
Summary: By analyzing the late-summer maximum air temperature changes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecoregion over the past 1250 years, it was found that 2016 was the warmest year and the warming trend since 2000 was the most intense. The Medieval Climate Anomaly contained the warmest event from 1050-1070 CE, characterized by substantial multidecadal variability rather than prolonged, homogeneous warming. Summer temperature variability across the GYE shows multicentennial agreement with trends in solar irradiance, volcanic activity, snowpack, and other regional-to-hemispheric temperature records.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Samuel Sandoval-Solis, Stephanie Paladino, Laura E. Garza-Diaz, Luzma F. Nava, Jack R. Friedman, J. Pablo Ortiz-Partida, Sophie Plassin, Grace Gomez-Quiroga, Jennifer Koch, Jeri Fleming, Belize A. Lane, Sean Wineland, Ali Mirchi, Ramon Saiz-Rodriguez, Thomas M. Neeson
Summary: The Rio Grande/Bravo basin is a complex social-ecological system providing water for human activities. While efforts have been made to implement environmental flows, there is a lack of systematic analysis. Although environmental flows are possible, more work is needed to make their implementation systematic and permanent.
ECOLOGY AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hung T. T. Nguyen, Stefano Galelli, Chenxi Xu, Brendan M. Buckley
Summary: This study presents a novel framework that optimizes proxy combinations to simultaneously produce seasonal and annual reconstructions, ensuring a close match between seasonal and annual flow. By applying this framework in Southeast Asia, the study successfully reconstructs seasonal and annual inflow to Thailand's largest reservoir with good preservation of mass balance.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Shaul Hurwitz, John C. King, Gregory T. Pederson, Mara H. Reed, Lauren N. Harrison, Jefferson D. G. Hungerford, R. Greg Vaughan, Michael Manga
Summary: Most eruptions of Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park occurred in three episodes in the past century. These eruptions had a significant impact on the surrounding trees. Through the analysis of aerial and ground images, changes in tree coverage were documented since 1954 to understand the geyser's response to climate variability.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Leticia Batista Dutra, Janaina Francieli Stein, Bruna Seixas da Rocha, Andresa Berger, Beatriz Andrade de Souza, Bruno Aschidamini Prandi, Arthur Tonietto Mangini, Andre Jarenkow, Aline Alves Scarpellini Campos, Fernando Mainardi Fan, Maria Cristina de Almeida Silva, Katia Helena Lipp-Nissinen, Manuel Rodrigues Loncan, Matheus Ribeiro Augusto, Ana Claudia Franco, Rodrigo de Freitas Bueno, Caroline Rigotto
Summary: This study aimed to monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples from different locations in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The results showed varying levels of viral presence in different sample types, and a correlation between environmental viral load and clinical COVID-19 cases.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kara M. Fox, Ellis Q. Margolis, Manuel K. Lopez, Ella A. Kasten, Jens T. Stevens
Summary: Big sagebrush ecosystems in the western United States have experienced significant changes over the last century, including an increase in sagebrush presence and a decline in grassland. A study conducted in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico provides important context for understanding the shifting dynamics of grasslands and shrublands in the region, and has implications for future management.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2023)