Archive of Spotlight Feature Articles

Liquid Gold: Partnership Studies Key to West’s Welfare

By Carol Knight and Barb Deluisi

"There's gold in them thar hills," is a saying that came out of the California Gold Rush of 1849. In the American West, there's still "gold in them thar hills," but it's known as liquid gold. It's water, and understanding its ebb and flow - when it comes and where it goes - in the arid western climes is key to the region's economic wellbeing and survival of its communities, large and small.

Because water is literally the life-blood of the peopled West - from the Rocky Mountain States to California - NOAA's Climate Diagnostic Center (CDC) in Boulder, Colorado, the University of Colorado's Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences (CIRES) worked in partnership to create the "Western Water Assessment." (WWA). The WWA is one of seven NOAA/OGP funded Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA). Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributes cooperative extension and state climatologist expertise to this WWA collaboration.

Through the water initiative, scientists of all stripes from the NOAA research center and the universities investigate a broad spectrum of water issues in the region, including its sources, who uses it and for what purposes, and climatic forces affecting its availability. The collaborative partners share this information - and experimental products and services with water managers and policy makers in the West for use in decision making.

The beauty of the NOAA-CIRES partnership, according to Brad Udall, Director of the Assessment project, is that it "brings together the extensive expertise we need to look at the issue from every angle, and brings resources to bear that just one of our institutions could not manage by itself." The WWA uses interdisciplinary teams in climate, water, law, and social sciences to provide information - including climate forecasts and regional vulnerability assessments - that are invaluable to water-resource decision makers.

As its name implies, the work of NOAA's Climate Diagnostic Center is to "diagnose" climate, that is, to carefully analyze the complex climate system, using data from many disciplines. Climate diagnostics involves observing the occurrences and causes of natural climate variability, such as the El Niño phenomenon, as well as identifying- and predicting -- natural and human-caused climate changes that occur.

CDC has concentrated on experimental seasonal climate forecasting and on predicting how short- and long-range climate change could affect particular regions and their human populations. CIRES brings researchers in many disciplines, including biology, sociology, hydrology, economics, law, and environmental policy to examine water issues in the West. Working together and combining their knowledge, these scientists are helping their local communities and policy-makers deal with the real issues of water and climate variability.

Also involved in this effort are NOAA paleoclimatologists who study tree rings reconstruct a picture of past droughts and wet years. With data gleaned from nature's history keepers, scientists can better understand the natural variability that has been going on for years in the West, and use the latest data and methods to develop decision support tools for water managers.

Much of the West's liquid gold comes from snowfall high in the Rockies in the winter and spring, most of which is used by agriculture in the coming growing season. A large network of dams and man-made lakes holds some of the snowmelt as it flows downhill, and saves it for farmers as well as cities and towns who need it later in the year. Before the dams and reservoirs were built in the past century, the mighty Colorado River carried a rush of water all the way to Baja, California. These days the Colorado River usually ends as a muddy dribble before reaching its natural delta. The river is shared among seven western states and Mexico, and under future droughts may not have enough water to satisfy any of them.

A dry cycle recently occurred in 2002 when nearly three quarters of land in the West experienced drought conditions: a situation similar to that of the Great Dustbowl of the 1930s. Studying these recurring - and apparently inexorable - drought cycles helps scientists and water managers understand the natural variations and how to plan for whatever nature serves up. This includes work on the "supply side" of water -how much is available for use - and the "demand side" - how much is used, and how.

The Western Water Assessment provides assistance in addressing both of these areas. Supply side research includes ongoing assessments of river drainages, to determine their "average" flow and to predict when they may carry less, or more, water than might be expected. On the demand side, experimental 90-day climate outlooks are provided to help a multi-agency Water Availability Task Force make informed plans and decisions. For example, if water managers know that the climate is apt to be dry in the coming season, water restrictions can be implemented, and reservoirs managed differently than in wet times.

Wet and dry cycles are fundamentally part of the West. The Western Water Assessment's attempt to better understand and predict these cycles will help the West's growing population survive and thrive in the coming century.

[3/21/05]

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