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Reservoirs were left high and dry by this summer’s drought.
National Science Foundation funding enables detailed research on trans-basin water diversions
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — As some West Slope aquatic ecosystems teeter on the brink of collapse due to water diversions, a group of CU researchers will use a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to try and pinpoint tipping points, beyond which systems may be pushed into an unsustainable state.
The research will examine how changes in land use, forest management and climate may affect trans-basin water diversions in Colorado and other semi-arid regions in the western United States, finding thresholds that could compromise the sustainability of the policies and procedures that dictate the timing and quality of water diverted from Colorado’s West Slope to the Front Range.
The grant, part of the National Science Foundation-U.S. Department of Agriculture Water Sustainability Climate Program, was awarded to assistant professor Noah Molotch of the geography department, who singled out Summit County as one focus area for the study. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: climate, Environment, global warming, National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Science Foundation, tipping points, University of Colorado Boulder, water | Leave a Comment »
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