The project is to support an International Research Experience for Students (IRES) for US-Saudi Arabia Collaboration on hydrometeorological analysis and modeling of complex terrain, by US students to work in the south west of Saudi Arabia. The US PI is Dr. Hatim Sharif, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The foreign collaborator is Dr. Muhammad Al-Zahrani of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The research aims to organize and conduct field experiments in Saudi Arabia to study the key fundamental processes of the hydrometeorology of arid-semiarid regions. Five U.S. undergraduate and graduate students led by the PI will travel to Saudi Arabia to conduct field experiments together with Saudi counterparts, a faculty member and five students. The experiments will be followed by data analysis, modeling, and hypothesis-driven research. The field experiment involves ?hands-on? training for students in a number of hydrometeorological sensors, field preparation and design of experiments, data collection and analysis, teamwork, and dissemination of knowledge through presentations and publications. Because of its unique arid-semiarid climate, topography, strong diversity in ecology, and susceptibility to flash floods, the study region (Asir in Saudi Arabia) offers a unique environment to perform hypothesis-driven research through an international research experience. Intellectual Merit: The research has three objectives to: 1) Evaluate satellite-based estimates of evapotranspiration in the region; 2) Characterize orographic controls on the space-time variability of rainfall; and 3) Characterize dominant runoff mechanisms and quantify partitioning of precipitation into surface runoff, infiltration, groundwater recharge, and evapotranspiration through measurement and modeling. The project can eventually become the first step of a series of focused research projects addressing surface water and groundwater sustainability in arid-semiarid regions with similar physiographical settings. Broader Impacts: Sustaining our precious water resource depends upon our ability to understand and predict the availability and variability of this resource. The project will support 5 U.S. undergraduate and graduate minority students under a faculty member to conduct field experiments in a unique region of an extremely dry country. The field experience will help consolidate inquiry-driven, problem-based learning and promote development of global perspective in scientific research in a region with similar climatic characteristics as parts of South Texas and Mexico from which most UTSA students originate. The program will also help forge relationships between young researchers from both the U.S. and the Middle East in the early stages of their careers. Educational activities will expand collaborations between the UTSA and KFUPM. Two-way mentoring, a colloquium, and outreach activities will ensure that participating students share the gained knowledge and experience with peers and pre-college students. The project can help attract future funding for similar collaborative research activities in neighboring countries in the Arabian Peninsula and promote integrated bi- or multi-national water management policies in the region.
The goal of this project was to organize and conduct field experiments in Saudi Arabia to study the key fundamental processes of the hydrometeorology of arid-semiarid regions. The project supported four U.S. undergraduate and graduate students led by a faculty member from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to travel to Saudi Arabia to conduct field experiments together with Saudi counterparts from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals- a faculty member and his students. The project aimed to provide U.S. students with a unique, international, hands-on experience required for succeeding in international research environments. The US went through intensive orientation about working in a different environment and culture prior to travel to the study region. The experiments were followed by data analysis, modeling, and hypothesis-driven research. The field experiment involved "hands-on" training in a number of hydrometeorological sensors, field preparation and design of experiments, data collection and analysis, teamwork, and dissemination of knowledge through presentations and publications. The support was for one year. The project was very successful and one research paper was published (Furl et al. 2013). Furl, Chad, H. O. Sharif, M. Alzahrani. A. Elhassan, and N. Mazari, 2013: Precipitation Amount and Intensity Trends Across Southwest Saudi Arabia. J. of American Water Resources Association. (JAWRA) 1-9. DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12118.
