Goals: This five-year Research Infrastructure Improvement award will significantly expand the statewide research infrastructure for understanding the effects of climate change on water resources in the region and the impact of these effects on ecological, human, and economic systems. This RII project aims to fill a critical niche in hydrology by understanding the nexus between surface flow and groundwater; supporting field studies on a highly managed river system and a relatively unmanaged system; and developing a more complete understanding of how climate change will impact the Western U.S. across multiple watersheds. To do this, capacity will be developed in three areas: 1) hydroclimatology to improve modeling of water resources affected by climate change; 2) integration of hydrology and economic modeling of water resources in the Snake River basin (highly managed river system); and 3) integration of hydrology and ecological change in the Salmon River basin (unmanaged river system). Battelle?s comprehensive analysis of Idaho?s core competencies identified ecological health as an area with high potential for tying its academic research strengths to commercial applications. The research theme of this award directly supports the Ecological Health Technology Platform.
Project Major Foci: The core research focus is the impact of climate change on human and ecologic systems at small to intermediate-sized watersheds. During the first three years of the award, the project will concentrate on hydrologic modeling of the Snake and Salmon basins. Output from the models will be used in the later years of the project to determine the effects of climate change on resources in Idaho. Probabilistic techniques, such as Bayesian network modeling, will be used to derive probability distributions for water supply options and reliability under various scenarios. Results from all studies will be used to populate a web-based decision support system that integrates internet-mapping technologies with Bayesian networks to quantify the impact of climate change on water supply and demand.
Intellectual Merit The Intellectual Merit lies in the creation of a cohesive team of researchers in climate change and water resources, who will perform modeling of surface and groundwater connections in managed river systems; will enhance the understanding of how climate change impacts may be buffered through effective utilization of groundwater; and will provide key data to clarify economic ramifications of climate change.
Broader Impacts The understanding of the effects of climate change on water resources could enhance planning regarding water resources in Idaho as well as the western region of the U. S. A range of experimental learning programs for secondary students and teachers, designed to enhance STEM education in the state, particularly the Native American and Hispanic populations, will bring the excitement of science to the classrooms. Outreach and diversity investments will provide sustainable experimental learning programs for 1,750 secondary students and teachers.
Idaho’s NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) project built scientific research capacity to enable Idaho’s universities to be leaders in basic research and education related to the effects of climate change on water resources and its connections to the environment, society, and the economy. This statewide project contributed to a strategic area of research in Idaho that has major significance for the state’s future prosperity. The EPSCoR project supported complementary research on a highly managed river system (Snake River Basin) compared to a relatively unmanaged system (Salmon River Basin). By working together across the state and with others, the project expanded data collection, sharing, and analysis capabilities through instrumentation (such as environmental monitoring towers, other field equipment, and experimental facilities) and high-end computing and data management. It has resulted in: a better understanding of coupling between hydrology, ecology, and economics and policies; improved modeling of surface and groundwater; identification of long-term signals of ecological change in pristine river systems; techniques for collection and management of various data types from multiple disciplines, and knowledge about economic ramifications of increased climate variability. The RII project resulted in the addition of eleven new research-active professors to Idaho to help create a critical mass of expertise related to Water Resources in a Changing Climate. These scientists and engineers and EPSCoR-supported research teams bridged gaps between academic disciplines, fostered collaborative research, and made key contributions to new and existing regional research initiatives that are helping the U.S. to better manage land and water resources, including the USGS Pacific Northwest Climate Science Center, USDA Regional Approaches to Climate Change program, the Northwest Knowledge Network, the Hydrologic Information Systems, the Idaho LiDAR Consortium, a Western Tri-State Consortium of Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico, and other national Environmental Observatories. EPSCoR investments resulted in a significant increase in the impact of Idaho’s research on the national scientific community. The number of RII-related scholarly publications doubled during the award and the rate at which others are citing the scholarly work of Idaho scientists in this project increased significantly. Idaho research data, including finer-scale climate projections and evapotranspiration data, have contributed to improving the usefulness of tools like Google Earth Engine, available to the public and research community worldwide. The RII also contributed to the development of education capacity, ranging from K-12 (promoted by the Idaho STEM Pipeline) to a new doctoral program in Geosciences at Idaho State University. This also has resulted in new, free tools and techniques to analyze the remote sensing data so commonly used by scientists and land managers alike. In addition, more than 480 people, primarily faculty, students, and technical staff at Idaho’s universities and colleges gained expertise and research training. Water Resources in a Changing Climate research data and topics were incorporated into K-12 and community outreach activities to achieve broader impacts, and land managers benefited from regular interactions with researchers and access to new research data. The RII provided exceptional undergraduate, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellow research training through research experiences and mentoring, strengthening their preparation for careers in science. It also doubled the participation of underrepresented minority students in EPSCoR and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities. More than 1,400 junior high and high school student and 300 teachers received direct training through completely new Junior and Senior High programs at the McCall Outdoor Science School, a highly successful engineering camp (e-Camp/e-Day), and high school and college Internship programs aimed at attracting hundreds of young women and Hispanic and Native American students to education and careers in science and engineering. A visible online Idaho STEM Pipeline also promoted other opportunities for training. As a result of these programs and others, Idaho had an increase in the number and diversity of university students training for futures in science and engineering. The results of the EPSCoR project are providing many benefits to society. These include improved information and techniques for: water resource management, particularly in the Western U.S.; short and long-term mitigation plans for natural hazards, including wildfires; predictions of how changes in water timing and availability will influence ecosystems, including crops, and our economy; informed decisions about stream flow augmentation and restoration; increasing use of problem-based teaching and increasing science literacy among students and the public.
