New Mexico EPSCoR RII3: Climate Change Impacts on New Mexico's Mountain Sources of Water

目标：该研究基础设施改进奖旨在通过加强仪器和建模基础设施来改进高海拔水文气候学的观测建模和分析。第二个目标是解决一个具有全球意义的关键国家问题。了解和预测气候变化对干旱区供水和水质的影响。气候变化正在影响世界各地的自然环境。在新墨西哥州，气候变化正在改变与供水有关的过程，而供水是维持新墨西哥州生存的关键。美国经济在很大程度上决定了生活质量。这项多学科的努力将通过提供必要的工具，对该州面临的困难的水政策选择进行定量、科学的讨论，从而改变新墨西哥州的气候变化科学和政策制定，并将培养一批了解气候变化及其对自然资源影响的公民。项目重点：研究大尺度大气环流对区域和局地大气过程的影响，探索水文气象波动如何传播到下游地表流量的变化。考虑到与北美西南部的全球耦合模式预估相关的不确定性，该研究将检查这些预估中与西南部相关的降水和陆地异常的协变性。与高海拔积雪相关的陆-气反馈在调节当前气候从冬季降水到夏季降水的转变中可能具有一级重要性。因此，表征和适当模拟冬季积雪地区的整个季节性水文循环对于基于过程的分析和新墨西哥州河流流量的预测至关重要。让我们把重点放在新墨西哥州北部的里约热内卢格兰德河的上游部分。气候变化对新墨西哥州的影响是深远的，并且正在改变与该地区供水有关的过程。拟议中的研究基础设施改进将使科学家能够在流域尺度上观察过程，并了解气候变化对干旱地区供水、水源和水质的影响。新墨西哥州EPSCoR建议战略性地投资建设一个强大的水文基础设施，以更好地了解高海拔事件与下游供水的关系。这种能力对于有意义的预测和决策支持是必需的。新的网络基础设施将支持多尺度建模，并向科学家、教育工作者、决策者和公众快速提供气候变化数据和信息。更广泛的影响新墨西哥州EPSCoR的研究重点是全球科学和社会的重要性。对研究、网络基础设施和人力基础设施的投资将使新墨西哥州成为气候变化的实验室，并成为为科学和社会服务的基于科学的公共政策的典范。教育、推广和多元化项目将使公民了解气候变化及其对自然资源的影响。

Goals: This Research Infrastructure Improvement award seeks to improve observational modeling and analysis of high elevation hydroclimatology by strengthening the instrumentation and modeling infrastructure. A second goal is to address a critical state problem with global significance ? understanding and forecasting the effects of climate change on water supply and water quality in arid regions. Climate changes are affecting natural environments around the world. In New Mexico, climate changes are altering processes associated with water supply, which sustains New Mexico?s economy and determines, to a large extent, the quality of life. This multidisciplinary effort will transform climate change science and policymaking in New Mexico by providing the tools required for quantitative, science-driven discussion of difficult water policy options facing the state, and will create a citizenry that is informed about climate change and its impact on natural resources.Project Major Foci: The research will address the influence of large scale atmospheric circulations on regional and local atmospheric processes and explore how hydrometeorological fluctuations propagate into changes in surface flows downstream.Given the uncertainties associated with global coupled model projections across southwestern North America, the research will examine the covariability of precipitation and land anomalies in these projections as they relate to the Southwest. Land-atmosphere feedbacks associated with snowpack at high elevation may be of first-order importance in modulating the transition from winter to summer precipitation in the current climate. Thus, characterizing and properly simulating the full seasonal hydrological cycle in regions with winter snowpack is critical for process-based analysis and for projections of stream flows in New Mexico, motivating the proposal?s focus on the upstream portion of the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico.Intellectual MeritThe impacts of climate change on New Mexico are profound and are altering processes associated with the water supply for the region. Proposed research infrastructure improvements will enable scientists to observe processes at the watershed scale and to understand the effects of climate change on water supply, water sources, and water quality in arid regions. New Mexico EPSCoR proposes to strategically invest in building a robust hydrologic infrastructure to develop a better understanding of the relationship of high elevation events to downstream water supplies. This capability is needed for meaningful forecasting and decision support. New cyberinfrastructure will support multi-scale modeling and rapid delivery of climate change data and information to scientists, educators, decision-makers, and the public.Broader ImpactsNew Mexico EPSCoR research foci are of global scientific and societal importance. The investment in research, cyberinfrastructure and human infrastructure will establish New Mexico as a laboratory for climate change and a model for science-based public policy that can serve science and society. Education, outreach and diversity programs will create a citizenry that is informed about climate change and its impact on natural resources.