Workshop: Beyond the Colorado River Basin Study, Tucson, AZ, January-May, 2017.

科罗拉多河经常被称为美国西南部的命脉。这条河为七个盆地州和墨西哥的近4000万人提供了部分供水。它是550万英亩灌溉用水的来源，它的水坝产生的水力发电支撑着西南部的经济。一项研究估计，这条河每年产生1.4万亿美元的经济活动。然而，科罗拉多州受到一系列压力的威胁，包括不断增长的需求、过度分配的水权和气候变化。其主要水库的水位现在处于自首次蓄水以来的历史最低水平。地表水和地下水储量的综合损失给水管理者和用户带来了巨大的不确定性和风险。研讨会将于2017年1月至5月在阿克斯的图森市举行。由于这场迫在眉睫的管理危机，美国填海局与科罗拉多河流域的7个州在2012年完成了对流域状况的详细审查。科罗拉多河流域水供需研究显示，在研究期间至2060年期间，水资源持续短缺，每年短缺近700万英亩英尺(MAF)。尽管这项重要研究的参与者作出了英勇的努力，但专家们发现了一些不足之处，包括需要考虑：(1)未来可能减少的所有流量；(2)地下水影响；(3)洪水管理；(4)需水预测的准确性/相关性；(5)生态影响；(6)水质；(7)人-环境耦合系统的气候脆弱性。在水文学、生态学和人类-环境系统的交叉点上，科学挑战令人望而生畏。最初的盆地研究没有涉及上述所有关键专题的主要原因之一是因为科学问题的复杂性和进行研究的利益攸关方驱动的背景。这次研讨会的方法完全集中在确定哪些现有知识可以支持更好地管理河流，以及哪些地方需要更多的科学投资。改善管理一条养活4000万人的河流的科学基础，对于美国西南部和墨西哥的健康经济至关重要。在快速增长和气候多变的背景下，垦荒局和其他资源管理机构目前面临的管理挑战是前所未有的。必须把最好的科学和工程结合在一起，以了解科学如何支持为生态系统和人类提供可持续供水的解决方案，同时考虑到各种风险和机会，而不是将话题缩小到那些政治上可以接受的话题。这次研讨会将为包括所有受影响的决策者在内的进一步对话奠定科学基础。

1644884JacobsThe Colorado River has often been called the lifeblood of the Southwestern United States. The river provides a partial water supply for nearly 40 million people in the seven Basin States and Mexico. It is a source of irrigation water for 5.5 million acres, and its dams generate hydroelectric power that supports the economy of the Southwest. One study estimated that the river is responsible for $1.4 trillion/year of economic activity. Yet the Colorado is imperiled by a range of stresses, including increasing demand, over allocation of water rights, and climate variability. The water levels in its major reservoirs are now at an all-time low since the time they were first filled. The combined loss of surface and groundwater reserves creates great uncertainty and risk for water managers and users. This workshop will be held in Tucson, AX, Jan-May 2017.Largely due to this looming management crisis, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, in conjunction with the 7 Colorado River Basin states, completed a detailed review of basin conditions in 2012. The Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, showed persistent shortages, through the duration of the study period to 2060, of up to almost 7 million acre-feet (MAF)/year. Despite the heroic efforts of the participants in this important study, a number of shortcomings have been identified by experts, including the need to consider: (1) the full range of plausible future flow reductions; (2) groundwater impacts; (3) flood management; (4) accuracy/relevance of water demand forecasts; (5) ecological impacts; (6) water quality; and, (7) climate vulnerability across coupled human-environmental systems. The scientific challenges at the intersection of hydrology, ecology, and human-environmental systems are daunting. One of the primary reasons that the original Basin Study did not address all of the critical topics listed above is because of the complexity of the scientific issues and the stakeholder-driven context within which it was conducted. The approach to this workshop focuses exclusively on identifying where existing knowledge can support better management of the river, and where additional scientific investments are required. Improving the scientific basis for managing a river that supports 40 million people is critical to a healthy economy in the Southwestern US and Mexico. The management challenges that are currently faced by the Bureau of Reclamation and other resource management agencies in the context of rapid growth and climate variability are unprecedented. It is imperative that the best scientific and engineering be brought together to understand how science can support solutions that provide a sustainable supply of water to ecosystems and to people, taking the full range of risks and opportunities into account rather than narrowing the topics to those that are politically palatable. This workshop will be the scientific foundation for further conversations that include all of the affected decision-makers.