NOAA in the Colorado River Basin

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Robert S. WebbRobert S. Webb

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NOAA in the Colorado River BasinNOAA in the Colorado River Basin

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Hydropower Decision Calendars

Oct

Planning

data

decisions

tion planning

gmentationreleases

Municipal & Industrial Decision Calendars

Oct

Planning

data

decisions

tion planning

gmentationreleases

Aquatic Ecosystems Decision Calendars

Oct

Planning

data

decisions

tion planning

gmentationreleases

Outdoor Recreation Decision Calendars

Oct

Planning

data

decisions

tion planning

gmentationreleases

Agriculture Production Decision Calendars

Oct

Planning

data

decisions

tion planning

gmentationreleases

Linking Research and Decision Making

Linking Research and Decision Making

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• Attribution is the scientific process of establishing the physical causes or physical explanation for observed climate conditions.

• Attribution, by scientifically

ascertaining mechanisms responsible for climate conditions, informs predictability and prediction science.

• Explain persistent drought conditions in the West

Climate AttributionClimate Attribution

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ISSUES

• Topography & resolution matter

• Physical processes are not well observed or represented in models

• Communication matters

• Wide range of 2050 projections

• NOAA PSD, WWA, Scripps, U. Arizona, U. Washington, Reclamation, CBRFC, USGS

Reconciling Projections of CO River FlowsReconciling Projections of CO River Flows

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Hydroclimate Testbed Soil Moisture MonitoringHydroclimate Testbed Soil Moisture Monitoring•Five sites have been deployed in the San Pedro Basin in AZ (a sixth later this Spring)

•One site deployed near Granby, CO, and a second later this spring near Gunnison.

•Measurements include soil moisture and temperature at 5 depths, surface air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation.

•Monitoring supports model verification, surface water and energy balance studies to understand snowpack, runoff and ET processes