i-water: i w atmosphere, ecosystems,awra.org/meetings/denver2015/doc/pp/powerpoint/session 26...

I-WATER: Integrated Water, ATmosphere, Ecosystems, Education and Research Program

American Water Resources Association Annual Meeting November 17, 2015


Jorge A. Ramírez, P.I. and Project Director Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

A. Scott Denning, Co-P.I. Department of Atmospheric Science

Neil S. Grigg, Co-P.I. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

N. LeRoy Poff, Co-P.I. Department of Biology

Karleene Schindler, Program Coordinator Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

I-WATER PIs and Coordinator


I-WATER is funded by the IGERT program of the National Science Foundation

NSF funding is for 5 years – USD 2,728,060

Institutional support from CSU – USD 525,000 Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering,

Atmospheric Science, and Biology (1/3) Colleges of Engineering and Natural Sciences (1/3) Graduate School, Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice

President for Research (1/3)

Contributions by I-WATER Faculty Mentors – ~>USD 570,000 Faculty mentors commit to providing at least one additional

year of funding to their I-WATER Fellows

I-WATER – Funding


Water management decisions generate conflicts between humans, ecosystem needs, and political jurisdictions. There is a critical need for scientists who can address three important questions:

1) how can limited fresh water be distributed equitably in a socially acceptable and sustainable framework;

2) what are the relative ecological and societal benefits and drawbacks of management actions; and

3) how can science provide answers for wise water management decisions?”

I-WATER – Organizing Concept

I-WATER produces Ph.D. scientists to work at the interfaces between hydrologic science, atmospheric

science, ecosystem science, and socio-economics to work in interdisciplinary team-based activities to incorporate environmental and socio-economic feedbacks,

climate variability and scientific uncertainty into scientific and policy analysis

Our research themes involve interacting teams of hydrologists, meteorologists, ecologists, and management experts.

I-WATER features problem-focused research to bridge basic and applied science by combining fundamental research on scientific problems with application of scientific knowledge to actual resource issues.

I-WATER – Vision and goals


I-WATER is based on an integrated approach to: hydrologic and water resource science and engineering, land-surface-atmosphere interactions, ecosystems science, water management and policy.

I-WATER applies three dimensions of integration to scientific solutions of water–based environmental problems: Integration of disciplines, Integration of scales, and Integration of problem–sheds

Integration occurs through a new problem–focused approach to education and research.




I-WATER develops a new model for an interdisciplinary PhD degree program in WATER science and engineering

I-WATER trains Ph.D. students to conduct complex, interdisciplinary research at the interfaces between hydrologic, atmospheric, ecologic, and management disciplines in the framework of the following research themes: Research Theme I: Hydrologic, atmospheric, and ecologic systems Research Theme II: Hydrologic, ecologic, and socio-economic

systems; Research Theme III: Hydrologic, atmospheric, and socio-economic

systems; and Research Theme IV: I-WATER Research integration and synthesis

I-WATER Goals – Interdisciplinary Education and Research

Coupling atmospheric, ecologic, and hydrologic processes: understanding the two-way interactions between atmospheric and land-surface processes is critical to understanding climate variability and change, vegetation function, and watershed hydrology.

Spatial and temporal scaling issues in WATER processes Global change, regional hydrology, and interactive ecosystems Feedbacks among climate, hydrology, and ecosystems at regional

scales Evaluation of spatial and temporal variability of precipitation, soil

moisture, and ecosystem function in the western United States Land surface-atmospheric feedbacks on the complex dynamics of

precipitation and soil moisture at seasonal and longer time scales Land surface, vegetation, atmosphere feedbacks on the regional

scale

Theme I: Hydrologic, Atmospheric and Ecologic systems


Defining changes in water, nutrients and sediment transports due to variability and change in climate/weather, land cover/land use, and water resources management.

Developing models to ‘optimize’ ecosystem resilience and human economic activity that bear on the hydrologic cycle at regional scales Non-native species invasion and extinction of native species Processes governing grasslands to shrub-land conversions Balancing economic and ecosystem needs for water in heavily-

modified river basins.

Theme II: Hydrologic, Ecologic and Socio-economic systems


Regional, integrated assessment of vulnerability and sustainability of hydrologic and water resource systems, ecologic and socio-economic systems to environmental variability and climate change Hydrologic-ecologic-socioeconomic vulnerability and sustainability

analysis to drought and climate variability Regional hydrologic vulnerability and hydrologic extremes Coupling among stakeholder sectors and ecological outcomes in

a regulated river system: droughts

Theme III: Hydrologic, Atmospheric and Socio-economic systems


The fourth Research Theme arises from the need for integration and synthesis

Trade-offs, alternative solutions, adaptation strategies, global feedbacks, global integration.

Theme IV: WATER-Research integration and synthesis


I-WATER fellows are organized in Research Theme Groups

Each Research Theme Group is composed of student-led Research Teams

Each Research Team works on a specific multidisciplinary problem within Research Theme

Each I-WATER fellow works within the Research Team on a specific research problem

Integration occurs at the Research Team level and at the Research Group level

I-WATER Activities


Fall Semester – Integration at the Interfaces Student-led Research Teams tackle semester long integrative

activities within the context of real-world problems Research teams produce scientific assessments to define

knowledge, knowledge gaps, recommend actions, and propose solutions

Spring Semester – Global I-WATER Integration Each Research Theme Group organizes a series of 4 workshops.

All I-WATER fellows and Faculty are required to participate Annual I-WATER Symposium Annual River retreat Annual Hydrology Days at CSU Annual Front Range Student Ecology Symposium

I-WATER Activities


Core Courses I-WATER develops a core curriculum that takes an earth system

science perspective to address multidisciplinary problems in each research theme with hydrology as an integrative element.

I-WATER develops a new core course in each research theme. I-WATER fellows are required to enroll in two core courses to be

taken during the first two years of the program. The development of these courses was a collaborative and joint

effort of the PIs. Other I-WATER faculty associates were invited to participate, therefore offering an additional opportunity for integration across the disciplines.

Training in ethics

I-WATER Curriculum


Gateway Courses I-WATER fellows are required to take gateway courses in fields

relevant to their research theme areas and complementary to their disciplines.

Gateway courses are selected from existing course offerings. Gateway courses provide a basic level of language and

knowledge in particular fields. Students are required to take two gateway courses from

complementary disciplines. For example, a fellow in Research Theme I whose background is

atmospheric science would be required to take a gateway course in hydrologic science and a gateway course in ecosystem science.

I-WATER Curriculum


I-WATER fellows take three years to finish their courses and research training programs

First two years are funded through an I-WATER Fellowship

Third year funded through a graduate research or teaching assistantship

I-WATER Academic & Research Progression


Advanced I-WATER Fellows are encouraged to undertake internships.

The internships typically occur during the third year.

Internship opportunities at: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Forest Service NCAR NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ARS – U.S. Department of Agriculture Riverside Technology, Inc. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH-Z)

I-WATER Internships



I-WATER will fund up to 28 PhD I-WATER Fellows

I-WATER will fund up to 4 bridge-to-the-doctorate students for their MS degrees prior to becoming I-WATER Fellows

All CSU faculty involved in WATER related research are eligible to participate in the program as I-WATER Faculty Mentors.

I-WATER involves participants from 5 colleges and 11 departments at CSU

I-WATER provides an internship program at federal and state agencies and at consulting companies

I-WATER Goals – Recruitment


Total number of current I-WATER Fellows: 25

Total number of bridge-to-the-doctorate fellows: 2 These 2 fellows have now become I-WATER PhD fellows

Distribution of Fellows by home department/college (9 departments and 4 colleges): 4 in Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering 4 in Atmospheric Science, College of Engineering 2 in Geosciences, Warner College of Natural Resources 5 in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Warner College of Natural Resources 3 in Biology, College of Natural Sciences 2 in Ag and Resource Economics, College of Agricultural Sciences 1 in Soil and Crop Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences 1 in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, College of Natural Sciences 4 in Ecology, cross-departmental and cross-college

Distribution of Fellows in the Research Themes: 9 in Theme I: Hydrologic, atmospheric, and ecologic systems 9 in Theme II: Hydrologic, ecologic, and socio-economic systems 8 in Theme III: Hydrologic, atmospheric, and socio-economic systems 26 in Theme IV: I-WATER Research integration and synthesis

I-WATER Achievements – Recruitment


I-WATER has developed and implemented four new interdisciplinary core courses: ATS 680 Land-Atmosphere Interactions

Research themes I, II, and III Taught two times Enrollment: 30 total

CIVE 680A3 Quantitative Eco-hydrology Research themes I, II, and III Taught three times Enrollment: 11 I-WATER, 39 total

CIVE 680A4 Water and Environmental Integrated Research Research themes I, II, III, and IV Taught three times Enrollment: 10 I-WATER, 120 total

BZ 680/GEOL 680 Scientific and Social Challenges to Achieving Freshwater Sustainability Research themes I, II, and III Taught four times Enrollment: 26 I-WATER, 35 total

I-WATER Achievements – Curriculum: Core Courses


Refereed journal papers authored by I-WATER Fellows: 12: WRR, J. Hydrol., J. Geophys. Res., Adv. Mod. Earth Syst., Water Res. Educ.

1 Book and 1 book chapter

Research presentations at national meetings: 15 at AGU meeting 4 at AMS meeting 2 at GSA meeting 2 at AWRA meeting 2 at IGERT Video and Poster Competition, 2012 and 2013 6 at other interdisciplinary meetings (e.g., NCAR CESM, UCOWR, etc.)

Research presentations at I-WATER Symposium and at Hydrology Days: 4 presentations in I-WATER Symposium/HDs, 2012 11 presentations in I-WATER Symposium/HDs, 2013 17 presentations in I-WATER Symposium/HDs, 2014 12 presentations in I-WATER Symposium/HDs, 2015

I-WATER Achievements – Interdisciplinary Research Products


Nicholas A. Sutfin, Laurel Lynch, Grace Lloyd Miner, Aaron Pin ̃a, Ellen Wohl Examining the influence of channel form on carbon-nitrogen

dynamics in mountainous headwater streams

Erick Carlson, Derek Schook, Joel Sholtes, David Cooper Hydrologic Manipulation and Cottonwood Floodplain Forests: Gradients and

thresholds under regulated and natural flow regimes

Codie R. Wilson, Dylan Harrison-Atlas, and David M. Martin, Stephanie Kampf Effects of the High Park Fire on the City of Fort Collins’ water supply: Assessing

management agencies, actions and values using physically based hydrologic modeling to assess trade-offs & potential collaborations

Alexander Maas, Karie Boone, Amber Childress, André Dozier, Morgan Phillips, Dennis Ojima and Peter Leigh Taylor Developing An Understanding Of Socio-Economic Interplay With Hydro-

Ecological Processes In The South Platte River Basin

I-WATER Fellows – Integrative Projects


Isaac Medina Simulations of the High Plains drought of 2012 using the Super-parameterized

Community Earth System Model (SP-CESM) Department of Atmospheric Science

Joel Sholtes A conceptual model for assessing the influence of scale and sediment

transport regime on geomorphic sensitivity to environmental change Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Laurel Lynch Permafrost degradation and biogeochemical cycling in northern Alaska Graduate Degree Program in Ecology

Nicholas A. Sutfin Mechanistic influences of sediment and soil organic carbon storage in

mountainous headwaters of the Colorado Rocky Mountains Department of Geosciences

I-WATER Fellows - Projects


Aaron Piña Transport of pollutants from cow feedlots in eastern Colorado

into Rocky Mountain alpine lakes Department of Atmospheric Science

David M. Martin Developing social-ecological decision support tools for

environmental flows management Department of Biology, GDPE

Grace Lloyd Miner Measurement and Modeling of Seasonal Responses of Plant

Transpiration to Soil Moisture Deficits Department of Soil and Crop Sciences



Vanessa Vincente Ensemble-Based Analysis of the June 2012 Rain and Hailstorm in Colorado

Springs: Forecast Uncertainty and Communication of Weather Information to Front Range Decision-Makers

Department of Atmospheric Science

Alexander S. Maas Water: Allocation and valuation strategies under increasing scarcity Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics

Dylan Harrison-Atlas Closing the gap: a framework to inform ecosystem service quantification at

multiple scales Graduate Degree Program in Ecology

Erick Carlson New Streams of the West - Irrigation Canals as Intermittent and Ephemeral

Streams Graduate Degree Program in Ecology



Interdisciplinary graduate WATER curriculum: Development of four new interdisciplinary I-WATER core courses

Campus-wide graduate degree program in interdisciplinary WATER science and engineering. On-going three-pronged approach to developing a proposal: Strategic planning and development by I-WATER Fellows Strategic planning and development by I-WATER Faculty Integration and synthesis at I-WATER retreat and collaboration with CSU

Water Center Executive Committee

Leadership of campus-wide WaterSEES, a CSU Program of Research and Scholarly Excellence

Leadership and support of student-led annual River Retreat, 2012-2015

Strengthening and renewal of CSU Water Center

Contributions to CSU Global Water Initiative

I-WATER Achievements – Institutional Transformation


Goals: Up to 28 PhD I-WATER Fellows Up to 4 bridge-to-the-doctorate I-WATER Fellows

Achievements to date: 26 I-WATER Fellows 2 bridge-to-the-doctorate I-WATER Fellows

Demographics: 14 men 11 women 5 under-represented minorities

I-WATER Achievements – Recruitment

I-WATER provides a new generation of Ph.D. students with capabilities to work across disciplines and problem-sheds.

I-WATER fellows learn to evaluate and analyze complex non-linear systems interactions, environmental variability, and climate change to develop and apply integrative solutions to pressing current problems.




Cooperation with CSU’s Center for Multi-scale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes (CMMAP) including its partnership with SOARS

E-mail lists: Informational pamphlet and flyer

Website: http://I-WATER.ColoState.edu/

Direct contact with recruitment and outreach programs at universities across the U.S. including: CSU, CSU-Pueblo, CU Boulder, and CU-Colorado Springs, School of Mines, MIT, Georgia Tech, Princeton, U. Washington, UC-Davis, UC-Irvine, UC-Santa Barbara, U of Idaho, Utah State University, U. Wyoming, many others.

Booth at fall meetings of the American Geophysical Union

Campus-wide and off-campus seminars and informational workshops

I-WATER Goals – Recruitment Plan

http://I-WATER.ColoState.edu/

i-water: i w atmosphere, ecosystems,awra.org/meetings/denver2015/doc/pp/powerpoint/session 26...

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