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Grant Round-Up, June 2008

June 6, 2008

By Stephanie Doster

Every year, a number of UA faculty affiliated with ISPE take on new, innovative projects aimed at understanding our climate and environment and finding solutions to evolving environmental issues. This year has been no exception; faculty have been awarded grants for a wide range of physical and social science research, from exploring how certain atmospheric forces influence monsoon rains to examining the emergence of regional and municipal climate change programs in the U.S. The following is a recent sampling of the type of projects faculty are involved in with help from grants from the National Science Foundation and the Technology and Research Initiative Fund Water Sustainability Program.

National Science Foundation Grants, Spring 2008

Jennifer Rice and Paul Robbins, Geography and Regional Development

Doctoral Dissertation Research: From Nations to Networks: Global Climate Change and Local Climate Governance in the U.S.

$12,000

This research examines the emergence of sub-national, municipally-based climate change programs in the U.S., and more specifically, the creation and implementation of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (MCPA). Participating MCPA communities, which include more than 750 U.S. cities, pledge to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by implementing land use policies that reduce sprawl, passing city ordinances to promote energy efficiency, and undertaking environmental restoration projects. The research will use an in-depth case study involving interviews, focus groups, and observations in Seattle, and a multi-city survey of all participating MCPA cities. The results of this doctoral dissertation research will deepen current understandings of the role that local and regional governments play in climate governance and the ways that people come to understand the relationships between local and global scales of physical systems and political processes. Another important outcome of this research will include a more in-depth analysis of how cities are addressing the causes of climate change and the potential impacts that may be felt in their communities.

Xubin Zeng and Michael Brunke, Atmospheric Sciences

$71,235

This project is a contribution to the VOCALS (VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere Study) project; VAMOS is the Variability of the American Monsoon System project. It is widely recognized that the marine atmospheric boundary layer and the stratus and stratocumulus clouds are critically important for the verisimilitude of coupled climate models in the southeastern Pacific. Most models, however, still have serious deficiencies in representing these features in this region. As part of the overall modeling efforts for VOCALS, in-situ observations from the VOCALS field campaign will be combined with previous field observations and satellite data to address the poor simulation of the marine boundary layer. In-situ and satellite data will be integrated to document and understand the temporal and spatial variations of the marine boundary layer height and clouds. Broader impacts of this project are in its contributions to the overall VOCALS effort.

Yolande Serra, Christopher Castro, and Elizabeth Ritchie, Atmospheric Sciences

$140,736

The investigators will use short-term Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations to determine how easterly waves and tropical disturbances affect monsoon precipitation. This work has the potential for improving monsoon forecasts and it addresses the scientific objectives of the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME), a 2004 field campaign to determine the sources and limits of predictability of monsoon precipitation. The modeling aspect of the proposed study takes advantage of the UA WRF model, the model providing the highest resolution forecasts of the Southwest, and it will contribute to the establishment of a regional atmospheric model for emerging research applications and societal needs in the Southwest region. Broader impacts of this project include potential improvements in monsoon forecasts that can help local governments in the Southwest respond to flooding and weather-related hazards and manage water resources for their growing populations.

Yuma Desalting Operations, Water Quality and Vegetation Distribution in the Cienega de Santa Clara

Karl Flessa, Geosciences

$30,895

Water Quality and vegetation in the Cienega De Santa Clara wetlands will be monitored in order to predict how water quality, in particular salinity, affects the density and distribution of marsh vegetation. The bird diversity of the wetlands, located in Sonora, Mexico, makes the area a top conservation priority in the Colorado River delta (Zamora-Arroyo et al. 2005). The Cienega's principal source of water is brackish groundwater from Arizona's Wellton-Mohwak Irrigation District. Critical bird habitat could be affected if the Yuma Desalting Plant (YDP) is re-started. We will generate the baseline water quality data necessary for evaluating the possible effects of re-starting the YDP. We will expand the previous water quality research program by evaluating vegetation response to variation in water quality.

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Clogging on Stream-Aquifer Interaction in the Upper Santa Cruz Valley

Tom Meixner, Hydrology & Water Resources and Paul Sheppard, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research

$30,266

In water-limited environments effluent is a valuable water source for riparian restoration and aquifer recharge. For example, in-stream infiltration of effluent in the Upper Santa Cruz River aids in maintaining safe-yield conditions in the Santa Cruz AMA (SCAMA). With results from an existing TRIF supported project we have documented that clogging does occur and influences recharge and that the impact of clogging varies over time. In this study we propose to document the impact of effluent on riparian vegetation and quantify the spatial and temporal variability of clogging on riparian water use. Specifically, we will determine the influence of effluent on uptake by trees and estimate the spatial and temporal influence of clogging on recharge rates. We will do so by addressing four questions. First, to what degree do trees utilize effluent? Second, how does the influence of effluent on vegetation vary with distance from the river? Third, what is the spatial and temporal variability of stream bed clogging and recharge within the Santa Cruz River? Fourth, how can a high-resolution snapshot of clogging be coupled with the tree ring analysis to develop a robust understanding of an effluent dominated river system?

Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Research Project

Jonathan Overpeck, Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, Arizona Research Labs

$47,976

This project will provide the basic climate change information needed to support the pending Governor Napolitano climate change adaptation strategy initiative. PI Overpeck is assisting the Governor's team in this effort, and has already begun a collaborative effort to develop an enhanced climate change web resource for the state. We will extend this effort to work with scientists and stakeholders across the state - especially those relating to water resources and those involved with the yet-to-be-announced Governor's climate change adaptation working group - to ensure that the climate change web resource is optimal for supporting climate change adaptation strategy discussions.

Arizona Rivers' High School Riparian Research Experience (RRE) Collaboration with Nemo's Surface Flow Wet/Dry Monitoring Campaign

Martha Whitaker and Jim Washburne, Hydrology & Water Resources

$1,810

AZ Rivers is collaborating with NEMO, to have AZ Rivers high school students and volunteers participate in NEMO's Annual Surface Flow Wet/Dry Monitoring Campaign. This project will provide training and will purchase 12 GPS units and field supplies for 12 teams of 2 to 3 volunteers. The GPS units will be available for loan year-round to AZ Rivers teachers, students, volunteers and NEMO volunteers.

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Got Grant?

If you have received a grant and would like it listed in the round-up, email the following information to Stephanie Doster: title and amount of the grant, name of the funding agency, names of PI(s) and co-PI(s), beginning and estimated ending date of the project, a summary of the project and its goal, and any web link that says more about your grant.