Characterizing the Severity and Risk
Jose Salas explains how mathematical equations are used to calculate whether or not there is a problem with drought in the article “Characterizing the Severity and Risk of Drought in the Poudre River, Colorado”. These equations are used to figure out what water restrictions need to be in place to protect the water source on any given day. The Colorado Big Thompson Project in the 1950’s brought more water into the Front Range area but the increase in population was too much for the amount of water brought in. The main drought problem is that the population growth and the shift from agricultural use of the land to “municipal and industrial” is what caused a greater drought problem. The area that used to be primarily farmland and now is growing rapidly with more residential and industrial buildings. The water flow in the Cache La Poudre River has been recorded as the lowest in the 2000-2002 droughts. Since the water levels are so low, we need to find ways to preserve the water in the Rivers and reservoirs here in the Front Range to save the wildlife that depend on our water sources.
Drought Reconstruction in US
In the article “Drought Reconstructions for the Continental United States” Edward Cook discusses how drought affects the amount and the quality of the water used between urban and rural areas. We need to make sure that the water we do have to use is safe. Using mathematical equations to measure the rings on trees to determine the patterns of drought over time and measure patterns of drought across the United States. The data of the tree rings show a strong statistical correlation between drought and the health of the tree because, how much water they are able to obtain determines the health of the tree. How susceptible the trees are to disease and pine beetle infestation is directly related to drought. Weaker trees are less able to resist the beetles’ damage. Also by recreating past droughts scientists and mathematicians might be able to find out how to lessen the effect of drought.
Questions
How do we use or misuse our water resources in CO?
What ways can we better monitor our water levels to ration our water?
What ways can we preserve or store more water?
Questions
How do we use or misuse our water resources in CO?
What ways can we better monitor our water levels to ration our water?
What ways can we preserve or store more water?
No comments:
Post a Comment