Hydrologic Science and Uncertainty Assessment
at the University of Michigan
Our research focuses on developing and communicating answers to important societal questions about historical and future variability in regional water quantity and quality over multiple time scales. We pursue projects that directly support sustainable environmental and human health management and policy decisions. Planning for and adapting to fluctuating water supplies, for example, requires differentiating and effectively communicating relative impacts of climate change, consumptive use, and engineered water management solutions.
Similarly, ensuring water supplies are of a high enough quality to meet their intended use requires identifying and mitigating detrimental impacts of point and non-point source pollution and understanding complex coastal physical processes. Our research group develops creative and high-impact solutions to these types of real-world hydrologic science problems through novel modeling and statistical analysis techniques, direct engagement with stakeholders, and integration of expertise and resources across scientific disciplines and institutions.
Samuel Trask Dana Building
School for Environment and Sustainability
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Our Lab In the Media
The Rio Grande, stretching over 1,900 miles from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, is a vital water source for the U.S. and Mexico. Recent tensions around the 1944 Water Treaty highlight the challenges in managing this shared resource. SEAS PhD student, Vianey Rueda, is quoted in a CNN article about the tensions regarding the Rio Grande and 1944 Water Treaty.
Check out this link to see how SEAS Hydro is supporting the Great Lakes tree planting initiative!
Research Highlights
Lab Team Members Present Mono Lake Research at AGU
The week of December 11th 2023, researchers gathered in San Francisco, CA for the annual American Geophysical Union Conference (AGU). Lab team members Anne Fetrow, Anna Gossard, and Drew Gronewold shared their research pertaining to the water balance of Mono Lake.
Mono Lake is a saline, terminal lake in California experiencing ecological and hydrologic stress due to climate change and long-term anthropogenic pressures. Diversions from its tributaries have caused the lake level to decline over 40 feet since the 1940s. Although there have been substantial efforts to conserve the lake since the 1990s, Mono Lake has not risen to the set water level that was previously mandated by the state. Recently, legislative battles over Mono Lake water levels have highlighted the need for a better understanding of the lake’s water balance through robust hydrologic modeling and forecasting to make informed decisions about lake management.
Interdisciplinary researchers at UM are using cutting edge science to improve understanding of the water balance at Mono Lake. Through paleoclimatic inquiry, expanded watershed monitoring, improved hydrologic modeling, advanced climate change prediction, and integrated research engagement, this research will provide:
A deeper understanding of the history of lake level change at Mono Lake
An updated and expanded hydrological model of the Mono Lake system
Projections of how Mono Lake levels will respond to future climate change
This research aims to help experts, legislators, and decision makers make informed decisions about Mono Lake and the management of its natural resources.
written by Megan DiCocco
Read more about the work our lab is doing at Mono Lake below:
Read about the Meet the Moment Research Initiative
Check out the poster below!
Mono Lake AGU 2023 Poster
This research was presented at the AGU Fall 2023 meeting in San Fransisco.