Reconnecting Water, Land, and Life: Enhancing Environmental Flow Models and Actions for River Corridor Ecosystem Resilience

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

Water scarcity is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the western United States, where prolonged drought, warming temperatures, and reduced snowpack are straining rivers that support both people and ecosystems. The Rio Grande, a lifeline for millions of people and home to endangered fish and forests, is experiencing especially severe stress. Water demands for agriculture, urban areas, and interstate water agreements often leave little for the river itself, resulting in dry riverbeds and degraded habitats. This project brings together scientists, conservation groups, and water managers to answer a critical question: how can we sustain river ecosystems with much less water? This will be accomplished by testing when and how to release limited water to benefit species and ecosystems while meeting human needs. The project will help chart a path toward a more resilient future for rivers in dry regions. The project also provides education and hands-on experiences for students from middle school to graduate researchers, ensuring the next generation of scientists and citizens is engaged in solving real-world environmental problems. The Rio Grande in New Mexico is one of the most heavily managed rivers in the western US. This project will study how a 280-kilometer stretch of this region is affected by different water flow patterns, especially those designed to mimic natural spring floods, affect fish, plants, soil, and carbon storage in the river and its floodplain. Experiments will include field monitoring, laboratory analyses, and outdoor test systems called mesocosms that simulate river-floodplain interactions under different conditions. Scientists will track the survival of cottonwood seedlings, the development of aquatic food webs, and how organic carbon moves and is stored across the landscape. These findings will be used to improve a water management model called the Rio Grande Futures Model, which helps predict the ecological outcomes of various water delivery strategies. This model will be tested with water managers to explore trade-offs and design environmental flow strategies that balance ecological benefits with agricultural and municipal water demands. Together, these efforts will help restore critical habitat, support endangered species, and ensure the long-term health of a vital river system in a time of growing water scarcity. This project is jointly funded by the Divisions of Environmental Biology and Integrative Organismal Systems through the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice Program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.