Landscape watershed condition and drought vulnerability assessment in the western U.S.project period: 09 05 2024 - 06 30 2029 project abstract summary:this research work order will outline an approach…

This $250,000 Cooperative Agreement, awarded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the Cooperative Research Units (CFDA 15.812) program, will fund a 5-year research project to assess drought vulnerability and landscape conditions in watersheds across the western United States. The key activities include: 1) identifying assessment components and indicators of drought resiliency for a pilot watershed in Oregon, 2) expanding and testing the assessment approach across three additional watersheds in Oregon and Nevada, and 3) developing field research and modeling to investigate relationships between hydrologic regimes, flow permanence, and stream productivity. The project will result in a draft manuscript, at least one peer-reviewed publication, a PhD dissertation, geodatabase deliverables, and presentations at professional meetings. The Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, operating through the University of Nevada, Reno, will serve as the primary awardee to conduct this research across the western region.

Landscape watershed condition and drought vulnerability assessment in the western U.S.project period: 09 05 2024 - 06 30 2029 project abstract summary:this research work order will outline an approach to watershed condition and drought vulnerability assessment and implement the approach in pilot watersheds to evaluate performance and areas for improvement as part of a broader effort. Activities to be performed - objective 1: identify a set of assessment components that represent drivers of drought resiliency for a pilot watershed (donner UND blitzen river, SE oregon), calculate annual summaries and indicators, objective 2: expand and test the approach developed in objective 1 to three watersheds (donner UND blitzen river, oregon, upper humboldt river and meadow valley wash, nevada) that represent a gradient in ecological conditions and data availability to evaluate approach performance and to identify key areas for improvement. Based on these relationships recipient will develop a draft probabilistic graphical model (e.g., bayesian network),objective 3: recipient will, a) synthesize literature on drought and drying effects on stream productivity and cross-ecosystem subsidies, develop an initial model at the riverscape-scale for pilot watersheds to using spatial data developed in objectives 1 and 2 to generate hypotheses, b) develop multi-scale field and or experimental research approach, in pilot watersheds and elsewhere, to investigate interactions between hydrologic regimes, flow permanence, and stream productivity (e.g., in-situ invertebrate production, reciprocal subsidies, fish growth and biomass), c) develop approaches for mapping the distribution of aquatic subsidies to terrestrial ecosystems that can be applied across watersheds and are capable of tracking changes in ecological water availability as affected by drought. Deliverables and expected outcomes -a draft manuscript that describes the process of building the pilot application (objective 1) including recommendations for next steps and an initial database that describes critical features of available data that can be incorporated into addressing ECO-hydrologic drought will be delivered by 30 september 2024. This manuscript will be integrated into results of objective 2 (i.e., expansion to three watersheds probabilistic model) and at least one peer-reviewed publication will result. The PHD student will produce a dissertation through the university of nevada, reno, and peer-reviewed publications will result from dissertation chapters (at least three). All datasets and spatial analysis will be compiled into geodatabase(s) and stored as USGS data release(s) on sciencebase. Oral or poster presentations will be given by the graduate student or the PI at professional meetings. Intended beneficiary(IES) -U.S. Geological survey subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award -n a