Evaluating snow water equivalent and soil moisture in a complex wildfire-impacted area of the rocky mountains using a mobile cosmic RAY neutron sensor

Colorado State University received a $248,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), a division of the Department of Defense, under the Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering program (CFDA 12.630). The award, executed on September 17, 2025, with completion targeted for March 16, 2027, funds research to evaluate snow water equivalent and soil moisture conditions in a wildfire-impacted area of the Rocky Mountains using mobile cosmic ray neutron sensor technology. The research will be performed at CSU's Fort Collins, Colorado facility and directly supports the ERDC's mission to advance scientific understanding with potential long-term applications to Department of Defense environmental engineering and natural resource management objectives.

This research effort addresses critical environmental science challenges in post-wildfire watershed assessment and hydrological monitoring. The project leverages advanced sensor technology to characterize water and moisture conditions in complex mountainous terrain affected by wildfire disturbance, generating data valuable for understanding ecosystem recovery, water resource management, and environmental restoration priorities in the Rocky Mountain region. The cooperative agreement structure enables direct collaboration between CSU's research capabilities and the ERDC's environmental science mission, consistent with the program's emphasis on applied research with practical applications to defense-related environmental challenges.