This is a past event.

Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar

Abstract:

One major concern with climate change is how it will affect water availability, especially in water-scarce regions. While less studied than the Colorado River, the Rio Grande faces similar issues including overallocation of water rights. Increasing our understanding of what might happen in the future will help give regional water managers an opportunity to make more robust and sustainable policy decisions. My master’s research uses inputs from 97 global climate projections to simulate reservoir operation for the Elephant Butte Reservoir, located along the Rio Grande in Southern New Mexico. For each climate simulation, the model is run from 1971 to 2070 allowing us to look at trends in reservoir reliability. We also look at whether local (near the Elephant Butte dam) or headwaters (Southern CO) climate change plays a bigger role in changing water availability.
Author Bio:

Robyn graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from MTU in 2019. She is now working towards a M.S. in Civil Engineering focused on water resources. Her master’s research with Dr. Alex Mayer (now at UTEP) involves modeling a reservoir under multiple climate change scenarios. Outside of school, Robyn has experience in environmental monitoring and ecological restoration. In her free time, Robyn loves almost anything outdoors including biking, hiking, camping, running, climbing, and skiing. She also enjoys painting and designing/sewing outdoor gear. After graduation she aims to work for a local or regional water management organization in a position that involves modeling or data analysis along with plenty of fieldwork.