Watershed Resilience: the Rio Grande Research Collaborative
2021

Global climate change is having a tremendous impact in the Rio Grande watershed. Average temperatures in the Rio Grande Basin are increasing at a rate of 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit per decade--a rate approximately twice the global average.

Photo: Watershed Resilience: the Rio Grande Research Collaborative

Project Investigators

Photo: Melinda Morgan

Melinda Morgan

Director, Sustainability Studies, Geography & Environmental Studies

Photo: Caroline Scruggs

Caroline Scruggs

Associate Professor of Environmental Planning

Photo: Jingjing Wang

Jingjing Wang

Assistant Professor, Department of Economics

Photo: Alex Webster

Alex Webster

Research Assistant Professor

Photo: Corina Gomez

Corina Gomez

Graduate Research Investigator

Najhozhoni Ben

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Eleanor Hasenbeck

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Photo: Lani Tsinnajinnie

Lani Tsinnajinnie

School of Architecture & Planning; Community and Regional Planning

Photo: Yolanda C. Lin

Yolanda C. Lin

Geography & Environmental Studies

Photo: Manuel Montoya

Manuel Montoya

Anderson School of Management; Organizational Studies

Photo: Benjamin P. Warner

Benjamin P. Warner

Geography & Environmental Studies

Photo: Marygold Walsh-Dilley

Marygold Walsh-Dilley

Geography & Environmental Studies


The challenge

Global climate change is having a tremendous impact in the Rio Grande watershed. Average temperatures in the Rio Grande Basin are increasing at a rate of 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit per decade--a rate approximately twice the global average (Llewellyn & Vaddey 2013). These temperatures are pushing the Rio Grande forest systems past an ecological threshold. This transformation will in turn have dramatic implications for downstream water users. The Rio Grande and its tributaries provide water to about half of New Mexico’s population, including the downstream communities of Albuquerque and Santa Fe and surrounding agricultural areas (Benson et al 2014).

Our collaborative

There are important social-ecological research questions in the watershed, that provide a unique opportunity for the University of New Mexico to develop an ongoing, transdisciplinary research collaborative involving UNM faculty, students at all levels of education, as well as community members and stakeholders.

This project is in its initial stages and is part of the UNM’s Grand Challenge in Sustainable Water Resources. If you are a student, faculty or community member interested in participating, please contact Melinda Morgan.