PowerPoint Presentation · The facility i對s centered on the U of U campus and aims to include...
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PowerPoint Presentation · The facility i對s centered on the U of U campus and aims to include experimental bioswales housed here at the Biology Growth Site along Red ... PowerPoint
Utah is a GREAT state. Our license plates say we have the greatest snow on earth. But have you ever wondered what life would be like in Utah without snow or how much it contributes to our economy?
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But Utah’s not just about skiing. We have year-round amazing outdoor amenities from rock climbing in Utah’s deserts.
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To floating on our wildest rivers.
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And fishing in our cold mountain streams. The tourism and travel industry overall contributes at least $8B and 124,000 jobs to Utah’s economy.
Water is key!
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Tourism is important but not the only industry in Utah that is fueled by water. Gas/oil, agriculture, and even technology industries depend on an available and pristine water supply
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People and the decisions they make about water are perhaps the biggest threat to our water sustainability. Our population is growing. RAPIDLY. In the last decade, our state grew by 24%. Our population today is almost 3 million people.
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What’s more, this population growth is concentrated in a narrow band situated between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake Desert. For those of you from the East Coast, this is an area about the size of Vermont.
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Will water scarcity limit our growth? Very possibly. Utah is the 2nd driest state in the nation.
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Most of our precipitation occurs as snow and we rely on snowmelt to fill our reservoirs for use the remainder of the year.
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We already use about 1/3 of the renewable water supply – this is not sustainable for continued growth in Utah. I’m citizen of this state, and a mom and this fact concerns me. What’s more, I’ve been a water scientist for over 20 years and I’ve devoted my career to understanding our freshwater ecosystems.
Science for Utah’s Water Future
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My name is Michelle Baker and I’m a professor at Utah State University. I’m also the director of a a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary project called iUTAH which stands for innovative urban transitions and arid region hydro-sustainability. Our project is funded by the National Science Foundation and our mission is to support science and education for Utah’s water future. Our goal is to help position Utah for sustainable economic growth and give us the water we need to do that. In my talk today I want to introduce you to some of our recent accomplishments, and also to seek your input on how we could position our efforts over the next few years to add value and relevance to YOUR interests. At the end of this talk, several of the iUTAH team members will be available for a panel discussion in Plaza Suite B. I hope you will join us in a more informal discussion.
Science
• Human dimensions
• Water balance • Water quality
Education
• K-12 STEM • Undergrad
research • Grad
students/postdocs
Understanding
• Urbanization + climate
• Water decisions • Water cycle
What we need
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We are doing that through investments in innovative research and in training the next generation of students in science, technology, engineering and math with the goal of building statewide capacity to understand our impact on current and future water resources in Utah.
Eco- hydrology
Social Science
Engineering
Coupled Systems
Research Activities in iUTAH
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Our research platform focuses on three areas related to water where Utah already has expertise : ecohydrology, social sciences and engineering, and coupled human and natural systems modeling. Before iUTAH, this expertise was siloed in different institutions and different departments, and in our proposal we argued that we would be better positioned to understanding Utah’s water future by joining efforts. So a major focus over the first 18-24 months has been in building teams. We now have strong partnerships among the 3 research institutions of higher ed – The U , BYU, and USU as well as primarily undergraduate institutions like Weber St, UVU, Southern Utah Univ, and SLCC. Folks from these institutions have banded together with a common goal of understanding how people and climate affect Utah’s water resources now and into the future. Replace Venn diagram
GAMUT: Utah’s Environmental Observatory 2500+ m
Mountain-to-Valley transition
Aquatic sensors
Terrestrial sensors
Logan Red Butte Middle Provo
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One of our biggest accomplishments, and one that we’re most proud of, is constructing an environmental observatory called GAMUT – which stands for gradients along mountain to urban transitions. The GAMUT is unprecedented in scale and scope such that we can monitor in real time inputs of water and the changes that happen to it as it flows from the mountains to 3 valleys that differ in the magnitude and patterns of urbanization and human behaviors. This infrastructure is installed in The Logan River, Red Butte Creek, and the Middle Provo River
GAMUT: Utah’s Environmental Observatory
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Here are photos showing what a typical aquatic and terrestrial station look like in the field. These solar powered stations measure a suite of hydrological, climate, and water quality variables – things like temperature, soil moisture, and dissolved oxygen -- every 10 minutes and transmit these data via a telecommunications so that it can be processed and viewed on the internet.
GAMUT: Utah’s Environmental Observatory
http://gamut.iutahepscor.org
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Data from the GAMUT environmental observatory are available for free to anyone from the internet. If you are interested in this resource we have fact sheets with more information at our booth in the foyer. Jeff Horsburgh is our cyberinfrastructure guru and he will be on the panel later and can tell you more – we might even be able to do a demo toward the end of the panel.
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This is what the website landing page looks like for an aquatic station on the Logan River at Main Street.
GAMUT: Utah’s Environmental Observatory
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And here’s some example data. This graph is showing turbidity in the Logan River at the Main Street Bridge in March 2014. When we first saw data like this, we thought there was something wrong with our sensors. Stare at this graph for a minute – can you tell which days are weekends?
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Turns out out sensors were just fine, we were just observing the progress of a restoration project in the Logan River.
GAMUT: Utah’s Social Observatory
Mountain-to-Valley transition
GAMUT footprint
State and Federal Law & Policy
City
Household
Neighborhood
GAMUT: Utah’s Social Observatory
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DEFINING NEIGHBORHOOD TYPES: LAND USE MIX HOUSING MIX DEMOGRAPHICS LAND COVER
2014 Household Water Survey
BUGI: Biogeochemistry of Urban Green Infrastructure
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Outside of the socio-environmental GAMUT facility, iUTAH is investing in two other research facilities that are still in various stages of planning. Green infrastructure is a bread term for engineered designs in urban flowpaths aimed at mitigating stormwater pollution, increasing infiltration, or changing the energy balance. The BUGI, or biogeochemistry of urban green infrastructure facility explores the design, structure, and function of green infrastructure in our semi-arid landscape. The facility is centered on the U of U campus and aims to include experimental bioswales housed here at the Biology Growth Site along Red Butte Creek, will integrate with the U of ‘s conce[pt
iVL: iUTAH Visualization Lab
Cyberinfrastructure
Water quantity
Soil water and chemistry
Groundwater
Water quality
Rain, snow, and climate Sapflux
Mobile platforms
Survey data
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Hydrologic monitoring with in situ environmental sensors presents many challenges for data management, particularly for large-scale networks consisting of multiple sites, sensors, and personnel. The high frequency, extended duration, and spatial distribution of data collection efforts require cyberinfrastructure to support and facilitate research. Researchers and practitioners need tools for data import and storage as well as data access and management. In addition to addressing the challenges presented by the sheer quantity of data, monitoring networks need practices to ensure high data quality, including procedures and tools for post processing. Data quality is further enhanced if networks are able to track physical infrastructure such as equipment, deployments, calibrations, and other events related to site maintenance and associate these details with observational data. Volume of data Data heterogeneity Multiple watersheds Multiple institutions Multiple personnel Scale Data quality assurance and quality control Standardize data editing Synchronize timing, data access, equipment tracking
Education, Outreach, and Diversity
Integrate with research activities
Increase diversity of participants
Support state-wide
programs and partnerships
Expand beyond original
proposal
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-iUTAH Education, Outreach and Diversity, aims to share this research with the citizens of Utah. 31% of the state’s growing population is 18 years or younger. We are tasked with connecting these FUTURE water decision makers, through our programs focusing on: -Citizen Science, -Kindergarten-12th grade Engagement Opportunities, -and Undergraduate research experiences Throughout the past two years of the grant, iUTAH Education, Outreach and Diversity has: -connected with over 100 citizen scientists strengthened STEM education in Utah through: -Collaborations with over 20 institutions and organizations across the state, and -interactions with thousands of student contacts And -Engaged over 100 undergraduate and graduate students through our research experience programs that train the scientists and decision makers of tomorrow.
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Let me tell you a story about iUTAHs statewide reach. This is Latisha Allen, a young Navajo woman from Monument Valley who participated in iUTAH’s Summer Institute this past July. The summer institute brings high school teachers and students to work with iUTAH researchers for a week each summer. Before this experience, Latisha loved learning –especially about chemistry, but she had no idea that she could be a scientist. Her experience was transformational. Among other things she told me was that doing science was more fun than learning about it.
It takes a village
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We know the hard facts. If we lose snow Utah could lose $8B and 124K jobs. And potentially more – but we don’t know how much. I hope I’ve convinced you that investment in Utah’s research capacity now and for the next generation will be valuable in preventing that from happening.
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Utah is a great state. But our growing population is putting greater demand on an already dry landscape, This demand will put a greater stress on our existing water resources. Utah’s ------ecosystems, ------residents,---------- and industries---- rely on water. By gathering together researchers and educators from across disciplines and working towards innovative solutions, iUTAH is enhancing water knowledge and preparing a well-educated workforce for tomorrow. We need your support to continue building a sustainable water future for Utah, to ensure that our economic vitality, our capacity to innovate, and our workforce of tomorrow don’t dry up.
www.iUtahEPSCoR.org
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To find out more about what iUTAH is doing to benefit our state, and how you can help, please visit us at www.iUtahEPSCoR.org or follow us on social media.
Image Credits: Slides 1-2,4-6, 10-11: stock photos, USU library Slide 3: Matt Schroer. USU Slide 7: wikitree.com Slide 8: NASA Slide 9: westoons.wordpress.com Slide 13, 26, 27: Michelle Baker, USU Slide 18: Google Slide 20: John Zsiray/Herald Journal Slide 22, 23: Doug Jackson-Smith, et al. USU, UU Slide 24: Jim Elheringer, UU Slide 25: Enjie Li, USU and stock photo, USU library Slide 26: Amber Jones, USU Slide 30: NASA, Ellen Burns USU
