scholarly journals Generalized hydrogeology and ground-water budget for the C Aquifer, Little Colorado River Basin and parts of the Verde and Salt River Basins, Arizona and New Mexico

2002 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Budget ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Colorado River Basin ◽  
Salt River

scholarly journals Winter Inputs Buffer Streamflow Sensitivity to Snowpack Losses in the Salt River Watershed in the Lower Colorado River Basin

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Marcos D. Robles ◽  
John C. Hammond ◽  
Stephanie K. Kampf ◽  
Joel A. Biederman ◽  
Eleonora M. C. Demaria
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Colorado River Basin ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Annual Streamflow ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Salt River ◽  
Lower Colorado River Basin ◽  
Lower Colorado River

Recent streamflow declines in the Upper Colorado River Basin raise concerns about the sensitivity of water supply for 40 million people to rising temperatures. Yet, other studies in western US river basins present a paradox: streamflow has not consistently declined with warming and snow loss. A potential explanation for this lack of consistency is warming-induced production of winter runoff when potential evaporative losses are low. This mechanism is more likely in basins at lower elevations or latitudes with relatively warm winter temperatures and intermittent snowpacks. We test whether this accounts for streamflow patterns in nine gaged basins of the Salt River and its tributaries, which is a sub-basin in the Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB). We develop a basin-scale model that separates snow and rainfall inputs and simulates snow accumulation and melt using temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity. Despite significant warming from 1968–2011 and snow loss in many of the basins, annual and seasonal streamflow did not decline. Between 25% and 50% of annual streamflow is generated in winter (NDJF) when runoff ratios are generally higher and potential evapotranspiration losses are one-third of potential losses in spring (MAMJ). Sub-annual streamflow responses to winter inputs were larger and more efficient than spring and summer responses and their frequencies and magnitudes increased in 1968–2011 compared to 1929–1967. In total, 75% of the largest winter events were associated with atmospheric rivers, which can produce large cool-season streamflow peaks. We conclude that temperature-induced snow loss in this LCRB sub-basin was moderated by enhanced winter hydrological inputs and streamflow production.

scholarly journals A Comparison of in Situ, Reanalysis, and Satellite Water Budgets over the Upper Colorado River Basin

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 888-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Smith ◽  
Christian D. Kummerow
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Budget ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Colorado River Basin ◽  
Upper Colorado River Basin ◽  
Precipitation Estimates

Abstract Using in situ, reanalysis, and satellite-derived datasets, surface and atmospheric water budgets of the Upper Colorado River basin are analyzed. All datasets capture the seasonal cycle for each water budget component. For precipitation, all products capture the interannual variability, though reanalyses tend to overestimate in situ while satellite-derived precipitation underestimates. Most products capture the interannual variability of evapotranspiration (ET), though magnitudes differ among the products. Variability and magnitude among storage volume change products widely vary. With regards to the surface water budget, the strongest connections exist among precipitation, ET, and soil moisture, while snow water equivalent (SWE) is best correlated with runoff. Using in situ precipitation estimates, the Max Planck Institute (MPI) ET estimates, and accumulated runoff, changes in storage are calculated and compare well with estimated changes in storage calculated using SWE, reservoir, and the Climate Prediction Center’s soil moisture. Using in situ precipitation estimates, MPI ET estimates, and atmospheric divergence estimates from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) results in a long-term atmospheric storage change estimate of −73 mm. Long-term surface storage estimates combined with long-term runoff come close to balancing with long-term atmospheric convergence from ERA-Interim. Increasing the MPI ET by 5% leads to a better balance between surface storage changes, runoff, and atmospheric convergence. It also brings long-term atmospheric storage changes to a better balance at +13 mm.

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