NSF EPSCoR-funded research scientists at New Mexico State University (NMSU) have installed ecological monitoring equipment at four sites in New Mexico. The monitoring equipment contributes data to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The sites began operation in 2010 and are part of the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN). SCAN consists of automated remote sites which collect soil moisture and soil temperature data along with precipitation, wind, and solar radiation data. The data collected is used for the prediction and management of climatic issues. New Mexico now has a greater opportunity to significantly contribute to a nationwide cooperative of environmental information systems. SCAN data is accessible through the...

The Rio Hondo flows from the Taos Ski Valley in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for about 20 miles where it meets the Rio Grande, and is one of NM EPSCoR’s primary research sites, with the Jemez River and the Rio Chama. Scientists and researchers from NMSU and NM Tech use state-of-the-art technology to study the interactions between groundwater and surface water to help determine water quality and water quantity. New Mexico EPSCoR researchers from New Mexico State University and New Mexico Tech traveled to one area of the Rio Hondo in Arroyo Hondo, NM to examine the water temperature and quality. Sam Fernald (NMSU), Carlos Ochoa (NMSU) and Jevon Harding (NMT) were just a few of those participating. One of the main purposes for the trip...

NM EPSCoR funded the design, fabrication, and installation of a new exhibit focusing on climate change in New Mexico called “Degrees of Change: New Mexico’s Climate Forecast.” Jessica Sapunar-Jursich, Director of Education at the Museum, spearheads the project with Dr. Dave Gutzler as the EPSCoR-funded guest curator on the project. Dr. Gutzler is a climatologist faculty member with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico. A central feature is a global representation of climate data using a Global Imagination "Magic Planet". Data and discoveries from NM EPSCoR scientists contribute to data in a New Mexico SIM table, which displays current climate conditions of New Mexico and can predict future...

Funded by the National Science Foundation, part of the New Mexico EPSCoR program focuses on acequia interdisciplinary research conducted by the University of New Mexico (UNM) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) in partnership with the New Mexico Acequia Association (NMAA). The NMAA is the main force that advocates for the needs of community based irrigation systems known as "acequias" (ah-SAY-key-ahs) or ditches. These acequias are unique to New Mexico and southern Colorado having endured more than four centuries of change in the region dating to Spanish colonial settlement history.

In the New Mexico EPSCoR project, researchers are studying how these ancient irrigation canals function as communal water management systems that...

Impact/Benefits

Participants agree, just as in previous JFL workshops, that this three-day workshop is especially useful for learning new skills such as organization, time management, and practical uses of money, time, and knowledge. One participant said, “This workshop is probably the most useful program I have attended over my career.”

Explanation

The third annual NM EPSCoR Junior Faculty Leadership workshop continued a track record of success with participants providing enthusiastic praise for the event. The three-day workshop, January 4-6, 2011, focused on improving the communication skills and productivity of new faculty and advanced post-doc scholars. This year’s agenda continued and expanded the highly...

Impacts/Benefits

Climate change manifests itself in major changes to the terrestrial landscape of New Mexico. The New Mexico EPSCoR project is providing a very detailed picture of the effects of a major forest fire on the water quality, hydrology, and ecology of an important source of freshwater for the State of New Mexico. Continuous monitoring is critical to describe the timing and magnitude of and the controls on these highly variable parameters. Better understanding of controls on water quality variability can help management in the face of climate change.

Explanation

One component of the current New Mexico EPSCoR project is the effect of climate change on water quality in the forested mountain catchments of...