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Colorado River Basin: Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology

The USGS Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) initiative is a landscape scale project to accelerate interdisciplinary science and application of advanced technology for stakeholder-driven challenges in the Colorado River Basin. The ASIST initiative supports science co-development with partners for integrated drought science and technology projects

News

Drought-Related Studies in the Colorado River Basin Funded by the USGS Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) Initiative

Drought-Related Studies in the Colorado River Basin Funded by the USGS Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) Initiative

USGS provides easy access to Colorado River science with new online portal

USGS provides easy access to Colorado River science with new online portal

Tribal Engagement Series: Drought in the Colorado River Basin

Tribal Engagement Series: Drought in the Colorado River Basin

Publications

Fish health altered by contaminants and low water temperatures compounded by prolonged regional drought in the Lower Colorado River Basin, USA

The goal of this study was to assess health of male Common Carp (carp, Cyprinus carpio) at four sites with a wide range in environmental organic contaminant (EOC) concentrations and water temperatures in Lake Mead National Recreation Area NV/AZ, US, and the potential influence of regional drought. Histological and reproductive biomarkers were measured in 17–30 carp at four sites and 130...
Authors
Steven L Goodbred, Reynaldo Patiño, David Alvarez, Darren Johnson, Deena Hannoun, Kathy R. Echols, Jill Jenkins

Seasonal drought treatments impact plant and microbial uptake of nitrogen in a mixed shrub grassland on the Colorado Plateau

For many drylands, both long- and short-term drought conditions can accentuate landscape heterogeneity at both temporal (e.g., role of seasonal patterns) and spatial (e.g., patchy plant cover) scales. Furthermore, short-term drought conditions occurring over one season can exacerbate long-term, multidecadal droughts or aridification, by limiting soil water recharge, decreasing plant...
Authors
Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, David L. Hoover, Anna C. Knight, Savannah Wilson, Tara Boyce Belnap Bishop, Robin H. Reibold, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway

Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau

Global dryland vegetation communities will likely change as ongoing drought conditions shift regional climates towards a more arid future. Additional aridification of drylands can impact plant and ground cover, biogeochemical cycles, and plant-soil feedbacks, yet how and when these crucial ecosystem components will respond to drought intensification requires further investigation. Using...
Authors
Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, Tara Boyce Belnap Bishop, Jayne Belnap, Erika L. Geiger, Edmund E. Grote, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway

Science

Partners in Science

Partners in Science is a collaborative effort between Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Grand Canyon Youth, and the National Park Service to provide opportunities for youth to engage in scientific field research in Grand Canyon. This partnership connects youth from diverse backgrounds with the Nation’s natural and cultural resources on 2-3 river-based expeditions on the Colorado River...
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Partners in Science

Partners in Science is a collaborative effort between Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Grand Canyon Youth, and the National Park Service to provide opportunities for youth to engage in scientific field research in Grand Canyon. This partnership connects youth from diverse backgrounds with the Nation’s natural and cultural resources on 2-3 river-based expeditions on the Colorado River...
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Colorado Plateau Extreme Drought in Grassland Experiment (EDGE)

In drylands, short-term extreme droughts can have profound ecosystem effects, depending on the timing (seasonality) of drought and the sensitivities of the dominant plants and plant functional types. Past work suggests that cool season drought may disproportionately impact regionally important grass and shrub species. In this study, we are examining the impacts of extreme seasonal drought on...
link

Colorado Plateau Extreme Drought in Grassland Experiment (EDGE)

In drylands, short-term extreme droughts can have profound ecosystem effects, depending on the timing (seasonality) of drought and the sensitivities of the dominant plants and plant functional types. Past work suggests that cool season drought may disproportionately impact regionally important grass and shrub species. In this study, we are examining the impacts of extreme seasonal drought on...
Learn More

Advanced Technology

The ASIST Project is exploring advanced technologies to improve observation systems, integrate predictive models, and accelerate science communication to deliver outcomes faster, more efficiently, and at an appropriate level of detail or accuracy to support management decisions.
link

Advanced Technology

The ASIST Project is exploring advanced technologies to improve observation systems, integrate predictive models, and accelerate science communication to deliver outcomes faster, more efficiently, and at an appropriate level of detail or accuracy to support management decisions.
Learn More
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