Mastodawn

💧🌏 Greg Cocks May 23, 2025

New USGS Geothermal Energy Assessment Released
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https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20253027 <-- shared USGS publication
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https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/enhanced-geothermal-systems-great-basin-could-supply-10-us-electricity <-- shared USGS technical overview article
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#energy #independence #naturalresources #energysource #renewableenergy #geothermal #geology #assessment #exploration #development #production #exploitation #GreatBasin #USA #powersupply #electric #electricity #potential #EnhancedGeothermalSystems #fedscience #geothermalresources #technology #powergeneration #USWest #USSouthWest #gigawatts
@USGS

Victor Apr 15, 2025

A new study gives Arizona and Nevada high marks for their reuse of treated sewage effluent as a way to reduce Colorado River use, but says the other five river basin states have a long way to go. #wastewater #reclamation #water #USSouthwest https://lasvegassun.com/news/2025/apr/15/study-recycling-wastewater-at-arizonas-rate-could/

Victor Apr 15, 2025

A new study gives Arizona and Nevada high marks for their reuse of treated sewage effluent as a way to reduce Colorado River use, but says the other five river basin states have a long way to go. #wastewater #reclamation #water #USSouthwest https://lasvegassun.com/news/2025/apr/15/study-recycling-wastewater-at-arizonas-rate-could/

Victor Nov 29, 2024

US Southwest Indigenous Americans have a long-term historical relationship with drought, inundations, and climate variability. They used nature to provide them with a consistent source of water by understanding watersheds and its intricacies. How ancient ways are restoring the parched Earth. #indigenousAmericans #USSouthwest #water #drought #infrastructure #Navajo https://e360.yale.edu/features/navajo-natural-infrastructure-dryland-streams

On Navajo Lands, Ancient Ways Are Restoring the Parched Earth

Farming once thrived in the Black Mesa region, before overgrazing and climate change wreaked havoc with the land. Today, the Navajo are restoring their watersheds — and boosting their food sovereignty — with earthen berms and small dams made of woven brush, sticks, and rocks.

Yale E360

Victor Nov 29, 2024

US Southwest Indigenous Americans have a long-term historical relationship with drought, inundations, and climate variability. They used nature to provide them with a consistent source of water by understanding watersheds and its intricacies. How ancient ways are restoring the parched Earth. #indigenousAmericans #USSouthwest #water #drought #infrastructure #Navajo https://e360.yale.edu/features/navajo-natural-infrastructure-dryland-streams

On Navajo Lands, Ancient Ways Are Restoring the Parched Earth

Farming once thrived in the Black Mesa region, before overgrazing and climate change wreaked havoc with the land. Today, the Navajo are restoring their watersheds — and boosting their food sovereignty — with earthen berms and small dams made of woven brush, sticks, and rocks.

Yale E360

💧🌏 Greg Cocks Nov 17, 2023

Climate Change And Ecosystem Shifts In The Southwestern United States
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-46371-x <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #USA #southwest #region #ussouthwest #southwestus #ecosystems #change #model #modeling #climatechange #ecosysteminstability #landmanagement #landcover #management #planning #abiotic #bioclimate #terrain #machinelearning #AI #climatemodels #mitigation #preparedness #decisionmaking #informed #informeddecisions #informedchoices

Climate change and ecosystem shifts in the southwestern United States - Scientific Reports

Climate change shifts ecosystems, altering their compositions and instigating transitions, making climate change the predominant driver of ecosystem instability. Land management agencies experience these climatic effects on ecosystems they administer yet lack applied information to inform mitigation. We address this gap, explaining ecosystem shifts by building relationships between the historical locations of 22 ecosystems (c. 2000) and abiotic data (1970–2000; bioclimate, terrain) within the southwestern United States using ‘ensemble’ machine learning models. These relationships identify the conditions required for establishing and maintaining southwestern ecosystems (i.e., ecosystem suitability). We projected these historical relationships to mid (2041–2060) and end-of-century (2081–2100) periods using CMIP6 generation BCC-CSM2-MR and GFDL-ESM4 climate models with SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 emission scenarios. This procedure reveals how ecosystems shift, as suitability typically increases in area (~ 50% (~ 40% SD)), elevation (12–15%) and northing (4–6%) by mid-century. We illustrate where and when ecosystems shift, by mapping suitability predictions temporally and within 52,565 properties (e.g., Federal, State, Tribal). All properties had ≥ 50% changes in suitability for ≥ 1 ecosystem within them, irrespective of size (≥ 16.7 km2). We integrated 9 climate models to quantify predictive uncertainty and exemplify its relevance. Agencies must manage ecosystem shifts transcending jurisdictions. Effective mitigation requires collective action heretofore rarely instituted. Our procedure supplies the climatic context to inform their decisions.

Nature

Magpieblog Aug 29, 2023

A pleasant surprise while poking around in the garden today: The reappearance of a scarlet cinquefoil (Potentilla thurberi) plant that I hadn't seen in several years because of the overwhelming onslaught of invasive Peruvian lilies. This plant is native to Arizona and New Mexico, but has several close relatives in Oregon. It should start producing bright red flowers any time now.

#botany #gardening #NativePlants #Oregon #USSouthwest #cinquefoils