Location
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Start Date
16-4-2011 10:00 AM
End Date
16-4-2011 10:20 AM
Description
The declining water levels of the Las Vegas Valley aquifers and the half-empty Lake Mead are an issue of great concern. This project utilizes data from NASA and numerous other agencies for hydrogeological comparisons and calculations. Graphed results show similar trends between GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data and the declining levels of Lake Mead. The observations of GRACE total water storage, precipitation, evapotranspiration and the net flux of water in the area all show a similar trending decline in yearly water accumulation, which may be indicators of the impact of drought and climate change in Southern Nevada.
Keywords
Climatic changes; Drought; Global warming; Nevada – Las Vegas Valley; Scarcity; Water supply
Disciplines
Climate | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Environmental Sciences | Fresh Water Studies | Hydrology | Water Resource Management
Language
English
Drought Characterization of the Las Vegas Valley Using GRACE Satellite Observations of Terrestrial Groundwater
COinS
Keynote address: Drought in the Las Vegas Valley
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The declining water levels of the Las Vegas Valley aquifers and the half-empty Lake Mead are an issue of great concern. This project utilizes data from NASA and numerous other agencies for hydrogeological comparisons and calculations. Graphed results show similar trends between GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data and the declining levels of Lake Mead. The observations of GRACE total water storage, precipitation, evapotranspiration and the net flux of water in the area all show a similar trending decline in yearly water accumulation, which may be indicators of the impact of drought and climate change in Southern Nevada.
Comments
Poster co-author: Dave Kreamer, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Audio/Video
File size: 27.3 megabytes
Attached file: Poster
This work partially supported by NSF Grant # EPS-0814372.