New Mexico, Water, and Climate Resilience: An Overview of New Mexican Hydrology with Statistical Micro-Risk Assessment
Open Access
Author:
St. Pierre, Elijah
Area of Honors:
Geosciences
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Richard B Alley, Thesis Supervisor Maureen Feineman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
New Mexico Climate Change Water Resources Regression policy
Abstract:
The Southwestern United States is already in a long-lasting state of drought. Projections based on climate models and socioeconomic factors indicate that drought conditions in the region will intensify in the coming decades. New Mexico is one of the states in the region of highest concern, as it is particularly arid. Data analysis reveals that water scarcity and its effects have already intensified there. One way that New Mexican water availability has noticeably changed is that the state’s most important river, the Rio Grande, has been experiencing significant reductions in discharge over the past several decades, leading to widespread water insecurity. One likely related phenomenon is the statistically significant reduction in New Mexican hay yields that has occurred recently, likely leading to economic losses of nearly fifty million US dollars since 1990. Fixing this will require thorough effort to overhaul the state’s water policy and infrastructure, which already has a complex and tumultuous history.