This project focuses on synthesizing USGS dust science and presenting findings through a geonarrative that will be linked to the Colorado River Basin Science Collaboration Portal. Across the Rocky Mountain Region, USGS science centers and teams have evaluated the emission, transport, composition, and downwind impacts of dust. A synthesis of these studies is needed to identify knowledge gaps, guide future work, support data discovery, and engage the public in USGS dust science.

This project will look at paleo and modern climate data to better understand whether the climate conditions in the Colorado River Basin can best be described as drought or long-term aridification.  Water and land managers are experiencing challenges in making decisions without having a good understanding of what future water availability or land/ecosystem changes may occur. A central question is whether drying in the Colorado River Basin is better described as a drought (a discrete, temporary event) or aridification (a long-term step change to drier conditions in the system). Making the distinction between drought and aridification is imperative, as it has implications for longer term planning for water allocations and ecosystem function. 

This project will focus on evaluating the effects of shifting ecohydrological baselines on sagebrush and selected aquatic systems. The project will help in the integration of complex multidisciplinary data for the largescale approach needed to understand where shifting ecohydrological patterns occur or are likely to occur and how those shifts may affect conservation and land use management. Current models designed to assess ecohydrological shifts are typically limited, leaving numerous knowledge and data gaps.  

Support was provided to scope out two distinct approaches to evaluating the value of water in the Colorado River Basin. One approach uses a national natural capital accounting (NNCA) and the other uses an ecosystem services approach that includes stewardship economies and ecosystem valuation of restoration, mitigation, and nature-based solutions.

The Colorado River Basin 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.