Wyoming Water Forum

October 8, 2024: Bart Geerts:  Predicting changes in precipitation and seasonal mountain snowpack in Wyoming: likely trends and uncertainties 

Dr. Geerts has a PhD from the University of Washington (1990). He co-authored ~150 papers in the peer-reviewed literature and has advised and graduated ~40 graduate students. Dr. Geerts is the recipient of the 2012 National Institutes for Water Resources Program IMPACT Award, and is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. 

As part of WyACT, we are conducting regional climate modeling for Wyoming and the western USA using output from an array of CMIP6 climate models, through dynamic downscaling down to 1 km resolution, focusing on global warming levels anticipated in the next few decades and out to ~2100. In this talk, we use this model output to describe anticipated average trends in precipitation and snowpack. We also examine changes in probabilities of extreme events, especially persistent droughts and flooding. 

November 12, 2024: Danny Hogan:  Recent Upper Colorado River Streamflow Declines Driven by Loss of Spring Precipitation 

Danny Hogan is a PhD student at the University of Washington in Seattle working with the Mountain Hydrology research group under Dr. Jessica Lundquist. His research interests lie at the interface between the atmosphere and mountain systems mainly through studying how changing weather impacts hydrologic processes at various scales. 

This presentation will cover background, methods, and results from a recent publication in Geophysical Research Letters titled: "Recent Upper Colorado River Streamflow Declines Driven by Loss of Spring Precipitation". The talk will focus on explaining recent decreases in streamflow from the headwaters of the Colorado River and center on the role that decreasing spring precipitation has played. A brief discussion of future projections and forecasting implications will be provided. 

April 8, 2025: Maggie O'Neill: Responding to the Future of Water: Perspectives of Agricultural Leaders of the Green River Basin, Wyoming 

My name is Maggie O'Neill, and I am a graduate research assistant at the University of Wyoming. I was born and raised in New Hampshire and have worked all over the United States on ecological, marine, and/or sociological research projects. I am excited to have the opportunity to present my graduate work at the Wyoming Water Forum and learn from all who will participate! 

I would present results of my graduate research project that explores how agricultural operators of the Green River basin are responding or want to respond to changes in water availability, what facilitates and constrains their decision making, and how formal and informal institutions may influence local level action around water. 

May 13, 2025: Eli Boardman: Wind River Range Snow Water Supply Forecast: 2024-2025 Update 

Eli Boardman is founder and chief scientist of Mountain Hydrology LLC and a PhD candidate in Hydrology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Personal research interests include all aspects of the natural mountain water cycle and downstream water resource resilience. Commercial projects through Mountain Hydrology LLC include snow surveys, water supply forecasting, and agricultural resilience consulting. 

This presentation will provide an update to Mountain Hydrology LLC's snow water supply forecasting project in the Wind River Range through the Bureau of Reclamation. Results from the 2024 water year will be summarized, including the airborne lidar snowpack survey, daily to seasonal streamflow forecast performance, and glacier recession rates. An overview of the upcoming 2025 forecast season will be provided, including the planned timing of surveys, streamflow forecast points, and deliverables that may be useful to water managers, scientists, and stakeholders. 

IrrMapper Presentation

IrrMapper Presentation Recording

Cloud Seeding Presentation Recording

Wyoming Association of Rural Water Presentation

Crow Creek Hydrology Presentation

Crow Creek Hydrology Presentation Recording

USGS: Capturing Irrigated Lands Presentation

USGS: Capturing Irrigated Lands Presentation Recording

Demand Management Demonstration Project Presentation

USGS: Wyoming Stream Stats Presentation Recording

USGS: Suspended Sediment Data Presentation Recording

USGS: 3D National Topography Model