Depletion of river flow across the US during summer months. The 17 western states experience much higher levels of depletion during July to September than eastern states, owing to lesser precipitation and greater use of irrigation in the western states. a, Summer depletion during the 2001–2015 model simulation. b, Summer depletion in the driest 10% of… Read moreFallowing cattle-feed farmland simplest way to alleviate western water shortage, FEWSION-based study finds
Depletion of river flow across the US during summer months. The 17 western states experience much higher levels of depletion during July to September than eastern states, owing to lesser precipitation and greater use of irrigation in the western states. a, Summer depletion during the 2001–2015 model simulation. b, Summer depletion in the driest 10% of… Read more
Over the past three years, Ben Ruddell, associate professor of NAU’s 
Experts estimate that snowmelt accounts for as much as 75 percent of water supplies in the western United States. As the climate warms, however, it’s not hard to imagine a future when declining snowpack on western mountain ranges means less snowmelt. Scientists and water managers have already seen worrying changes in the timing and amount of runoff from season to season.
Associate professor Benjamin Ruddell, who joined the faculty of NAU’s new School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems in the Fall 2016 term, received a $3 million