Defense Date

3-20-2024

Graduation Date

Spring 5-10-2024

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

thesis

Degree Name

MS

Department

Environmental Science and Management (ESM)

School

School of Science and Engineering

Committee Chair

David M. Kahler

Committee Member

Philip Reeder

Committee Member

Dana Neacşu

Keywords

Water Resources, Evaporation, Heat Storage, Surface Energy Budget, Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell, Remote Sensing, Doctrine of Prior Appropriation, Law of the River

Abstract

The Colorado River Basin (CRB) is one of the most critical water sources for the western United States (U.S.) and Mexico. For over a century, numerous policies and regulations have been implemented in attempts to manage the Colorado River Basin to address the concern of overuse, collectively referred to as the “Law of the River.” The USGS hydrologist E.C. LaRue warned that the optimistic estimates used in negotiating the Colorado River Compact did not align with the actual water availability in the river. His analysis in 1925 revealed a potential deficit if all allocated water was utilized, exacerbated by overallocation for irrigation and a growing population, despite a temporary period of unusually high precipitation preceding the negotiations. Moreover, drought conditions and the worsening effects of global climate change have intensified the difficulties in balancing the available resources with the current demand.

Evaporation is a key component of the hydrological cycle and needs to be evaluated for water resources management. This study evaluated limnology data from Lake Powell, the largest reservoir in the Upper Colorado River Basin, and how changes in heat storage affect evaporative loss. Through utilization of remote sensing techniques, the extent of the surface water area of Lake Powell was determined. The heat storage of Lake Powell decreased as the maximum recorded depth decreased for each of the analysis sites at an average of -254 W/m2 since 2019, with negative energy flux values indicating that the Lake Powell system is losing energy, possibly, in part, through evaporation.

Language

English

Download

Share

COinS