Newly Launched Colorado River Science Wiki Provides Information Hub for Water Resource Management
Representation of the different models and data, and their underlying science, applied to decision-making in the Colorado River Basin. (Design: J. Lukas, adapted from L. Payton; basin map by Western Water Assessment (L. Woelders); thumbnail images from University of Washington VIC group, NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, and Reclamation)
The newly launched Colorado River Science Wiki, created by SW CASC researchers, is now available for use by managers and other decision-makers, researchers, the media, and the broader public!
The Wiki is a web-based platform with many goals, including helping to inform discussions about the next Interim Guidelines on the Colorado River. The site summarizes and shares the most recent Colorado River research, increases visibility of the activities of the research community, and makes accessible important datasets and tools. Additionally, it is a space where contributions can be made by the community and ownership is shared, and where advances in science are given context so they have more value to non-specialists (e.g., agency staff, congressional staffers, 1st year grad students, journalists).
Information on the Wiki is organized into six sections: Science and Applications, Data and Tools, New Research, Water Law and Policy, Who’s Who, and About the River. Users can navigate through the sections with a menu on the left side, read summaries, and follow links to datasets, tools, and additional resources.
The Wiki was created by SW CASC co-investigator, Brad Udall (Colorado Water Center, Colorado State University), Julie Vano and Tanya Petach (Aspen Global Change Institute), and Jeff Lukas (Lukas Climate Research and Consulting), with funding from the SW CASC. It is still in the early stages of development and the creators welcome feedback from users to improve the site and advance communication of key Colorado River information to stakeholders.