Ryan E. Emanuel (Lumbee) Associate Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina September 13, 2016

Water for Ecosystems and Society: The mutual benefits of the National Water Model and watershed ecohydrology research

THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY RESEARCH

Water  Quan*ty  &  Quality  

Ecosystem  Responses  

Ecological  Processes  

Hydrological  Processes  

Ecohydrology in a nutshell:

Ecohydrology

Ecosystems influence water quantity and quality.  

Ecohydrology focuses on these water-life interactions.  

Water influences ecological processes and patterns.

Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest (USDA)

Vital Stats:

• Northern Rocky Mountains

• Elevation: 6,000’ – 8,000’

• Lodgepole pine forest

• Annual Precipitation: 35”

• 3-4 months snow-free

• Heavily Instrumented Watersheds: •  11 Stream gauges

•  3 Flux towers

• >150 Shallow groundwater and soil moisture monitors

•  Airborne and Satellite Remote Sensing Imagery Map  area:  13  mi2  

Water Availability and Carbon Cycling

THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY RESEARCH

Carbon

Evaporation+Transpiration

Soil Water

Mitchell, Emanuel and McGlynn, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (2015)

Continuous, Multi-Year Record of Forest Dynamics 100’ Forest Flux Tower

Water Availability and Forest Health

THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY RESEARCH

Kaiser, McGlynn and Emanuel, Ecohydrology (2013)

Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation Satellite + Airborne + Handheld Imaging Technology

Healthy

Infected

Dead

Ecological Processes Influence Runoff Generation

THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY RESEARCH

Nippgen, McGlynn and Emanuel, Water Resources Research (2015)

Late  Summer  Peak  Runoff  Early  Snowmelt  

Water for Society

THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY RESEARCH

Rice, Emanuel, Vose and Nelson, Water Resources Research (2015)

Annual Streamflow Trends, 1940-2009

Minimum Streamflow

Maximum Streamflow

Water in the Native World

THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY RESEARCH

Norris and others, US Census Bureau (2012)

Interactive: http://go.ncsu.edu/TribalLands

See also: Cozzetto and others, Climatic Change (2013)

Chief and others, Water (2016)

Present-Day Tribal Territories in the Conterminous US

Norris and others, US Census Bureau (2012)

Water in the Native World

THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY RESEARCH

Lumbee River

USGS Photo

Gold King Mine

USBR Photo

Lake Mead

Flickr Photo: (Lars Plougmann)

Dakota Access Pipeline