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SNOWPACS:
Synthesizing Knowledge to Optimize Water Policy for Agriculture under Changing Snowpack
A NIFA-FUNDED PROJECT
Welcome to the webpage for SNOWPACS, a National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)-funded project on the impact of changes in mountain snowpack on agricultural production and water allocation institutions in the western United States.
The Challenge
Recent decades have
witnessed significant
changes in snowpack
volume and in the timing of
snowmelt across the
western United States. These
changes, which are
expected to intensify due to
climate change, have
impacted seasonal water
availability for agricultural
producers and have put
stress on water allocation
institutions.
What We Are Doing
We are an interdisciplinary
team of researchers working
to understand how
predicted changes in
mountain snowpack will
alter the quantity and
timing of water flows, how
agricultural producers and
other downstream users will
respond to changes in water
flows, and how water
allocation institutions can
be amended to help
communities adapt.
Expected Outcomes
This project will provide
information and tools to
water managers, agriculture
producers, and other
decision-makers to improve
the efficiency of water
allocation institutions and
support continued
agricultural production in
snowmelt-fed basins in the
western United States.
Project Details
Project title: "Evaluating Alternative Water Institution Performance in Snow-Dominated
Basins: Are Food Production Systems at Risk from Changing Snow Water Availability?"
Funding agency: National Institute for Food and Agriculture
Award number: 2018-69011-28369
Project number: NEVW-2017-08812
Home institution: University of Nevada, Reno
Other institutions: Colorado State University, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Desert Research Institute, University of Connecticut
