Data for the Rio San Juan watershed provided by the ASTER sensor on the TERRA satellite. The San Juan River (shown in blue) also is represented. Processed in ArcScene10.
Team Location: Wise County, U.S.; Saltillo, Mexico
Authors: Kaitlyn Collins, Mountain Empire Community College; Daria Blach, John I. Burton High School; Aida Farough, Virginia Tech; Vanessa Thulsiraj, University of California Los Angeles; Idalina Walker, University of Virginia’s College at Wise; Paul Warner, University of Virginia’s College at Wise; Carlos Alberto Cardenas Urquizo, Instituto TecnolÌ_gico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ÛÒ Saltillo; Antonio Alvarado Rodriguez, Instituto TecnolÌ_gico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ÛÒ Saltillo.
Advisors/Mentors: Dr. Dewayne Cecil, NOAA; Dr. Kenton Ross, NASA Langley Research Center; Dr. Diego FabiÌÁn Lozano GarcÌ_a, ITESM – Centro de Calidad Ambiental; Dr. Aldo IvÌÁn RamÌ_rez, Centro del Agua para AmÌ©rica Latina y el Caribe; Giovanni and Yanina Colberg.
Other Acknowledgements: Lohithnaga V. Bhanu Teerth Sama, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Khamar Salma Chittoor Khader, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Edson Nu̱ez, Instituto TecnolÌ_gico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey; Juan SaÌ©nz, Instituto TecnolÌ_gico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.
Abstract: The Rio San Juan (RSJ) Watershed, a major tributary in the Mexico portion of the Rio Bravo Hydrologic Region, stretches from the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range to the Rio Bravo in the east. Climatic conditions create an extremely unstable water supply for the region. The increasing water demand for domestic, industrial, and agricultural usage in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA), located within the RSJ Watershed, has stressed the current supply, and severe droughts continue to exhaust the region’s known reserves. Changes in GRACE monthly water storage anomalies were used to quantify changes in groundwater storage in the RSJ watershed using soil moisture and river discharge data. Earth observations provided evidence of possible depletion of water in this region. This information will assist the decision-making process regarding groundwater conservation methods. This project will benefit the region’s population by assisting to sustain water resources for future generations.