International team studies Colorado River Delta flood pulse

By on March 31, 2014
A pulse from the Morelos Dam will flood the dry Colorado River Delta (Credit: Chuck Coker)

A pulse from the Morelos Dam will flood the dry Colorado River Delta (Credit: Chuck Coker)


As the U.S. and Mexico work together to revitalize the drying Colorado River Delta, several universities and research groups will monitor a water release to determine its short and long-term effects, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

Participants in the five-year study include the University of Arizona, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Autonomous University of Baja California, among other groups hailing from both sides of the border. Monitoring teams will examine a pulse from a dam in Arizona is it effects the water table, local vegetation and river hydrology.

Some of the researchers will use satellite imagery to study vegetation from afar, while others will pilot canoes along the river to observe birds and sapling growth.

Professor Edward Glenn of the University of Arizona said the study aims to integrate the river delta’s hydrology with its ecology models.

Image: A pulse from the Morelos Dam will flood the dry Colorado River Delta (Credit: Chuck Coker)

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