News

University of Arizona researchers are helping design a new large-scale hydrologic model driven by AI. Hydrologic models help describe and predict how water moves through the environment by simulating the physical interactions of plants, land, water, and people. Communities and industries use these models to prepare for droughts and floods, and to understand their changing water availability. Laura Condon, a professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences and interim director of Biosphere 2, uses “physically based equations” to create models that can answer questions about how a certain stream or groundwater system might behave under various conditions.

Arizona has been in a drought since the 1990s. Today, increasing temperatures, a growing population, and declining groundwater levels exacerbate the scarcity of our state’s water resources.

On Tuesday, September 8, the WRRC held a small meet-and-greet event to welcome our new and returning students.

WRRC director Sharon B. Megdal discusses the Department of the Interior's August 21st issuance of the 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines and the Record of Decision for the Post-2026 Colorado River Operations with Morning Voice host Ted Maxwell.

WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Rosario Sánchez co-authored an editorial introducing the completed Water Special Issue in August 2026, “Working Across Borders to Address Water Scarcity: Science, Governance, and Cooperation in a Fragmented World.”

Arizona summers create a “perfect storm” of meteorological conditions for generating the monsoon season, a period of frequent thunderstorms that lasts from mid-June through the end of September. Monsoon thunderstorms are “convective,” meaning they’re caused by warm air rising. During this season, temperatures increase, the ground heats up, and southerly winds carry moisture into the state from the Pacific Ocean. Hot, moist air condenses miles above the ground, then rains down in intense bursts.

On August 27, WRRC Associate in Extension Elia Tapia participated in the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters (PFBW) Science Talk, Tributaries of the Rio Grande and the Colorado River Basins: The Role of Groundwater. The Forum works to improve water and environmental resilience in border communities through scientific research, communication, and education. Its Science Talks initiative provides a platform for sharing current water research and encouraging collaboration.

Noah Rios, former WRRC Graduate Research Assistant and Peace Corps Coverdell Fellow, is continuing his commitment to public service on the global stage.