2020 CRB State of the Science
The 2020 report Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science is a comprehensive synthesis of science and technical practice underpinning the management of Colorado River water resources. It identified both challenges and opportunities for research and its application, providing guidance to both water resource managers and researchers in efforts to improve the short-term and mid-term forecasts and long-term projections for the basin's water system.
Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder's Western Water Assessment (WWA) received funding and an initial report scope from the Colorado River Hydrology Hydrology Working Group--a consortium of a dozen federal, state, and local water agencies. They refined the scope in collaboration with the Working Group, and spearheaded an author team of leading experts to integrate nearly 800 peer-reviewed studies, agency reports, and other sources to develop the report.
The CRB State of the Science report was used as the primary source for many of the pages of the Science and applications section of this Wiki, including those under the headings Weather and climate, Hydrology and water availability, and Water operations and planning.
- Lukas, J., and Payton, E., eds. (2020). Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science. Western Water Assessment, University of Colorado Boulder. https://doi.org/10.25810/3hcv-w477
The report webpage at WWA provides access to recordings of three webinars based on the report, a 2-page summary, and separate PDFs of the Executive Summary and of each chapter.
