In this episode, Drs. Sheri Spiegal, Shelemia Nyamuryekung'e, and Matt McIntosh roll up their sleeves and dig into answering some of the questions that producers have asked the team about the precision ranching technologies currently under research as part of the Sustainable Southwest Beef Project.

If you’re just tuning in for the first time and would like to know more about the Sustainable Southwest Beef Project, we recommend listening to our August 2020 episode called “The Sustainable Southwest Beef Project” that describes the mission and goals of this USDA-NIFA funded five-year Coordinated Agriculture Project (grant #2019-69012-29853).

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Affiliate links:
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest

2020 and the first half of 2021 were brutal drought years for the Southwest U.S. continuing a much longer term regional drought.  But this monsoon season brought welcome rain to many places in the region, with flowing washes and bright green vegetation. Many are asking, is the drought over? Surely if there is water in our usually dry washes, we must be out of drought. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and almost all of the region is still in at least moderate drought, according to the latest drought monitor. This month we chat with three state climatologists, Drs.  Dave DuBois, Erin Saffell, and Steph McAfee, to hear how the monsoon has affected drought conditions and how drought is impacting their states. Image source: Pixabay

Links:

Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) podcast

CLIMAS Dec 2014 SW Climate Podcast video - What is El Nino?

CLIMAS May 2015 SW Climate Podcast video - Jetstream & El NIño

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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

This month we take a closer look at desalination of brackish groundwater and/or seawater as a potential solution to augment water supply in the arid southwest. We are joined by Dr. Sam Fernald, Director of the New Mexico State University Water Resources Research Institute, and Dr. Pei Xu researcher and professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at New Mexico State University, who share their current research and thoughts on the future of this technology. Episode art courtesy of Pixabay.

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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

In this episode we continue our conversation around the topic of extreme heat. We visit with three experts in urban planning to discuss how we can mitigate public health impacts of extreme heat through improved urban planning and green infrastructure. Dr. Ladd Keith, a researcher at the University of Arizona, Dr. Dave Hondula, a researcher at Arizona State University, and Lisa LaRocque, Sustainability Officer for the City of Las Cruces, New Mexico, share their insights and experiences with us in managing this natural hazard within an urban planning framework. Episode art from Pixabay.

Staying safe in the heat:

National weather service heat safety tips & resources

National Integrated Heat Health Information System

Arizona Department of Health Services’ Extreme Heat Guidelines

Taking action:

University of Arizona Extreme Heat Network

Cities Must Plan for Heat Resilience Now

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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Extreme heat kills on average more than 600 people in the U.S. each year. Over the course of just a few weeks this summer (2021), three different heat waves baked the western U.S., breaking numerous heat records and killing hundreds. In this episode, as part of our educational outreach to local communities, we interview three experts, Drs. Jennifer Vanos and Rachel Braun, from Arizona State University, and Dr. Adelle Monteblanco from Middle Tennessee State University, about the impacts of extreme heat on public health, especially in vulnerable populations. Episode art from Pixabay.

Resources mentioned in the interview:
How to protect yourself and others from high temperatures
Hot Spots for Heat Resilience in Border Cities project information

Tucson Water and artist Alex! Jimenez are asking you to join their community-wide participatory audio project. This summer, capture the sounds of a Tucson monsoon/chubasco and contribute to an audio archive of the unique tropical storms that visit us each year. 

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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

Taking action to manage drought and adapt to changing conditions can sometimes have unintended impacts on the adaptive capacity of others in the same social and ecological system. Jen Henderson, an assistant professor of geography at Texas Tech University, shares two instances where social learning took place after actors experienced unanticipated impacts from others’ decisions. Her recent work highlighted in this episode focuses on two cases of drought decisions made along the Arkansas River Basin in Colorado. Image by David Nisley from Pixabay 

For further reading:

The Colorado Water Plan details many of the water issues faced by resource managers, municipalities, and other sectors in the state--as well as future plans to address issues, including lease-fallow and flows management programs. The Arkansas River Basin Roundtables also detail ongoing efforts by communities to co-manage water.

Devine, B. (2015). Moving Waters: The Legacy of Buy-and-Dry and the Challenge of Lease-Fallowing in Colorado's Arkansas River Basin (Doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder).

Upper Arkansas Voluntary Flows Management Program
#ArkansasRiver: Voluntary Flow Management Program helps rafting industry and Gold Medal fishing
Will the West figure out how to share #water?

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Have a suggestion for a future episode? Please tell us! 

Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

CoCoRaHS is an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow), with the unique ability to capture fine-scale variability in local precipitation. CoCoRaHs is currently in all fifty states and currently expanding internationally as well. In this episode we are speaking with CoCoRaHs founder Nolan Doesken, National Coordinator Henry Reges, and Education Coordinator Noah Newman about the network’s origins, current operations, how to get involved, and who uses the data collected.

CoCoRaHs Network: https://www.cocorahs.org/

National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Climate Normals 

WxTalk Webinars (Weather Talk Webinars)

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Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes.
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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

In this continuation of our special series on drought, we interview two water and climate scientists to learn what streamflow forecasts are predicting for the upcoming summer, and to learn more about an emerging area of research, termed snow drought. Dr. Adrian Harpold is a hydrologist with the University of Nevada, Reno, and is also a SW CASC funded researcher. Dr. Brad Udall is a Senior Water and Climate Scientist with the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University, and is a co-principal investigator with the SW CASC. Here they share with us insights such as why 100% of the historic snow-pack doesn’t always translate to 100% of the historic runoff, the challenges of “weather whiplash”, options for water management on the watershed scale, and what gives them hope for the future even in the face of some pretty grim predictions.

Links to organizations and events mentioned during the interview

Center for Weather and Water Extremes https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/

Blue Forest Conservation Initiative https://www.blueforest.org/

Information on the Oroville Dam incident https://damfailures.org/case-study/oroville-dam-california-2017/

To learn more about atmospheric rivers, check out Season 1 Episode #1 Atmospheric Rivers 

If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or Podchaser. Thanks!

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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

In this mid-month bonus episode we interview Dr. Dannele Peck, Director of the USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub, about a rangeland/grassland forage productivity forecasting tool called Grass-Cast. Grass-Cast uses well-known relationships between historical weather and grassland production to provide estimates of annual forage production, beginning in the spring of each year and updated on a two-week cycle throughout the growing season. With the new growing season now upon us, we decided to check in with Dannele for a behind the scenes look at Grass-Cast - how it’s made, why it’s important, and what changes we might expect to see in the future.

Grass-Cast homepage https://grasscast.unl.edu/

If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/ComeRainOrShine Thanks!

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

Drought impacts more than our physical world - the psychological impacts of drought are also very real. Crop damage or failure, running out of forage for livestock, the loss of culturally important natural resources, and many other drought-related effects can lead to stress, anxiety, and a deep sense of loss. Sometimes it’s hard to know who to talk to or what resources are available. In this episode, we talk to three experts on this topic and discuss some strategies for coping and what you can do to help support others in your community.

Co-presented by the Southwest Drought Learning Network. Email Emile Elias for more information about the network.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA) dial 988 (or 1-800-273-8255). Available 24/7

Crisis Text Line: text 'HOME' to 741741 in the USA & Canada; UK: text 85258; Ireland: text 50808. Available 24/7

Farm Aid: 1-800-FARM-AID (1-800-327-6243). Available Monday through Friday, 6am-7pm Pacific Standard Time.

Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Project (WRASASP): https://farmstress.us/

Washington State University Water Irrigation Systems Efficiency Program: https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/wsu-wise/ 

Tribal Climate Health Project: http://tribalclimatehealth.org/ 

When Every Drop Counts, a guidance document for public health officials.

Preparing for the Health Effects of Drought: A Resource Guide for Public Health Professionals

If you liked this podcast, please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/ComeRainOrShine. Thanks!

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes
Have a suggestion for a future episode? Please tell us! https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7

Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/