Here you can find a list of our published journal articles:

• Nemati, M., & Dinar, A. 2024. Navigating through Whitewater: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities in the Colorado River Basin. Choices Magazine, Volume 39, Quarter 3. Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.

  The water system of the CRB currently faces significant challenges due to climate-change-induced aridification processes, overallocation issues, and proposed developments of new water uses. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) reports that the average flow of the Colorado River in the twenty-first century (12.4 million acre-feet) is so far about 18% lower than the twentieth-century average of 15.2 million acre-feet (USBR, 2021). Some scientists argue that these long-term climate-change-induced changes will continue to deplete flows and fundamentally alter the basin’s hydrology, leading to aridification and a “new normal” of reduced runoff and lower river flows (Overpeck and Udall, 2020). These complex issues involve various stakeholders with diverse interests, including agricultural, hydropower, environmental, and municipal sectors.

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• Frankel, Z., Halberg, N., Nemati, M., Dinar, A., & Crespo, D. 2024. Climate Crisis is Straining the Colorado River’s Complex Policy Architecture. Choices Magazine, Volume 39, Quarter 3. Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.

  The Policy Architecture of the Colorado River Basin 
  Conversations about policies on the Colorado River Basin (CRB) invariably lead to criticism of the antiquated nature of the 1922 Colorado River Compact and its overestimate of future water flows. However, the 1922 compact is just one of a suite of water-sharing agreements, court decrees, and treaties that dictate how CRB water is shared among seven states, Mexico, a myriad of sovereign tribes, and the environment. These policies are referred to as the Law of the River.

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• Crespo, D., Nemati, M., Dinar, A., Frankel, Z., & Halberg, N. 2024. Economic Impacts of Climate Change on the Agricultural Sector of the Colorado River Basin. Choices, Volume 39, Quarter 3. Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.

  In the Western United States, including the Colorado River Basin (CRB), climate change is characterized by increased temperature and other climatic variations that include a heightened frequency and severity of droughts (Barnett et al., 2008). Warming in the CRB has led to increased evaporation, reduction in total snowpack, changes in the timing of snowmelt, and a significant decrease in water runoff. These phenomena exemplify the aridification affecting the CRB region (Bass et al., 2023; Overpeck and Udall, 2020). It is crucial to differentiate between droughts and aridification. While drought refers to a temporary period of arid conditions, aridification denotes a transition toward a consistently water-scarce environment over a prolonged period. The risk of experiencing long, intense, and frequent drought periods, including multidecadal drought events, escalates with climate change. Besides aridification and droughts, climate change increases the likelihood of extreme events such as intense heatwaves, short and intense periods of dry and wet conditions, and widespread wildfires (McCoy et al., 2022).

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• Crespo, D., Nemati, M., Dinar, A., Frankel, Z., & Halberg, N. 2024. Dams and Hydropower Production in the Colorado River Basin. The Water Report, Issue #238.

  The demand for and supply of water rarely coincides over time and space. This is especially true in rivers heavily dependent on winter snowfall, since the maximum water flow is usually during the springtime, following snowmelt. In contrast, water demand is much greater during the summer and early fall due to agricultural irrigation needs. Reservoirs are vital in managing water supply and delivery timing by storing snowmelt water and runoff collected during wet seasons, thus helping to meet the demand for water throughout the year. While dams can help manage water supplies across time, they can also inhibit water deliveries in some instances. For example, concerns have recently been raised by water managers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over the ability of Glen Canyon Dam to release adequate amounts of water downstream when Lake Powell reservoir levels are low. In response, emergency measures and water cuts had to be imposed to prevent water levels in Lake Powell from declining to the point where downstream water deliveries would become unreliable. Regardless, reservoirs have historically played a prominent role in water management. But reservoirs often have multiple—and at times competing—purposes such as: electricity production and energy storage; mitigation of damage caused by extreme flood events and; recreational opportunities including fishing, tourism, and other amenities (Boon et al. 2012; Poff et al. 2012).

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