A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A STATE GEOLOGIST- UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER RESOURCES IN NEW MEXICO

The mission of state geological surveys is to provide high quality, scientifically robust information about all aspects of the state’s geology and natural resources to a wide range of stakeholders. In New Mexico, water resources are a topic of great importance, particularly in the face of climate-change-driven impacts on the abundance and quality of surface and groundwater resources. Given the importance of water resources to New Mexico, a range of public and private entities are focused on water studies, including state and federal agencies, universities, national laboratories, city or county government, and private sector entities. Communication between these wide-ranging entities must be effective in order to the make the most responsible use of the state’s intellectual and financial resources, and provide the best possible value for our stakeholders.

An example of such communication and collaboration is demonstrated by a recently completed consensus study that examines how climate change will impact New Mexico’s water resources over the next 50 years ( https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/ClimatePanel/home.html ). The project was carried out by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, which is the state’s geological survey, at the request of another state agency, in support of New Mexico’s 50 Year Water Plan. The Bureau, being a non-regulatory, research-focused organization, and a division of New Mexico Tech, was ideally suited to convene and lead this effort, and was able to engage a group of 8 subject matter experts, all of whom are based in, and have focused their research careers on, topics related to climate change and water resources in New Mexico. The study, which was peer-reviewed by 7 external scientists, was opened for public comment before being published by the Bureau as a citable product, and made available, at no cost, to all interested parties. An extensive outreach and education effort was also carried out. The overarching conclusion of the study is that the impact of climate change on New Mexico’s water resources is overwhelmingly negative, but clearly articulates why the state must begin to plan and prepare for a more arid future, and also highlights research gaps that would be good targets for future research initiatives, providing a research roadmap to scientists.