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1. Using Ostracode Amino Acid D/L Ratios and Microfossil Analysis to Correlate Alluvial Packages along the Lower Colorado River Corridor, with Insight into the Early Pliocene Integration of the Colorado River and the Gulf of California

   https://doi.org/10.2181/036.048.0201  

   Bright, Jordan ( October 2019 , Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science)
2. Food web controls on mercury fluxes and fate in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz4880  

   Walters, D. M. ; Cross, W.F. ; Kennedy, T.A. ; Baxter, C.V. ; Hall, R.O. ; Rosi, E.J. ( May 2020 , Science Advances)

   Mercury (Hg) biomagnification in aquatic food webs is a global concern; yet, the ways species traits and interactions mediate these fluxes remain poorly understood. Few pathways dominated Hg flux in the Colorado River despite large spatial differences in food web complexity, and fluxes were mediated by one functional trait, predation resistance. New Zealand mudsnails are predator resistant and a trophic dead end for Hg in food webs we studied. Fishes preferred blackflies, which accounted for 56 to 80% of Hg flux to fishes, even where blackflies were rare. Food web properties, i.e., match/mismatch between insect production and fish consumption, governed amounts of Hg retained in the river versus exported to land. An experimental flood redistributed Hg fluxes in the simplified tailwater food web, but not in complex downstream food webs. Recognizing that species traits, species interactions, and disturbance mediate contaminant exposure can improve risk management of linked aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems. 

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3. Investigation of Springtime Cloud Influence on Regional Climate and Its Implication in Runoff Decline in Upper Colorado River Basin

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EA002059  

   Lin, Yun ; Takano, Yoshihide ; Gu, Yu ; Wang, Jingyu ; Zhao, Bin ; Liou, Kuo‐Nan ; Fu, Rong ( January 2022 , Earth and Space Science)
4. Redefining the age of the lower Colorado River, southwestern United States

   https://doi.org/10.1130/G48080.1  

   Crow, R.S. ; Schwing, J. ; Karlstrom, K.E. ; Heizler, M. ; Pearthree, P.A. ; House, P.K. ; Dulin, S. ; Jänecke, S.U. ; Stelten, M. ; Crossey, L.J. ( February 2021 , Geology)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Sanidine dating and magnetostratigraphy constrain the timing of integration of the lower Colorado River (southwestern United States and northern Mexico) with the evolving Gulf of California. The Colorado River arrived at Cottonwood Valley (Nevada and Arizona) after 5.24 Ma (during or after the Thvera subchron). The river reached the proto–Gulf of California once between 4.80 and 4.63 Ma (during the C3n.2r subchron), not at 5.3 Ma and 5.0 Ma as previously proposed. Duplication of section across newly identified strands of the Earthquake Valley fault zone (California) probably explains the discrepancy. The data also imply the start of focused plate motion and basin development in the Salton Trough (California) at 6–6.5 Ma and relative tectonic stability of the southernmost part of the lower Colorado River corridor after its integration. After integration, the Colorado River quickly incised through sediment-filled basins and divides between them as it also likely excavated Grand Canyon (Arizona). The liberated sediment from throughout the system led to deposition of hundreds of meters of Bullhead Alluvium downstream of Grand Canyon after 4.6 Ma as the river adjusted to its lower base level. 

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5. Integrated energy-water-land nexus planning in the Colorado River Basin (Argentina)

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-021-01775-1  

   Wild, Thomas B. ; Khan, Zarrar ; Clarke, Leon ; Hejazi, Mohamad ; Bereslawski, Julia Lacal ; Suriano, Micaela ; Roberts, Paula ; Casado, José ; Miralles-Wilhelm, Fernando ; Gavino-Novillo, Marcelo ; et al ( September 2021 , Regional Environmental Change)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Integrated energy-water-land (EWL) planning promotes synergies and avoids conflicts in ways that sector-specific planning approaches cannot. Many important decisions that influence emerging EWL nexus issues are implemented at regional (e.g., large river basin, electricity grid) and sub-regional (e.g., small river basin, irrigation district) scales. However, actual implementation of integrated planning at these scales has been limited. Simply collecting and visualizing data and interconnections across multiple sectors and sub-regions in a single modeling platform is a unique endeavor in many regions. This study introduces and applies a novel approach to linking together multiple sub-regions in a single platform to characterize and visualize EWL resource use, EWL system linkages within and among sub-regions, and the EWL nexus implications of future policies and investments. This integrated planning methodology is applied in the water-stressed Colorado River Basin in Argentina, which is facing increasing demands for agricultural and fossil fuel commodities. Guided by stakeholders, this study seeks to inform basin planning activities by characterizing and visualizing (1) the basin’s current state of EWL resources, (2) the linkages between sectors within and among basin sub-regions, and (3) the EWL nexus implications of planned future agricultural development activities. Results show that water scarcity, driven in part by human demands that have historically reached 60% of total surface water supply, poses a substantial constraint to economic development in the basin. The Colorado basin has the potential to serve as a testbed for crafting novel and generalizable sub-regional EWL planning approaches capable of informing the EWL planning dialogue globally. 

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