WHO: Connie Barrow, Founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photography, International Explorers Club Fellow, visual activist, author, actor,
Connie has traveled the world photographing and documenting the effects of climate change. She will share with us her stills, videos and the stories that go with them.
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The March 2022 Leap Ahead Analysis provides the most comprehensive overview of New Mexico climate aridification and its impact on water and landscape through 2070. Temperatures are expected to rise by 5 to 7 degrees F. Rising temperatures are already reducing snowpack, streamflows and groundwater recharge (projected decline of at least 25%) and soil moisture while increasing reservoir evaporation rates and the amount of water needed by plants and animals. More frequent and severe wildfires are also already occurring along with post fire flooding that triggers heavy debris flow and erosion.
It is anticipated that south-facing slopes will lose soils that take 1,000 years to form. In northwest New Mexico, the loss of vegetation that holds sand dunes in place will result in sand migration covering roads and homes. Eastern New Mexico will experience the return to dust bowl conditions. Some forests will disappear; some shorter forests may evolve. In 1,200 years of tree ring data we are currently experiencing the worst “megadrought.” Several climate models project the threshold for tree-killing drought will be met before 2050. Videos of scientists’s presentations.
After Alaska, the southwest is the fastest warming part of the country, and New Mexico has warmed the most of these states, rising 3.32°F between 1970-2018. Las Cruces, NM was the fastest warming city in this report. (Climate Central)
Shrunken snowpacks and earlier snowmelts contribute to lower stream flows at critical times of year when the reduced availability of water has greater economic and environmental consequences.
Elephant Butte Reservoir reached its lowest level in 40 years in 2013—just 3 percent of its storage capacity, compared with a nearly full reservoir in 1994 (left). As a result, farmers received less than 10 percent of their typical irrigation water, forcing them to turn to groundwater and other sources. To see the latest levels click here.
Flow in the Rio Grande, which relates directly to the amount and timing of snow melt in the mountains north of Albuquerque, is one of the best indicators of drought in New Mexico. Every year from 2009 to 2014 was drier than average on New Mexico’s portion of the Rio Grande, and the period from 2011 to 2013 was the hottest and driest since recordkeeping began in 1895 (Cart 2013). And in southern New Mexico, the Rio Grande stands dry for up to nine months of the year. (New Mexico in Depth). To see a graph of the last 5 years of Rio Grande stream flow at one point click here.
In a 2018 paper from University of New Mexico graduate Shaleene Chavarria and UNM’s Earth and Planetary Sciences Professor, New Mexico’s leading climate scientist, David Gutzler, show how warming is affecting snowpack and streamflows. New Mexico in Focus PBS Video
Rainfall, when it occurs, tends to happen in more extreme deluges, leading to flooding. And the timing of precipitation over the course of the year is shifting, creating mismatches between water supply and water demand, especially for agriculture. Across the Southwest, the capacity of snow to store water is crucial to managing water, and climate change risks disrupting this vital source of New Mexico’s water supply. Click on the image to get the latest drought statistics.
In recent years, drought, insects, and wildfires have ravaged New Mexico forests at a scale not seen in living memory. Higher temperatures and drought will increase the severity, frequency and the extent of wildfires in New Mexico. These wildfires have the potential to cause destruction to property, livelihoods, and human health. The smoke created by wildfires can reduce air quality and increase medical visits for chest pains, respiratory problems, and heart problems. Las Conchas Fire, Los Alamos, 2011. Click on the image to get the most recent wildfire statistics for New Mexico.
Extreme precipitation, flooding, and wildfires have affected sites that are central to New Mexico’s heritage. The rock carvings and cliff dwellings of Bandelier National Monument tell the story of some of the earliest inhabitants of the Americas, while their descendants live nearby in modern-day pueblos. Protecting the archaeological, ecological, and cultural features of this landscape has become more difficult as drought, large wildfires, and extreme flooding increase the risks to them and the infrastructure they depend upon.
From ranchers to rafting guides, New Mexicans share their stories of how climate change is affecting their lives and livelihoods. These stories seek to deepen scientific understanding of what is at stake for us as individuals and communities in New Mexico. They illuminate climate change-related dangers and opportunities for ordinary New Mexicans to take action right now to protect our home.
Our Land has weekly episodes on climate issues in New Mexico. There are interviews with leading climate scientists, Rio Grande Water issues, and community gardens. All shows are archived.
New Mexico’s climate is getting hotter and drier, driven by regional and global warming trends. This means earlier springs, hotter summers, and less predictable winters. Precipitation patterns are also changing, with more intense droughts and a greater proportion of precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. Shrunken snowpacks and earlier snowmelts contribute to lower stream flows at critical times of the year when the reduced availability of water has greater economic and environmental consequences.
States At Risk Project for visualizing climate change.
Laura Paskus, NM political report 2017
Most New Mexicans know climate change is happening and understand it is human-caused. According to recently-released data, New Mexicans are also more likely than people in about half the country to talk not just about the weather, but climate.