Boase Hydrologic Sciences and Water Resources Engineering Seminar Series

Schedule for Fall2026

We have a full schedule of Fall 2026 hydrology seminars. Check back soon for dates and speakers!

ԱԱ

Please contact Professor Balaji Rajagopalan for Zoom address and password.

In person

(Engineering Building)

Day and time

Wednesdays, 11:15- 12:15 p.m. MT

Coordinator

Professor

Jan. 14
Speaker: MatthewLurtz,NSF Postdoctoral Researcher,CIRES affiliate, 鶹ѰBoulder
Topic:Issues related to scale in groundwater dependent ecosystems: summaries of work completed and future directions

Jan. 21
Speaker: Eric Hersh and Levi Brekke, Stantec, Denver
Topic:Bridging Research and Practice: Real-World Applications of Hydroclimate Science in Water Resource Management

Jan. 28
Speaker: Khosro Ghobadi-Far, assistant professor, Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences,Fellow, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), 鶹ѰBoulder
Topic: Monitoring of Freshwater Resources using Space Geodesy Techniques

Feb. 4
Speaker: Jasmine Krause, PhD candidate, Water Resources, Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University
Topic: From Synthesis to Sensors: Understanding Oxygen Regimes in Headwater Streams

Feb. 11
Speaker: Ronnie Abolafia-Rosenzweig, Scientist V, Research Application Program, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder
Topic: Terrestrial hydrology and extreme event predictability with physically and statistically based modeling

Feb. 18
Speaker: Keira Johnson, Oregon State University; CIRES visiting fellow, 鶹ѰBoulder
Topic:Patterns and controls on river nutrient dynamics: lessons learned from global synthesis

Feb. 25
Speaker: Tom Dror, NOAA Chemical Sciences Lab, CIRES
Topic: From Trees to Clouds: The Radiative Fingerprint of Amazon Forest Loss

Mar. 4
Speaker: Gabriel Senay, USGS Research Scientist
Topic: Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration Estimation for Water Use Mapping and Water Budget studies

Mar. 11
Speaker: Denis Muthike, PhD, Associate Faculty Director, Global Engineering - RAP
Assistant Research Professor, Global Engineering,Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, 鶹Ѱ
Topic: Climate extremes and community water systems in the drylands of eastern Africa

Mar. 25
Speaker: Cyndi Castro, Ph.D. P.E., Civil Engineer & Socio-Hydrologist, Former Postdoctoral Fellow, NSF NCAR
Topic: Resilience Across Scales: Distributed Green Infrastructure and Aging Dams

Apr. 2-3
20th Annual Hydrologic Sciences Student Research Symposium
Details, registration

Apr. 8
Speaker: Kaitlyn Bishay, PhD Candidate, Department of Civil Environmental and Architectural Engineering
鶹Ѱ
Topic: The utility of snow information in seasonal water supply prediction: insights across a range of western U.S. hydroclimes, model architectures, and projected futures

Apr. 15
Speaker: Professor Laura Sunberg, Department of Civil Environmental and Architectural Engineering
鶹Ѱ
Topic:Microplastics in coastal flows: Impact of particle properties on transport

Apr. 22
Speaker: Crystal Tulley-Cordova, principal hydrologist, Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources
Topic:Securing the Navajo Nation's Water Future through Tribal Water Rights Settlements

Aug. 27
Speakers: Hydrology, Water Resources and Environmental Fluid Mechanics faculty, including Associate Professor Aditi Bhaskar and students
Topic: Learn about our graduate programs, and the water resources program in particular.

Sept. 3
Speaker: Professor Roseanna Neupauer, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, 鶹Ѱ
Topic: Potential Impact of Geothermal Energy Production on Hot Springs

Sept 10
Speaker:, research hydrologist, Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences (CIRES), 鶹Ѱ
Topic:The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite Mission: Overview and GeomorphicCapabilities after Two Years of Measurements

Sept. 17
Speaker:, senior research hydrologist (retired), US Geologic Survey
Seminar: How Biogeochemistry Interacts with Flow to Determine River Functions

Sept. 24
Speaker:,PhD candidate, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, 鶹Ѱ
Seminar: An Integrated Framework for RIverine Early Flood Risk Warning and Assessment

Oct. 1
Speaker:Gregor MacGregor, assistant teaching professor, Masters of the Environment Program, 鶹ѰBoulder
Seminar:Non-Functional Turf Replacement: Legal Movements and Results

Oct. 8
Speaker:, PE,water planning practice leader, Plummer Associates, Inc.
Seminar:Trends and Opportunities in Water Planning – 2025 and Beyond

Oct. 15
Speaker:Paul Yi, postdoctoral environmental fellow,High Meadows Environmental Institute,Princeton University
Seminar:Sinking seaweeds and stratified mixing: carbon and energy cycling in the environment

Oct. 22
Speakers:Mark Palumbo, principal hydrologist, HRS Water Consultants; Fern Beetle-Moorcroft, hydrogeologist, HRS Water Consultants, Inc.
Seminar:Consulting and Careers in Hydrogeology

Oct. 29
Cancelled

Nov. 5
Speaker:Millie Spencer, PhD candidate, Department of Geography andInstitute of Arctic and Alpine Research(INSTAAR)
Seminar:Weaving Local Knowledge and Western Sciences to Analyze Glacier Retreat and Water Security in Wallmapu, Chile

Nov. 12
Speaker:, assistant research professor, hydrometeorology, Dept. of Geography, Desert Research Institute
Seminar: Process-based Understanding of Flood Hazards

Nov. 19
Speaker:Evan Williams, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, 鶹ѰBoulder
Seminar: Analyzing bio-aerodynamic mechanisms with micro-scale and tomographic flow measurements

Jan. 15
Speaker: Professor Zahra Amiri, 鶹ѰBoulder research associate
Title: Developing landscape irrigation management strategies using remotely sensed datasets and hydrologic modeling

Jan. 22
Speaker: Serhan Yesilkoy,ORISE Fellow, postdoctoral researcher at USDA-ARS, CEAE and CIRES affiliate
Title:A Causality Perspective on the Impact of Hydroclimatic Extremes on Crop Yields

Jan. 29
Speakers: Sean Horvath, water resources and climate scientist, Lynker; Zach Wills, chief technical officer, Lynker
Topic: The Next Generation Water Resources Modeling Framework (NextGen): Advancing the National Water Model

Feb. 5
Speaker: Ariel Goldin, Director de Seguimiento para los Proyectos de Restauracion de Ríos,Mexico City, Mexico
Topic:How to distribute water fairly when there's not enough of it: a participatory and simulation-based approach

Feb 12
Speaker:Joel Lisonbee, PhD, regional drought information coordinator, National Integrated Drought Information System
Topic:Assessing drought is really hard, and why that is important

Feb. 19
Speaker:Mike Gooseff, professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, associate dean for research, College of Engineering and Applied Science, Fellow of the Institute of Artic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR)
Topic:New Perspectives on Water Quality and Surface-Groundwater Interactions along the Upper Colorado River – from a boat

Feb. 26
Speaker: Nanditha JS, postdoctoral research associate, Princeton University.
Topic: Drivers of Riverine Floods in India

March 5
Speaker:Chien-Yung Tseng, assistant professor, hydraulic and water resources engineering, Eco-Energy Environmental (E3) Flow Physics Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University
Topic:Unraveling Sediment Dynamics: Experimental Insights into Bedload and Suspended Load in Engineered and Natural Fluvial Systems

March 12
Speaker:Naoki Mizukami, associate scientist, Research Applications Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Topic:Large-domain hydrologic modeling for long-term water resource planning.

March 19
Speaker:Jessica Fayne, assistant professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Topic:How can we measure surface water from space?

April 2
Speaker:,MS student & 鶹ѰBoulder Water Fellows Program Associate,g,
Topic:St. Vrain Hydraulic Connectivity Study

April 10-11
19th Annual Hydrologic Sciences Student Research Symposium

April 16
Speaker: , ,
Topic: Numerical Estimation of Nitrogen Loading from Septic Systems to Surface Waterbodies

April 23
Speaker:BharatRastogi, assistant professor of physical geography, 鶹ѰBoulder
Topic: Atmospheric and space-based constraints on regional carbon fluxes: Case studies from Amazonia and the Western U.S.

April 30
Speaker: Yadu Pokhrel, Red Cedar Distinguished Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), College of Engineering, Michigan State University
Topic: A systems approach to model natural-human hydrologic systems in a changing environment

Aug. 28
Speakers: Hydrology, water resources and environmental fluid mechanics faculty and students

Sept. 4
Speaker: ProfessorRajagopalan Balaji, 鶹ѰBoulder
Title:Critical Effects of Precipitation on Future Colorado River Flow

Abstract
Of concern to Colorado River management, as operating guidelines post-2026 are being considered, is whether water resource recovery from low flows during 2000–2020 is possible. Here we analyze new simulations from the sixth generation of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) to determine plausible climate impacts on Colorado River flows for 2026–2050 when revised guidelines would operate. We constrain projected flows for Lee Ferry, the gauge through which 85% of the river flow passes, using its estimated sensitivity to meteorological variability together with CMIP6 projected precipitation and temperature changes. The critical importance of precipitation, especially its natural variability, is emphasized. Model projections indicate increased precipitation in the Upper Colorado River basin due to climate change, which alone increases river flows 5%–7% (relative to a 2000–2020 climatology). Depending on the river’s temperature sensitivity, this wet signal compensates some, if not all, of the depleting effects from basin warming. Considerable internal decadal precipitation variability (~5% of the climatological mean) is demonstrated, driving a greater range of plausible Colorado River flow changes for 2026–2050 than previously surmised from treatment of temperature impacts alone: the overall precipitation-induced Lee Ferry flow changes span -25% to +40% contrasting with a -30% to -5% range from expected warming effects only. Consequently, extreme low and high flows are more likely. Lee Ferry flow projections, conditioned on initial drought states akin to 2000–2020, reveal substantial recovery odds for water resources, albeit with elevated risks of even further flow declines than in recent decades.

Sept. 11
Speaker:Mukesh Kumar,associate professor of hydrology and water resources, University of Alabama
Topic:Unexpected Responses of Land, Ecosystem, and Communities to Geoenvironmental Change

Sept. 18
Speaker: Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, PhD, PE, civil engineer, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver
Topic: Application of Paleohydrologic Records for Water Resources Planning and Management in the Western United States

Sept. 25
Speaker:Erin Towler, research scientist, hydrology applications, NOAA
Topic: Improving water forecasts “link-by-link” in the hydrometeorological forecast chain

Oct. 2
Presenter:Frances Davenport, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering, Colorado State University
Topic: Understanding physical processes, uncertainty, and socioeconomic impacts of changes in extreme precipitation and flooding

Oct. 9
Presenter:Matthew Weingarten, assistant professor, San Diego State University
Topic:Modeling future groundwater depletion to evaluate sustainability goals set by SGMA in the Central Valley, California, USA (2020 - 2070)

Oct. 16 (cancelled/to be rescheduled in the spring)
Presenter: Yadu Pokhrel, Red Cedar Distinguished Professor,Michigan State University
Topic:A systems approach to model natural-human hydrologic systems in a changing environment

Oct. 23
Presenter:David Mays, associate professor, civil engineering, University of ColoradoDenver
Topic:Reactive Transport, Dynamic Permeability, and Feedback

Oct. 30
Presenter: Parth Modi
Title: : Understanding the Performance and Value of Snow-Based Seasonal Streamflow Forecasts in the Western US

Nov. 6
Speaker: Maddy Pernat, PhD candidate, civil engineering, 鶹ѰBoulder
Topic: TBA

Nov. 13
Presenter:Fabian Nippgen, associate professor, watershed hydrology, University of Wyoming
Topic:Snow, Models, Agriculture: Exploring Western Hydrology from Mountains to Rangelands

Nov. 20
Presenters: Elle Stark/Derek Goulet
Topic: TBA

Wednesday, Nov. 27
Thanksgiving — no presentations

Wednesday, Dec. 4
AGU presentations — dry runs

Wednesday, Dec. 11
AGU presentations

Wednesday, Aug. 30
Presenters: Associate Professor Aditi Bhaskar and Professor Michael Gooseff
Title:Welcome new CEAE graduate students and graduate program overview of the


During this one-hour session of the Boase water seminar series, Associate Professor Aditi Bhaskar welcomed new civil engineering graduate students and provided an overview of the Hydrology, Water Resources, and Environmental Fluid Mechanics graduate program. Also, Professor Michael Gooseff provided an overview of the campus-wide.

Wednesday, Sept. 6
Presenter: Carli Brucker, PhD, 鶹ѰBoulder
Title: Assessment of basin vulnerability to post-wildfire hydrologic and water quality effects through a multi-scale framework


Wildfires can significantly impact water quality and supply, presenting challenges for water treatment plants and freshwater systems. However, high variability and data scarcity in post-wildfirein situwater quality data have hindered previous analyses. Here, I present a unique multi-scale analysis of post-burn hydrologic and water quality effects, observing small-scale driving mechanisms as well as broad, large-scale responses across watersheds. Custom-designed laboratory-scale wildfire and rainfall simulation experiment apparati were first tested on 154 ~300 cm2soil samples. Burn effects were observed in the context of other key drivers—rainfall intensity and terrain slope—to simulate variable conditions in natural settings. A synthesis of previous wildfire simulation methods was also completed, discussing benefits and limitations of different techniques. Next, broad changes in constituent responses in post-fire years were assessed for 241 forested watersheds across the U.S. West using machine learning and statistical techniques. Inter-basin variability in post-fire responses was also attributed to physiographic watershed variables and wildfire characteristics. By bridging multiple scales, this study strives to provide a holistic understanding of wildfires’ impacts on watersheds in the U.S. West.

Wednesday, Sept. 13
Presenter: Court Strong, associate professor, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah
Title:Emerging tools for prediction and management of water resources


Western-U.S. water managers facing changing climate and growing populations are seeking new tools to guide their planning and operational decision making. This presentation highlights two key tools that emerged from a five-year collaboration between university researchers and Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities. Using a century-length, ten-catchment streamflow dataset we found that interannual variability in groundwater storage, inferred from winter baseflow, is a primary control on canyon runoff efficiency. Adding antecedent groundwater storage to a linear model with precipitation and melt dynamics reduces uncertainty in annual runoff from approximately 40% to 5%. Investigating the climate drivers of groundwater storage, we found an important role for an Atlantic Quadpole Mode (AQM) of sea surface temperature variability that modulates the winter precipitation patterns associated with the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The connection between the AQM and western-U.S. hydroclimate generates precipitation anomalies as large as 30%, and is robust in observations and a 10,000-year global climate model simulation with perpetually fixed modern greenhouse gas concentrations.

Wednesday, Sept. 20
Presenter:Manabendra Saharia, assistant professor of civil engineering, IIT Delhi
Title:India Water Model (IWM): Progress in Developing a Transboundary Water Modeling System over South Asia

Wednesday, Sept. 27
Presenter: Peter Mayer,principal engineer at WaterDM and Flume Data Labs
Title: TBA

Wednesday, Oct. 4
Presenter: Fred Tillman, research hydrologist, USGS
Title: The Potential for Effects from Breccia-Type Uranium Mining on Regional Water Sources in the Grand Canyon Region

Wednesday, Oct .11
Presenter: Rebecca Smith, civil/hydrologic engineer, US Bureau of Reclamation
Title: TBA

Wednesday, Oct. 18
Presenter: Homa Salehabadi, PhD candidate, Utah State University
Title: TBA

Wednesday, Oct. 25
Presenter: Josh Koch, research hydrologist, Alaska Science Center
Title: TBA

Wednesday, Nov. 1
Presenter:Jenny Pensky, post doctoral scholar, Ecohydrology Lab, 鶹ѰBoulder
Title: TBA

Wednesday, Nov. 8
Presenter: David Woodson, PhD candidate, 鶹ѰBoulder
Title: TBA

Wednesday, Nov. 15
Presenter: Ryan Currier, hydrologist, NOAA
Title: Future Hydroclimate Projections in the Western United States

Wednesday, Nov. 22
No seminar due to Thanksgiving

Wednesday, Nov. 29
Presenter: Julianne Quinn, University of Virginia
Title: TBA

Wednesday, Dec. 6
AGU conference presentation rehearsals