Food-Energy-Water System Asset Mapping Across the IMW

Charter Summary:

The long-term goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive food-energy-water system asset database and map across the Intermountain West (IMW). The asset mapping process refines and creates novel datasets mapping the production and consumption of food-energy-water resources and identifies major infrastructures, sources, suppliers, routes, transit modes, and distribution systems for these resources in the “last mile” where wholesale suppliers distribute resources to retail customers. This information provides critical answers to our research questions, identifies who should be included in conversations about positive change, and identifies how food-energy-water resources are produced and consumed in the IMW. Year 1 focused on a transect in New Mexico from Albuquerque to the Four Corners region for future last-mile analysis.  Y2 focused on the buildout of priority datasets, such as the human of appropriate of net primary productivity, allowing that will provide the bases of new methods for showing how of priority food-energy-water resources are connected across the IMW. Y3 will focus on scaling efforts of Y1 & Y2. Research findings from the project will inform stakeholders about potential resilience pathways in IMW food-energy-water systems. Data products from this project will be made available through the Transformation Network Data Atlas.

Publications:

• Richter, B.D., Lamsal, G., Marston, L. et al. New water accounting reveals why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. Commun Earth Environ 5, 134 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01291-0