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The Arkansas Water Resources Center (“AWRC”) publication Water Currents published an article on October 13th titled:
Mapping Water from Space and Ground: How New USGS Tools Help Arkansas Understand Its Water.
The AWRC was founded in 1064 and notes its activities include:
- Engaging with students by supporting student research and providing employment opportunities.
- Operating a water quality laboratory where water samples are analyzed for researchers, students, and the public.
The Water Currents article reviews what it describes as two developments from the United States Geological Survey (“USGS”) that are:
…providing better ways to understand water resources across the Nation and here in Arkansas.
The developments described include launching “Water information from Space” (“WISP”) which is stated to utilize satellite data to monitor water levels in rivers, streams, and lakes across the United States. The tool is noted to be publicly accessible and free to anyone interested in tracking water conditions in Arkansas and around the nation.
The other described tool is the “Cooperative National Geologic Map” which is stated to have been created using:
…more than 100 preexisting geologic maps from various sources and is the first nationwide map to provide users with access to multiple layers of geologic data for a single location.
The relevance to Arkansas includes examples such as:
- If satellites see water levels dropping in the Arkansas River, the new geologic map can help explain why.
- Rice farmers can use the satellite data to see service water availability while checking the geologic maps to understand if their wells tap into reliable underground water sources.
Water data can be reviewed in an interactive map and searched by:
A copy of the Water Currents article can be downloaded here.
