Peer-reviewed publications by Texas Water Resources Institute and Texas A&M AgriLife scientists
A crossroads for the Rio Grande/Río Bravo: This article coauthored by TWRI’s Rosario Sanchez, Ph.D., comments on the state of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin. Recent studies have shown that the health of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo River is in decline. The authors address this by recommending that governments, stakeholders and international bodies engage in meaningful dialogue, adopt adaptive water management practices, and commit to sustainable policies.
Nitrogen Transformations, Source Dynamics, and Terrestrial-Aquatic Interactions in a Low Inflow Estuary: Texas A&M University Corpus Christi researchers investigate a low-inflow estuary in Baffin Bay, Texas. They collected data on dissolved inorganic and organic nitrogen and split sampling sites into three groups. Researchers found high NO3– concentrations in all groups, high NH4+ in pore water, and high dissolved organic nitrogen in surface water. This study presents a method that is useful for understanding nitrogen dynamics in comparable estuaries.
How high? Identifying elevation thresholds to guide coastal marsh restoration: In this paper, coauthored by Texas A&M University scientists, researchers determined elevation thresholds for optimal function in marshes along the Texas Coast. They collected elevation and vegetation cover data, which was then used to identify elevation thresholds, elevation targets, and elevation target zones.
Thicketization by Yaupon Holly Increases Canopy Interception in the Texas Post Oak Savannah: Coauthored by a Texas A&M University professor, this study assessed how thicketization due to the spread of Yaupon Holly impacts interception, or the amount of water caught by vegetation before it reaches the ground. They found that thicketization increased interception and decreased how much water reached the ground by 31%.
Enhancing coastal resilience: AI-driven seasonal to multi-year water level predictions for the Texas Gulf Coast: This paper, authored by Texas A&M University Corpus Christi scientists, introduces a multilayer perception model designed to forecast water levels across various time scales. This model has a mean absolute error of less than 8 cm, which is improved from the 15 cm error of other tools. The authors say this model will help coastal stakeholders and beach managers implement effective mitigation measures.
Recent research from other Texas universities
Dynamics and Couplings of Terrestrial Water Storage Extremes From GRACE and GRACE‐FO Missions During 2002–2024: This article from University of Texas researchers uses data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission to investigate how wet and dry extremes develop and change over time. They found that climate variations in tropical oceans are the main drivers of these extremes. They did not observe any trend toward intensification or weakening.
Plausibility Criteria for GRACE-Derived Groundwater Storage Changes From Aquifers Globally: This paper, coauthored by University of Texas scientists, used satellite data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) missions to infer changes in groundwater storage. To identify and exclude implausible estimates from this, they propose a plausibility framework. Using this framework, they saw improved correlations between groundwater and total water storage changes.
