The Missouri River: A Story of Two Basins

Category: Time:
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 - 12:00 to 13:00
Access:
public
Room: URL: Speaker:
Connie Woodhouse
Affiliation:
Regents’ professor in the School of Geography, Development, and Environment
Contact:
Ramzi Touchan and Ann Lynch
Calendar Status:
confirmed

The Missouri River is unusual because of its two main source regions, one in the high headwaters and one close to the mouth of the river.  In this talk, I report the results of research which explored the hydroclimatology of the basin to better understand the climatic controls on the two parts of the basin, the contribution of the snowmelt-driven streamflow to total Missouri River flow, and the nature of droughts in the instrumental record.  I will also discuss the first comprehensive set of streamflow reconstructions for the upper Missouri River, and the Turn-of-the-21st Century drought in a 1200-year context.