THE EXPLAINER

When in Doubt, Walk Into the Wind

By Ricardo Sanchez-Murillo, Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences

There is no English translation for the Dutch compound word Uitwaaien. The closest description relates to walking or riding your bike into the wind to boost your overall health. In many ways, my entire journey as a water scientist could be recognized as Uitwaaien, beginning in Costa Rica, where I grew up in a low- to mid-income family with no higher education tradition. My interest in science was first triggered by the unique landscapes I explored as a child. Two major earthquakes a few months apart, volcanoes, and stunning rainstorms govern my early environmental and climate memories.

This is my first year at UTA's Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. My new research team is growing fast; four students are now part of the Tracer Hydrology Group. Research proposals and manuscripts are being submitted in a fruitful and smooth process. Two new and exciting courses (Environmental Hydrology and Tracer Hydrology) are now being offered. More recently, the National Academy of Sciences granted me a fellowship to conduct a novel tracer tempestology study in the Gulf of Mexico region.

This study is divided into two chapters related to predicting and preparing for baseflow ecohydrological changes. The first chapter will evaluate the main drivers controlling the natural release of water as baseflow after tropical storm incursions, the role that climate plays in the baseflow recession process, and the spatial variability of the recession time scale and minimum annual storage across the U.S. Gulf Coast. By knowing baseflow characteristics such as minimum annual storage before and after tropical storm incursions and recession timescales, water managers and environmental agencies could prioritize efforts and resources in areas where potential future storms may drastically affect overall ecosystem services.

The recent development of isotope laser spectroscopy has enhanced our ability to achieve a greater temporal and spatial resolution of water tracer data. Therefore, the second chapter relies on generating modern ground-based tracer observations from hurricane-generated rainfall (genesis to landfall) to inform paleoclimatic reconstructions and modeling efforts.

To this point, combining the Uitwaaien philosophy, my early career in the Global South, and the outstanding spectrum of opportunities and commodities provided by UTA is helping me to explore new research and teaching ideas at the frontiers of tracer hydrology.