TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) has announced the award of 34 new research projects aimed at advancing water prediction capabilities and enhancing community resilience. The selected projects, spanning institutions across the U.S. and Canada, represent cutting-edge research in hydrology, data science, community water modeling, decision support, and environmental resilience.
Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other partners, such as the United States Geological Survey (USGS), these projects will tackle critical water challenges and contribute to CIROH’s mission of producing innovative research through collaborative partnerships with leading institutions across North America.
“These 34 projects span CIROH’s four research themes, while also advancing our education and research community-building initiatives, said Steve Burian, executive director of CIROH. “True to CIROH’s mission, they exemplify our commitment to designing research that is both transdisciplinary and responsive to the real-world needs of end users.”
A Broad Research Portfolio
The funded projects are organized around CIROH’s core research themes, with a focus on:
- Advancing Water Prediction Systems: Utilizing artificial intelligence, data-driven models, and new observation technologies to enhance the accuracy and resolution of streamflow, flood, drought, and water quality predictions.
- Community Water Modeling: Developing state-of-the-art tools and frameworks to enable the hydrologic sciences research community to advance water management applications across the United States.
- Hydroinformatics Applications: Harnessing data analytics and visualization to improve decision-making in water resource management.
- Decision Science and Resilience: Applying social, behavioral, and economic science to enhance water-related decision-making in the face of natural hazards and climate change.
Selected Funded Projects Include:
- Applying Statistical and Artificial Intelligence Methods to Deliver New Meteorological Forecasts for the Next Generation of Ensemble Streamflow Prediction Capabilities – Taylor Dixon, University of California, San Diego (Research Theme 1: Advancing Water Prediction Systems)
- Near-Real-Time Monitoring of Key Reservoir Variables by Integrating Wide-Swath SWOT Altimetry and Deep Learning Techniques – Hongxing Liu, University of Alabama (Research Theme 1: Advancing Water Prediction Systems)
- Surface-subsurface Integrated Water Prediction System for Long-term Assessment with Physics-informed Differentiable Modeling – Chaopeng Shen, Pennsylvania State University (Research Theme 2: Community Water Modeling)
- Exploring Critical Attributes of 3D Channels for Enhanced Probabilistic Flood Inundation Mapping – Colin Philips, Utah State University (Research Theme 3: Hydroinformatics Applications)
- InEvaTool: An Integrative Evaluation Toolkit for Pacific Island Nature-Based Solutions – Kirsten Oleson, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (Research Theme 4: Decision Science & Resilience)
- AI-Enhanced Flood Storytelling for Mobilizing Action and Building Resilience in Underserved Communities – Jiaqi Gong, The University of Alabama (Research Theme 4: Decision Science & Resilience)
- Flood Resilience Education through GPT-Guided Gaming with Multi-Scale Built Environment Data – Qiuhua ‘Lisa’ Duan, The University of Alabama (Education, Outreach, Engagement)
“The research conducted under the auspices of these CIROH projects will address a spectrum of critical water challenges, and pave the way for a new generation of predictive capabilities and related services that will save lives and promote water stewardship nationwide,” adds Thomas Graziano, director, Office of Water Prediction (NOAA).
To read the full list of funded projects, please click here.
About CIROH
CIROH is a national consortium that brings together academic, government, and private sector partners to advance water prediction and management capabilities. Hosted by The University of Alabama, CIROH focuses on cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and educational initiatives. CIROH is dedicated to enhancing NOAA’s water prediction services, fostering community and stakeholder engagement, and supporting sustainable water resource management. Through its comprehensive programs, CIROH aims to integrate scientific advancements into practical applications, benefiting communities and policymakers across the United States.
For more information, please visit the CIROH website.