Zack Guido

 I’m a Ph.D. student studying the impacts of climate change on water resources and effective strategies for connecting climate information to decision makers. Quantifying impacts and facilitating decision-making are both vital components of fostering effective climate adaptation.

My research takes me to the lofty peaks of the Bolivian Cordillera Real, where about two million people rely in part on water melting from rapidly retreating glaciers. Scientists do not know how much of the water supply is fed by glaciers, however, and estimates for sustainable water use cannot be made without quantifying this input. To resolve this issue, I am measuring environmental tracers in rivers, glacial melt water, precipitation, and groundwater. I am also analyzing satellite images during the past 10 years—the warmest decade on record—to identify basins in which melt is most rapid and locations where glaciers likely soon will vanish.

Here in the Southwest, I am also investigating whether pity summaries of climate information inform decision making, and if so, how. I developed the La Nina Drought Tracker (http://www.climas.arizona.edu/outlooks/drought-tracker) and have been interviewing key regional decision makers to quantify its impact.

Finally, hard science often fails to engage people emotionally—perhaps a key reason why climate change often is ignored. To communicate consequences of melting glaciers, I am video-logging climate change stories of Andean people, a communication project he hopes to link to high school curricula in the U.S. Preliminary videos can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/34873365 (3 minutes) and http://vimeo.com/36067969 (6 minutes).