Ryan Webb, an assistant professor in UW’s Department of Civil and Architectural
Engineering, recently was awarded a $738,196 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER)
Program Award from the National Science Foundation to research how snowpack stores
and transmits liquid water to streams. Here, Webb conducts fieldwork in the Snowy
Range. (Ryan Webb Photo)
Communities worldwide rely on water resources from mountain snowpacks. Because of
this, snow hydrology research in recent years has used a variety of techniques to
model and observe snowmelt processes.
However, a disconnect between observed physical processes and modeling capabilities
has been revealed, exposing a need to improve understanding of snowmelt dynamics.
To improve that understanding, a University of Wyoming faculty member will benefit
from a large grant to conduct research that will fill a knowledge gap in understanding
how the snowpack stores and transmits liquid water to streams.
Ryan Webb, an assistant professor in UW’s Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering,
recently was awarded a $738,196 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The project is jointly funded by NSF’s Water, Landscape and Critical Zone Processes
program, and Wyoming EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research).
NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences recommended Webb for the award.
Webb will receive continuing grant funding for his project, titled “CAREER: Defining
the Role of Snow in Storing and Transmitting Liquid Water to Generate Streamflow.”
The grant will begin May 1 and ends April 30, 2030.
“The overall scope of the project is designed to improve fundamental knowledge of
the hydro-terrestrial system in headwater catchments and produce a transformational
understanding of hydrologic fluxes within a snowpack,” Webb says.
According to the grant abstract, the research goals of this project are to develop
a long-term monitoring program to define a snowpack’s role in storing and transmitting
liquid water to streams under various conditions; and develop a long-term educational
program that promotes mountain hydrology across the UW campus and STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics) education.
The project will test a model structure that includes representation of previously
observed liquid water dynamics in a snowpack that are not currently included in models.
The project will use a combination of traditional hydrology field work; geophysical
observations of a melting snowpack; and advanced modeling techniques to conduct investigations.
“This project will develop a snowmelt monitoring program for both research and educational
opportunities,” Webb says.
The research will focus on five watersheds, says Webb, who will serve as principal investigator of the project. Two sites are in the Snowy Range; one site is near Happy Jack; another site is located
outside of Steamboat Springs, Colo.; and the final site is located outside of Nederland,
Colo.
As part of the NSF CAREER Award, Webb will conduct some public outreach. The grant
will provide hands-on learning opportunities for both university and K-12 students
across Wyoming. Two doctoral students and one master’s student will be involved in
scientific research, while about 20 undergraduate students, 300 high school students
and 1,250 middle school students will gain a broad understanding of hydrologic sciences
through outreach and field activities, Webb says.
Through field observations and modeling, this project will identify when and where
common model representations of snowmelt processes need to be improved.
“The results will be broadly applicable rather than specific to individual watersheds
for the purpose of improving future streamflow forecasting models to benefit stakeholders
across the United States and beyond,” Webb says.
The CAREER Program offers NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty
who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent
education and the integration of education and research within the context of the
mission of their organizations. Such activities are designed to build a firm foundation
for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.
“This CAREER Award means so much to me because it allows me to combine the things
that I enjoy and care about the most into my regular work at the University of Wyoming:
mountains, snow and teaching people about mountains and snow,” Webb says. “This funding
will help me to further build a strong foundation for myself at the University of
Wyoming for future projects to continue working in the great discipline of mountain
hydrology.”
His research areas are snow hydrology, mountain hydrology, unsaturated flow dynamics,
remote sensing of snow and impacts of wildfire.
Webb received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University and his master’s degree from
the University of New Mexico, both in civil engineering, and his bachelor’s degree
in construction engineering from the University of New Mexico.
