A TIME SERIES WEB MAP AS A WAY OF COMMUNICATING WATER QUALITY AND WATER QUANTITY CHANGES IN THE LAS VEGAS WASH AND MUDDY WATERSHEDS IN NEVADA, USA
Presentation Time: Thu, 08/04/2022 - 14:00
Keywords: Lash Vegas Wash, Muddy watershed, LULC, Water Quality, Time Series, Land Use Change
Important scientific findings can be underutilized if not communicated effectively. Also, these are often presented in journal articles that are too complex to be understood by the general public or simplified to the point of dumbing down the results for popular media outlets. Communication is especially important when human health and environment are at risk, and public buy in is necessary for policy change that can alleviate the known issues. This paper describes an exploratory analysis of water quality and water quantity relationships in the Las Vegas Was and Muddy watersheds in Nevada, USA and how those results can be effectively communicated to the public with use of a time series web map. Publicly available water quality and water quantity data were downloaded from the USGS, EPA, and regional sources and uploaded to an ArcGIS Online web map. This web map is time enabled so that relationships between water quality, water quantity and land use change over a 10-year period could be visually presented to and better appreciated by the general public and those living within the watershed in particular. Results indicate a rise in some pollutants over time as well as differences between the two watersheds.
