SwRI awarded grant to characterize Las Moras Springs watershed

Targeted water sampling to improve water management, conservation in Kinney County

2024-11-05

(Press-News.org) SAN ANTONIO — November 5, 2024 — Hydrologists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) will begin a 12-month targeted water-sampling campaign of the Las Moras Springs system near Brackettville, Texas. The project will analyze and characterize the system of springs and their relationship to the Pinto Creek watershed to improve water management and conservation efforts.

“Las Moras, like many other Texas spring systems, are at-risk and prone to going dry. It is important to clear up uncertainties about their source and relationship with the neighboring Pinto Creek watershed,” said SwRI Research Scientist Mauricio Flores, who is leading the project

Using advanced chemical testing, Flores hopes substances found in the samples will shed light on exactly where the spring water originates and how it arrives at Las Moras Springs. The team will also compare current and historical data to quantify the amount of groundwater that’s regularly pumped from the regional water system.

“Without better understanding of the source area and relationship with neighboring watersheds, it will continue to be difficult to effectively manage those water resources,” said Flores.

The Las Moras Springs system, which flows from the Edwards Aquifer, discharges 12-14 million gallons of water a day. The natural resource funnels into the Rio Grande and provides water for people living in Kinney County. The surrounding area also provides habitat for an array of plants and wildlife, including the threatened Devils River minnow and endangered Golden-cheeked warbler. Las Moras adds to the cultural landscape in Brackettville and surrounding communities, dating back thousands of years.

Excessive groundwater pumping and recurrent drought, which can reduce water flow and cause subsequent water quality issues, threaten Las Moras Springs and water security in Kinney County.

The project is supported by a $50,000 grant from the Coypu Foundation, which supports environmental research. The project will continue SwRI’s efforts to characterize sensitive water resources in Texas and beyond.

For questions, visit https://www.swri.org/industries/water-resource-services.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

SwRI awarded grant to characterize Las Moras Springs watershed 2

SwRI awarded grant to characterize Las Moras Springs watershed 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Water overuse in MATOPIBA could mean failure to meet up to 40% of local demand for crop irrigation

2024-11-05

Considered one of the fastest-growing agricultural frontiers in Brazil, and the area with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the Cerrado, Brazil’s savanna-type biome, the region known as MATOPIBA risks facing water shortages in the years ahead. Water overuse may mean that between 30% and 40% of demand for crop irrigation cannot be met in the period 2025-40. MATOPIBA is a portmanteau of the names of four states – Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia (all but Tocantins located in Brazil’s Northeast ...

An extra year of education does not protect against brain aging

2024-11-05

Thanks to a 'natural experiment' involving 30,000 people, researchers at Radboud university medical center were able to determine very precisely what an extra year of education does to the brain in the long term. To their surprise, they found no effect on brain structure and no protective benefit of additional education against brain aging. It is well-known that education has many positive effects. People who spend more time in school are generally healthier, smarter, and have better jobs and higher incomes than those with less education. However, whether prolonged education actually causes changes in brain structure over the long term ...

Researchers from Uppsala and Magdeburg obtain an ERC Synergy Grant to advance cancer immunotherapy

2024-11-05

Targeting and customizing blood vessels in tumors to increase T cell infiltration and maintain their function may represent the next breakthrough in cancer therapy. The European Research Council has recognized this by awarding a prestigious Synergy Grant to the project VASC-IMMUNE, where three researchers, each possessing complementary expertise in this research topic, will synergize to advance the field. Professors Anna Dimberg and Magnus Essand are both from the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Professor Thomas Tüting is from the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Magdeburg. The successful implementation ...

Deaf male mosquitoes don’t mate

2024-11-05

Mosquitoes are much more blunt. Mating occurs for a few seconds in midair. And all it takes to woo a male is the sound of a female’s wingbeats. Imagine researchers’ surprise when a single change completely killed the mosquitoes’ libidos. Now a study out of UC Santa Barbara reveals that this is really all there is to it. Researchers in Professor Craig Montell’s lab created deaf mosquitoes and found that the males had absolutely no interest in mating. “You could leave them together with the females ...

Recognizing traumatic brain injury as a chronic condition fosters better care over the survivor’s lifetime

2024-11-05

INDIANAPOLIS – A commentary, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, calls for traumatic brain injury to be recognized as a chronic condition as are diabetes, asthma, depression and heart failure. To provide comprehensive care for traumatic brain injury throughout individuals’ lifespans, the authors propose that coordinated care models they and others have developed, tested and applied to various populations -- including older adults, individuals living with depression and post-intensive care unit survivors -- be adapted to improve communication and integration between brain injury specialists -- including ...

SwRI’s Dr. James Walker receives Distinguished Scientist Award from Hypervelocity Impact Society

2024-11-05

SAN ANTONIO — November 5, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. James Walker has received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Hypervelocity Impact Society. This honor recognizes individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of hypervelocity science. Hypervelocity impact is typically viewed as impacts at speeds above 2 kilometers per second (4,475 miles per hour); for some materials, however, lower speed impacts display hypervelocity impact effects. The ...

A mother’s health problems pose a risk to her children

2024-11-05

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and obesity are at a higher risk of giving birth to smaller babies in terms of birth weight, length, and head circumference, according to a recent study conducted at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). One in eight women is affected by the hormone disorder PCOS. Common characteristics are elevated levels of male sex hormones, infrequent or irregular menstrual periods, and the formation of small cysts on the ovaries. In the study, 390 children born to women ...

Ensuring a bright future for diamond electronics and sensors

2024-11-05

Researchers are developing new ideas about the best ways to make lab-grown diamonds while minimizing other forms of carbon, such as soot. These diamonds aren’t destined for rings and necklaces, though. These are the kinds that are needed for the computers, optics and sensors of the future. One new study, conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University, investigated ways to reliably grow diamond at lower temperatures than those currently used. Diamond has properties ...

The American Pediatric Society selects Dr. Maria Trent as the Recipient of the 2025 David G. Nichols Health Equity Award

2024-11-05

The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Maria E. Trent, MD, MPH, as the 2025 David G. Nichols Health Equity Award recipient. The David G. Nichols Health Equity Award, administered by the APS and endowed by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation, was created to recognize demonstrated excellence in advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity through quality improvement, advocacy, practice, or research. This award recognizes Dr. Trent’s outstanding contributions to advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity and the far-reaching impact of her work. The award will be presented to Dr. Trent ...

The first 3D view of the formation and evolution of globular clusters

2024-11-05

A study published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics marks a significant milestone in our understanding of the formation and dynamical evolution of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters (spherical and very compact stellar agglomerates typically populated by 1–2 million stars). This pioneering study, conducted by a group of researchers from the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), the University of Bologna, and Indiana University, is the first to perform a 3D kinematic analysis of multiple stellar populations for a representative sample of 16 globular clusters in our Galaxy. It provides ...

SwRI awarded grant to characterize Las Moras Springs watershed

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: