University of Texas at El Paso

Extreme weather impacts our transportation system in many ways. This project focuses on dust storms, particularly as they connect to drought. One goal is to increase the safety of drivers during these events along the Interstate 10 in southwestern New Mexico, where danger from dust storms often occurs. An early warning dust forecast system could minimize the number of vehicle accidents and associated fatalities on New Mexico highways. A neural network camera study indicated an accuracy of 97% and a precision of 94% for dust storm classification utilizing a combination of hue, saturation, and value bands. Researchers successfully acquired additional instrumentation to test a new early warning system that is different from roadway information systems often installed along highways. A Vaisala CL51 ceilometer was purchased by NMDOT in 2019 to sense dust plumes as they form over the dust source areas. The instrument is currently being tested in the laboratory and will be tested outside during Summer 2020 to determine locations where it will be most useful.

This research project was highlighted in the 2019 NOAA Science Report, page 40. https://nrc.noaa.gov/Portals/0/edited%20final%20report.pdf

Extreme heat is already a key public health risk in the adjacent cities of El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Projected temperature changes, combined with the urban heat island effect and regional poverty, expose urban areas with high vulnerabilities to heat-health risks.

The proposed initiative aims to increase preparedness and capacity to adapt to extreme high temperatures and heat waves in Rio Grande-Bravo Basin border cities by: a) identifying key heat health parameters and target populations for heat health early warning; b) assessing and developing capacity for coordinated heat health early warning; c) facilitating the sharing of best practices; and d) initiating development toward a community of practice within a network of regional cities.

Importance: This project explicitly connects CLIMAS with the NOAA-CDC National Integrated Heat Health Information System initiative and with an international network of similar projects aimed at implementing the Global Framework for Climate Services.

Additonal Information:

Project website

July 2016 Workshop Report Executive Summary: English Español