Lani Tsinnajinnie selected for 2020 Women in Stem Faculty Development Award
June 3, 2020 - Lani Tsinnajinnie selected for 2020 Women in Stem Faculty Development Award
Lani Tsinnajinnie, PhD, has been selected for a 2020 Women in STEM Faculty Development Award. Her project is entitled "Investigating the sustainability of mountainous groundwater resources to support watershed planning efforts on the Navajo Nation. Tsinnajinnie will serve as the principal investigator.
Tsinnajinnie aims to understand the sustainability of groundwater resources in the Chuska Mountains, which are located in the Navajo National along the AZ/NM border. By estimating ages of groundwater in aquifers within and surrounding the mountains, surrounding areas can create a deeper understanding to aid in their water planning efforts.
Summary Statement:
(From Tsinnajinnie's proposal)
"Groundwater is an important source of water in mountainous areas because it is a source of drinking water and streamflow through springs that emerge in mountains. The Chuska Mountains, located in the Navajo Nation along the AZ/NM border, are a unique setting to understand responses of mountainous groundwater resources because mountain bedrock in the Chuskas act as an aquifer that contributes to streamflow and aquifers surrounding the mountains are dependent upon this streamflow. This type of mountain hydrogeologic system is not well studied and this study will improve the hydrogeologic understanding of mountainous systems, which can be used to inform watershed planning in other mountainous areas. The objective of this project is to understand the sustainability of groundwater resources in the Chuska Mountains by estimating ages of groundwater in aquifers within and surrounding the mountains that the Navajo Nation and Chuska Mountain communities can use in their watershed planning efforts. Field sampling of groundwater from wells and springs will help to determine the vulnerability of groundwater resources in the Chuska Mountains to changes in climate and will assist in understanding the vulnerability to climate change of groundwater resources in similar watersheds."
