Arid Lands & Resources

Our interdisciplinary faculty study ecological, economic and social factors that influence sustainable use of arid and semi-arid lands and resources. UArizona programs integrate multiple disciplines and technologies to analyze changing conditions in arid regions.

Our research

Critical fire weather hits Arizona

High temperatures.

Bone dry fuels.

High winds.

Yep. Critical fire weather.

And it’s just barely March.

Announcing the 2021 AIR Resilience Grants Recipients

AIR’s call for Resilience Grant proposals brought in 31 unique submissions for activities that advance the institute’s mission of supporting interdisciplinary groups, including off-campus partners, to develop practical, applied solutions that further resilience in our natural and human communities.

Is this drought gripping Tucson natural or human-caused?

Most climate scientists agree the warming trend that has prevailed in Tucson and worldwide since the 1980s and ’90s is largely if not completely caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere from the burning of oil, coal and other fossil fuels.

Global Heating Will Make Colorado River Basin Drought More Severe

A person can survive 30 days (or more) without food, 3 days without water, and 3 minutes without air. The latest climate research indicates all three will be in short supply as average temperatures on Earth increase.

If ancient drought choked the Southwest for centuries, what does the future hold?

The ancient people of western Utah’s Danger Cave lived well. They ate freshwater fish, ducks and other small game, according to detritus they left behind. They had a lush lakeside view with cattails, bulrushes and water-loving willows adorning the marshlands.

Ancient Puebloans used ice caves to survive droughts

Carbon dating allows us to know exactly when ice was melted for drinking water in pre-Columbian America.

When in Drought, Ancestral Puebloans Turned to Ice Blocks in Lava Tubes

Thirsty people once visited these ancient volcanic corridors.

If Aridification Choked the Southwest for Thousands of Years, What Does The Future Hold?

Great Basin Caves tell a story linking climate change to a “worst-case scenario,” with potential impact on 56 million western water users.

How Hotter Weather, Drier Monsoon Seasons Affect Forests

Wildfires have burned more than 950,000 acres across Arizona so far this year, according to the State Department of Forestry and Fire Management.