For the past 2 years, I've been collaborating with doctoral candidate Meghan McCarroll on a review paper addressing water literacy. The project turned out to be quite an undertaking as we scoured and cite 122 published articles and reports to synthesize how the relatively new concept of water literacy is being defined, what research and surveys suggest we know and do not know about water topics, and strategies that are being utilized to increase water literacy.

Our work has now been published as a Feature Paper in the journal Water as a part of a special issue on Water Literacy and Education.

McCarroll, M. and Hamann, H. 2020. What we know about water: A water literacy review. Water 12(10), 2803, https://doi.org/10.3390/w12102803, https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2803  

Figure 1. Key knowledge sets that emerged from a text analysis of water literacy definitions from 26 sources. This figure highlights the level of agreement regarding specific topics or requirements for water literacy within available definitions. More complete conceptions of water literacy draw on all or most of these knowledge sets.

In July 2020, I co-led a mini-workshop to begin the development of a water literacy framework document at the  Earth Educators Rendezvous, "The Water-Literate Citizen: Help Develop a New Framework Document for Water Literacy." https://serc.carleton.edu/earth_rendezvous/2020/program/afternoon_workshops/w6.html.  We are excited to spark new conversations around this important topic!

We'll also be presenting this work at the 2021 American Association of Geographer's Meeting in a virtual session (more info to come)

Taylor Johaneman (BS ENVI 2019): Assessing the Catchment Connectivity in an Arctic Coastal Plain Watershed 

• Johaneman, T.M., Arp, C.D, Whitman, M.S., Bondurant, A.C., Hamann, H. B. and Kerwin, M. W. 2020. Classifying connectivity to guide aquatic habitat management in an arctic coastal plain watershed experiencing land-use and climate change. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, Vol. 52, No. 1, pg. 476-490. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2020.1805848

Madeline Kelley (MS-GIS 2018): Developing a Flood Risk Information System: A Proof-of-Concept Communication Tool

• Kelley, M. M. Hamann, H. and Li, J. 2018. A New Flood Risk Communication Tool: A Proof-of-Concept Product for Boulder County, Colorado. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Washington D.C. 10-14 Dec.
• Kelley, M.M., Hamann, H. and Li, J. 2018. Developing a Flood Risk Information System for Colorado. American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 10-14 April.
• Kelley, M. and Hamann, H. 2017. Developing a Flood Risk Information System for Colorado. Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference, Avon, CO, 10-12 October

Alexandra Vieth (BS ENVI 2018): Sustainability Attitudes of Wine Tourists in the South Island of New Zealand

• Vieth, A. and Hamann, H. 2019. Attitudes of wine tourists in the south island of New Zealand.  University of Denver Undergraduate Research Symposium, Denver, CO, 8 May.

Jack Poole (BA ENVI 2018) and Henry Crawford (BS ENVI 2018): Pinpointing Nutrient Loading: A Study of Inflow Streams, Big Payette Lake, ID

• Crawford, H., Poole, J., and Hamann, H. 2018. Pinpointing nutrient loading: a study of inflow streams. University of Denver Undergraduate Research Symposium, Denver, CO, May.

Hayley Stuart (BA ENVI 2016): Hydro-Development in Chile: Past Mistakes, Future Lessons

• Stuart, H., Hamann, H, and Kerwin, M. 2016. Hydro-development in Chile: Past mistakes, future lessons.  University of Denver Undergraduate Research Symposium, Denver, CO, May.
• Hunger for Tomorrow, Documentary Film 2016.
• Current project (2020): Still River, Silent Jungle, Documentary Film, http://www.madidifilm.com/ 

Full article: Classifying connectivity to guide aquatic habitat management in an arctic coastal plain watershed experiencing land use and climate change

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2020.1805848

From 2003-05 I worked with Dr. Robert Stallard (USGS) and students Nancy Pullen (PhD, University of Colorado Boulder) and Courtney Adkins (BA, Colorado College) to develop a rapid hydrologic assessment to measure soil hydrologic response and hydrologic flowpaths in tropical forest catchments in Panama, Ecuador and Malaysia.  Work was funded by the Center for Tropical Forest Science and Colorado College.

• Hamann, H.B, Stallard, R.F. and Pullen, N.H.  2004.  Hydrochemical flow separation and a comparison of runoff pathways in small tropical catchments.  Forests and Water in Warm Humid Asia, Proceedings of a Workshop of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Forest Hydrology Working Group, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.  July 10-12, 2004. Sidle, R.C., Tani, M, Nik, A.R., Taddese, T.W. (eds.), pp. 134-137.
• Stallard, R.F., Pullen, N.H., Hamann, H.B. and Elsenbeer, H. 2004. Rapid assessment of hydrology and soils in small tropical catchments. Forests and Water in Warm Humid Asia, Proceedings of a Workshop of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Forest Hydrology Working Group, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.  July 10-12, 2004. Sidle, R.C., Tani, M, Nik, A.R., Taddese, T.W. (eds.) pp. 107-110.
• Pullen, N.H., Stallard, R.F., and Hamann, H.B.  2004. Soil hydrologic response in small tropical catchments. Forests and Water in Warm Humid Asia, Proceedings of a Workshop of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Forest Hydrology Working Group, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.  July 10-12, 2004. Sidle, R.C., Tani, M, Nik, A.R., Taddese, T.W. (eds.) pp. 130-133.

The goal of this research is to understand how snowmelt flowpaths are influenced by frozen ground in mid-latitude alpine basins (Colorado Rocky Mountains) and how these flowpaths dictate surface water chemistry in relation to snowmelt.  Two alpine headwater basins, the Martinelli and Saddle watersheds at Niwot Ridge, were investigated to compare snowmelt chemistry, steam chemistry, frozen soils and flowpaths.  It is suggested that where infiltration is low, stream chemistry will reflect the chemistry of snow meltwater, while meltwater that travels through subsurface pathways will undergo predictable chemical transformations.  The overarching questions addressed by this investigation include, 1) How does chemical concentration of snowmelt vary? 2) How is the chemistry of the ionic pulse transformed between the snowpack and alpine surface waters during the start of the melt and runoff season? and 3) Is infiltration limited due to frozen ground?

            Results demonstrated the existence of a concentrated ionic pulse of snowmelt at the start of the melt season that is strongly related to snow depth.  The chemistry of the ionic pulse is greatly transformed in the Saddle basin due to vegetation and soils.  The Saddle stream buffers acidic inputs, exports high concentrations of base cations and damps inter-annual variations in snowmelt inputs.  Solute concentrations in the Martinelli stream, in contrast, are more similar to snowmelt concentrations and are more variable both intra- and inter-annually.

A conceptual model suggests that early in the morning, meltwater draining through near-surface soils is the primary contribution to streamflow.  As snowmelt increases later in the day, meltwater both pumps pre-melt water from the sub-surface to streams and travels overland as surface flow due to an increased water table and because infiltration capacities of soils have been exceeded.  Over several weeks, both sub-surface and meltwater contributions to streamflow increase due to an increasing active layer and the replacement of pre-melt storage.  Approximately 50% of melt during a two-week period in 2001 was used to fill liquid storage in the Saddle basin.  

Frozen soils can limit infiltration at Niwot Ridge.  Flat areas downslope of contributing meltwaters had the highest occurrence of saturated soils, standing water and basal ice and may serve to channel meltwaters more directly to streams.