Research Project: Improving Resiliency of Semi-Arid Agroecosystems and Watersheds to Change and Disturbance through Data-Driven Research, AI, and Integrated Models

Location: Water Management and Systems Research

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Water quality in reference watersheds in the U.S.: A compilation and analysis of small watershed data - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Variogram time series analysis applied to the spatial structure of snow accumulation - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Fassnacht, S., Lopez-Moreno, J.I., Barnard, D.M., Moran-Tejeda, E., Webb, R., Von Thaden, B.C., Pfohl, A., Collados-Lara, A., MacDonald, M.S., Flynn, H., Tedesche, M.E. 2026. Variogram time series analysis applied to the spatial structure of snow accumulation. Water Resources Research. 62(3). Article e2025WR040065. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025WR040065.

Fusion of field and satellite data for root zone moisture modeling - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Diurnal temperature range drives understory plant community composition in micro-climatically complex montane forests - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Non-native grass invasion drives biodiversity loss after a single fire in a semi-arid shrubland - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mahood, A.L., Balch, J.K., Barnard, D.M., Suding, K.N., Chambers, J.C. 2025. Non-native grass invasion drives biodiversity loss after a single fire in a semi-arid shrubland. Biological Conservation. 310. Article e111400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111400.

Soil moisture prediction using remote sensing and machine learning algorithms: A review on progress, challenges and opportunities - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Lamichhane, M., Mehan, S., Mankin, K.R. 2025. Soil moisture prediction using remote sensing and machine learning algorithms: A review on progress, challenges and opportunities. Remote Sensing. 17(17). Article e2397. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17142397.

Surface soil moisture prediction using multimodal remote sensing data fusion and machine learning algorithms in semi-arid agricultural region - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Lamichhane, M., Mehan, S., Mankin, K.R. 2025. Surface soil moisture prediction using multimodal remote sensing data fusion and machine learning algorithms in semi-arid agricultural region. Science of Remote Sensing. 12. Article e100255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srs.2025.100255.

Twin-peaks in streamflow timing: Can we use forest alpine snow melt-out response to estimate? - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Doskocil, L.G., Fassnacht, S.R., Barnard, D.M., Pfohl, A.K., Derry, J.E., Sanford, W.E. 2025. Twin-peaks in streamflow timing: Can we use forest alpine snow melt-out response to estimate? Water. 17(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132017.

Threshold soil moisture levels influence soil CO2 emissions: A machine learning approach to predict short-term soil CO2 emissions from climate-smart fields - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Veettil, A.V., Rahman, A., Awal, R., Fares, A., Green, T.R., Thappa, B., Elhassan, A. 2025. Threshold soil moisture levels influence soil CO2 emissions: A machine learning approach to predict short-term soil CO2 emissions from climate-smart fields. Sustainability. 17(13). Article e6101. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136101.

Surface boundary layer stability and meteorological drivers of temporal microclimate variability in a semiarid grassland - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Barnard, D.M., Jacob, M., Erskine, R.H., Green, T.R., Mahood, A.L., Gleason, S.M. 2025. Surface boundary layer stability and meteorological drivers of temporal microclimate variability in a semiarid grassland. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 372. Article e110723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2025.110723.

Transfer learning-based accurate detection of shrub crown boundaries using UAS imagery - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Li, J., Zhang, H., Barnard, D.M. 2025. Transfer learning-based accurate detection of shrub crown boundaries using UAS imagery. Remote Sensing. 17(13). Article e2275. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17132275.

Indirect effects of soil amendments on plant traits and the microbiome in post-wildfire forest recovery - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Barnard, D.M., Mahood, A.L., Macdonald, J., Amundson, K., Fegel, T., Gleason, S.M., Guimond, M.M., Kaiser, S., Sparks, K., Wilkins, M., Rhoades, C. 2025. Indirect effects of soil amendments on plant traits and the microbiome in post-wildfire forest recovery. Forest Ecology and Management. 594. Article e122953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122953.

Forest restoration treatments increase native plant diversity but open the door to invasion in the Colorado Front Range - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mahood, A.L., Stevens-Rumann, C., Rhea, A., Ritter, S., Barrett, K., Fornwalt, P.J., Barnard, D.M. 2025. Forest restoration treatments increase native plant diversity but open the door to invasion in the Colorado Front Range. Forest Ecology and Management. 593. Article e122881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122881.

Topographic position index predicts within-field yield variation in a dryland cereal production system - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
MacDonald, J., Barnard, D.M., Mankin, K.R., Miner, G.S., Erskine, R.H., Poss, D.J., Mehan, S., Mahood, A.L., Mikha, M.M. 2025. Topographic position index predicts within-field yield variation in a dryland cereal production system. Agronomy. 15(6). Article e1304. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061304.

Variability in hydrologic response to wildfire between snow zones in forested headwaters - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Miller, Q., Barnard, D.M., Sears, M., Hammond, J., Kampf, S. 2025. Variability in hydrologic response to wildfire between snow zones in forested headwaters. Hydrological Processes. 39(5). Article e70151. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70151.

Groundwater dominates snowmelt runoff and controls streamflow efficiency in the western United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Brooks, P.D., Solomon, D.K., Kampf, S., Warix, S., Bern, C., Barnard, D.M., Barnard, H.R., Carling, G.T., Carroll, R.W., Chorover, J., Harpold, A., Lohse, K., Meza, F., McIntosh, J., Neilson, B., Sears, M., Wolf, M. 2025. Groundwater dominates snowmelt runoff and controls streamflow efficiency in the western United States. Communications Earth & Environment. 6. Article e341. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02303-3.

Land management influenced soil carbon distribution in Lesotho, Southern Africa - (Abstract Only)

Dependence of soil moisture and strength on topography and vegetation varies within a SMAP grid cell - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Bindner, J.R., Proulx, H., Wickham, K., Niemann, J.D., Scalia IV, J., Green, T.R., Grazaitis, P. 2025. Dependence of soil moisture and strength on topography and vegetation varies within a SMAP grid cell. Hydrology. 12(2). Article 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology12020034.

Assessing the influence of model inputs on performance of the EMT+VS soil moisture downscaling model for a large foothills region in northern Colorado - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Fischer, S.C., Niemann, J.D., Scalia, J., Bullock, M., Prouxl, H.E., Kim, B., Green, T.R., Grazaitis, P.J. 2024. Assessing the influence of model inputs on performance of the EMT+VS soil moisture downscaling model for a large foothills region in northern Colorado. Journal of Hydrology. 65(April 2025):e132397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132397.

Long-term soil nutrient and understory plant responses to post-fire rehabilitation in a lodgepole pine forest - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Kaiser, S., Fegel, T.S., Barnard, D.M., Mahood, A.L., Sparks, K., Wilkins, M., Rhoades, C.C. 2024. Long-term soil nutrient and understory plant responses to post-fire rehabilitation in a lodgepole pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management. 575(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.122359.

Review of gridded climate products and their use in hydrological analyses reveals overlaps, gaps, and need for more objective approach to selecting model forcing datasets - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mankin, K.R., Mehan, S., Green, T.R., Barnard, D.M. 2025. Review of gridded climate products and their use in hydrological analyses reveals overlaps, gaps, and need for more objective approach to selecting model forcing datasets. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 29(1):85-108. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-85-2025.

Precision management influences productivity and nutrients availability in dryland cropping system - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mikha, M.M., Mankin, K.R., Khan, S.B., Barnard, D.M. 2024. Precision management influences productivity and nutrients availability in dryland cropping system. Agronomy Journal. 116(6):3325-3343. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21686.

Soil climate underpins year effects driving divergent outcomes in semi-arid cropland to grassland restoration - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mahood, A.L., Barnard, D.M., Green, T.R., Macdonald, J., Erskine, R.H. 2024. Soil climate underpins year effects driving divergent outcomes in semi-arid cropland to grassland restoration. Ecosphere. 15. e70042. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70042.

The fastest growing and most destructive fires in the U.S. (2001-2020) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Balch, J.K., Iglesias, V., Mahood, A.L., Cook, M.C., Amaral, C., Decastro, A., Leyk, S., McIntosh, T.L., Nagy, R.C., St. Denis, L., Tuff, T., Verleye, E., Williams, A.P., Kolden, C.A. 2024. The fastest growing and most destructive fires in the U.S. (2001-2020). Science. 386:425-431. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk5737.

Estimating changes in streamflow attributable to wildfire in multiple watersheds using a conceptual watershed model - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Wells, R., Mankin, K.R., Niemann, J.D., Kipka, H., Green, T.R., Barnard, D.M. 2024. Estimating changes in streamflow attributable to wildfire in multiple watersheds using a conceptual watershed model. Ecohydrology. 17(7). Article e2697. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2697.

Making better decisions, 2023 Colorado winter wheat variety performance trials - (Experiment Station)
Jones-Diamonds, S., Mason, E., Asfeld, E., Harrington, J., Marler, A., Meyer, R., Mattes, M., Caswell, K., Stromberger, J., Nachappa, P., Osterholzer, A., Larson, K., Mankin, K.R., Kleinman, P.J., Pettinger, B., Brummer, J., Wondifraw, M., Roberts, R., Pottorff, L., Landers, C., Schipanski, M., Stewart, C.E., Miner, G.S., Fonte, S., Migliano, L., West, M., Wasserman-Olin, R., Hill, R., Erker, B. 2024. Making better decisions, 2023 Colorado winter wheat variety performance trials. Colorado State University Extension Publication. 54pp.

neonPlantEcology: An R package for preparing NEON plant data for use in ecological research - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mahood, A.L., Macdonald, J., Muthukrishnan, R., Barnett, D.T., Sokol, E.R., Simkin, S. 2024. neonPlantEcology: An R package for preparing NEON plant data for use in ecological research. Ecological Modelling. 493. Article e110750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110750.

Drought-fuelled overnight burning propels large fires in North America - (Research Notes)
Balch, J.K., Mahood, A.L. 2024. Drought-fuelled overnight burning propels large fires in North America. Nature. 627:273-274. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00536-4.

Tillage practices in long-term winter wheat-fallow affect soil fertility - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Aula, L., Easterly, A.C., Mikha, M.M., Creech, C. 2024. Tillage practices in long-term winter wheat-fallow affect soil fertility. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 88(2):498-509. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20628.

Land management affects soil structural stability: Multi-index principal component analyses of treatment interactions - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mikha, M.M., Green, T.R., Untiedt, T.J., Hergret, G.W. 2023. Land management affects soil structural stability: Multi-index principal component analyses of treatment interactions. Soil and Tillage Research. 235. Article e105890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2023.105890.

A review of machine learning models for algal bloom monitoring in freshwater systems - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Busari, I., Sahoo, D., Harmel, R.D., Haggard, B.E. 2024. A review of machine learning models for algal bloom monitoring in freshwater systems. Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Ecosystems. 1(2):63-76. https://doi.org/10.13031/jnrae.15647.

Wildfire and climate change amplify knowledge gaps linking mountain source-water systems and agricultural water supply in the western United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Barnard, D.M., Green, T.R., Mankin, K.R., DeJonge, K.C., Rhoades, C.C., Kampf, S., Giovando, J., Wilkins, M., Mahood, A.L., Sears, M., Comas, L.H., Gleason, S.M., Zhang, H., Fassnacht, S.R., Harmel, R.D., Altenhofen, J. 2023. Wildfire and climate change amplify knowledge gaps linking mountain source-water systems and agricultural water supply in the western United States. Agricultural Water Management. 286. Article e108377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108377.

Perspective: Current and future research directions in understanding streambank erosion phenomena - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Castro-Bolinaga, C., Mittelstet, A., Mankin, K.R. 2023. Perspective: Current and future research directions in understanding streambank erosion phenomena. Journal of the ASABE. 66(5):1223-1228. https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15613.

2022 Colorado winter wheat variety performance trials - (Research Technical Update)
Jones-Diamond, S., Mason, E., Asfeld, E., Meyer, R., Mattes, M., Larson, K., Mankin, K.R., Pettinger, B., Nachappa, P., Brummer, J., Talbert, C., Stromberg, J., Roberts, R., Wardle, E., Trujillo, W., Pottorff, L., West, M., Osterholzer, A., Erker, B., Brown, A. 2023. 2022 Colorado winter wheat variety performance trials. Colorado State University Technical Report. TR23-3:1-58.

Characterizing ecologically relevant topoclimates across a small prairie watershed - (Abstract Only)

The invasive plant data landscape: A synthesis of spatial data and applications for research and management in the United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Fusco, E.J., Mahood, A.L., Beaury, E.M., Bradley, B.A., Cox, M., Jarnevich, C.S., Nagy, R.C., Nietupski, T., Halofsky, J.E. 2023. The invasive plant data landscape: A synthesis of spatial data and applications for research and management in the United States. Landscape Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-023-01623-z.

Shifting social-ecological fire regimes explain increasing structure loss from Western wildfires - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Higuera, P.E., Cook, M.C., Balch, J.K., Stavros, E.N., Mahood, A.L., St. Denis, L.E. 2023. Shifting social-ecological fire regimes explain increasing structure loss from Western wildfires. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences-Nexus. 2(3). Article epgad005. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad005.

Fuel connectivity, burn severity, and seedbank survivorship drive ecosystem transformation in a semiarid shrubland - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mahood, A.L., Koontz, M.J., Balch, J.K. 2022. Fuel connectivity, burn severity, and seedbank survivorship drive ecosystem transformation in a semiarid shrubland. Ecology. 4(3). Article e3968. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3968.

Western U.S. multistate research project on “water movement in soils”: A retrospective - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hopmans, J., Green, T.R., Young, M. 2022. Western U.S. multistate research project on “water movement in soils”: A retrospective. Vadose Zone Journal. 22(1). Article e20245. https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20245.

A win-win - (Popular Publication)

Spatial soil moisture regimes measured over two decades in a dryland field show effects of conversion from wheat-fallow to perennial vegetation - (Abstract Only)

Country-level fire perimeter datasets (2001-2021) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mahood, A.L., Lindrooth, E.J., Cook, M.C., Balch, J.K. 2022. Country-level fire perimeter datasets (2001-2021). Scientific Data - Nature. 9. Article e458. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01572-3.

Modern pyromes: Biogeographical patterns of fire characteristics across the contiguous United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Cattau, M.E., Mahood, A.L., Balch, J.K., Wessman, C.A. 2022. Modern pyromes: Biogeographical patterns of fire characteristics across the contiguous United States. Fire. 5(4). Article e95. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire5040095.