Due to the many complexities the Colorado and Brahmaputra watersheds present, I have developed an hourglass research approach. Using the questions I created last week, I determined major issues that could potentially be addressed during my study. There are important factors that I will not have time to properly research this semester. However, the plan I describe bellow will allow for an in depth understanding of various interlinked issues, while providing a platform for the comparison’s broader implications.
T O P O F T H E H O U R G L A S S
In transboundary water basins, what key forces have propelled increased use, and how does their transboundary status affect that exploitation?
H I S T O R I C A L C O N T E X T
The Colorado and Brahmaputra river watersheds are extremely over allocated resources. The historical management of these two resources must be considered first in order to gain a greater context of current developments.
How has settlement, agricultural development, urbanization, and damming determined the management of the Colorado and Brahmaputra watersheds? What are the histories of major surface water project development in the watersheds?
F O C U S E D A S S E S S M E N T
In addition to the historical background gathered, the ecological and political statuses of each watershed will become clearer as I analyze current information. Ongoing and proposed surface water projects must then be researched and their various impacts determined.
How is the management of each watershed reacting to the presence of, or potential for, long term ecological degradation? Are current surface water project development plans being impacted by such responses? How is climate change influencing particular stresses, such as drought?
B R O A D E R I M P L I C A T I O N S
Following the focused research I collect, I will widen the scope of my study once again to identify how China and the United States are reacting to their watershed dilemmas on an international scale. Determining the issues countries downstream of the Colorado and Brahmaputra face, created by various management decisions upstream, will help conclude the study.
How are the nations that control the headwaters of the watersheds, China and the United States, currently managing the resource in terms of previous, current or potential transboundary conflicts?
Colorado River Watershed
Brahmaputra River Watershed
Finally, comparisons will be made between these two major watersheds. The similarities and differences will hopefully help determine how the future of prominent surface water conflicts, due to major watershed management, can be handled responsibly.