“Climate change impacts on snowmelt-dependent

agricultural systems near Mount Kenya”

Princeton Ecohydrology LabHaley Lane and Taylor Morgan

Drew GowerPrinceton PhD candidate, Department of Civil and

Environmental Engineering

● Laikipia plateau - dryland savannas and low hills

● more than 1,000 mm/yr from its upper slopes to the plateau.

● large disparities in water availability for local farming communities

Mt. Kenya

● estimate availability of agricultural water for communities in upstream and downstream areas

● evaluate effectiveness of governmental structures in coordinating water usage among communities

● better understand effects of climate change, and resulting disruption in water availability, on household income and food security

Project Objectives

Field work

● Stream gauging● Water sample

collection● Meetings with

local water resource organizations

Stream Gauging

Gauging Locations

Gauging Locations

Stream Gauging

Lab work

● Water isotope analysis

● Water turbidity analysis

● Plant isotope analysis

Acknowledgements

Thank you to:● Drew Gower● Prof. Kelly Caylor ● Ecohydrology Lab

o John Gitonga, Boniface Mukoma, Moses Kioko Musyoka● Miranda Bernard● Julia Signell● Lorin Romeo Romay● Mpala Research Center● Princeton Environmental Institute● Photos from Miranda Bernard, Haley Lane, Taylor Morgan