Laura Condon: Modeling Water Movement for a Sustainable Future

This profile is part of a series highlighting University of Arizona researchers featured in Sandstorm, a themed football game celebrating the ways the Sonoran Desert shapes our university and gives us a competitive advantage. From ecological restoration to groundbreaking research, these experts are using the unique conditions of the university’s environment to tackle challenges and create solutions with impact far beyond Arizona.

Growing up on a farm in Colorado, Laura Condon pondered the mysteries of water—its sources and its seasonal disappearance. This early curiosity has driven her career as a professor in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona, where she delves into the complexities of water availability and sustainability.

Condon’s journey in water research has been diverse, from studying environmental engineering to consulting and working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Her focus consistently remains on large-scale water issues. “At every turn, I see more problems that are both scientifically interesting and challenging to solve, and where I feel like their answer really matters to people,” Condon expressed.

Her research pivoted to developing computer models grounded in the physics of water movement, as statistical models often falter when historical patterns shift—an issue prevalent in the western U.S. due to climate changes affecting the snowpack-streamflow relationship.

Condon employs a modeling platform designed over three decades ago, which calculates water movement through principles like gravity and seepage. This tool helps predict future river scenarios and groundwater extraction impacts. “I wanted to do it in a really rigorous way – to ask questions that are falling outside the envelope of what we’ve seen before,” she noted.

In collaboration with a multi-institutional team, Condon extended this model to simulate water dynamics across the contiguous United States. Weekly simulations recreate past water movements and predict upcoming trends, offering a comprehensive view from the earth’s depths to treetops.

At the University of Arizona, Condon’s group partners with Princeton University researchers to train AI using this robust model, aiming to provide rapid solutions to real-world water challenges.

Condon also champions public science communication, leading Water Whys. This initiative involves students and graphic designers creating visuals that explain water and weather hazards to the public. Prompted by inquiries like a Phoenix TV meteorologist’s request for a post-wildfire flooding graphic, the team crafts informative signs for public awareness, such as heat warnings at Tucson International Airport.

She believes in research driven by community needs, a philosophy that earned her the American Geophysical Union’s James B. Macelwane Medal. Describing herself as a builder, she relishes the hands-on aspects of her work, from coding to data extraction.

“I’m inherently optimistic,” Condon remarked, “and I want to be part of building a better future.”

Learn more at arizona.edu/sandstorm.