Dol Chalise
Graduate Student | Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering | NC State University
2018-19 Global Change Fellow
Statement of purpose:
Prior to joining NC State, I worked for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and few private energy firms. From this work experience, I gained a passion for research related to the climate-energy-water nexus.
Description of research:
Conventional reservoir management typically optimizes water and energy needs and produces economic benefits. Reservoir management considers downstream release to be an environmental constraint where a minimum flow value must be met. However, such minimum flow value may not meet the ecological flow requirement. My PhD research focuses on reservoir operation and ecological flow releases under climate change. Towards this, I consider time and frequency domain analyses to characterize flow changes under pre and post reservoir commissioning. I plan to develop a method to minimize the flow alteration, which can be implemented inside multi-purpose reservoir operation to minimize the deviation from natural flow regime under changing climate. An improved method for minimizing flow alterations under climate change provide water and resource managers with tools to maximize ecological benefits (or value). Additionally, this research goal can provide the associated energy production and produce economic benefits to stake holders associated with ecosystem services. This research aligns with DOI Priorities 1. Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt.