Martha P L Whitaker

Interests

Teaching

For Hydrology and Water Resource classes:Collaborative learning pedagogy and classroom space;Project-based or activity-based learning whenever possible and practical;Exploration of online course development.

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Venegas-Qui??ones, H., Vald??s-Pineda, R., Garc??a-Chevesich, P., Vald??s, J., Gupta, H. V., Whitaker, M., & Ferr??, T. (2024). Development of Groundwater Levels Dataset for Chile since 1970. Scientific Data, 11(1).
• S??nchez, R., Meixner, T., Roy, T., Ferr??, P., Whitaker, M., & Chorover, J. (2023). Physical and biogeochemical drivers of solute mobilization and flux through the critical zone after wildfire. Frontiers in Water, 5.
• Ferre, T. P., Whitaker, M. P., Washburne, J., Nijssen, B., & Ferre, T. P. (2006). Design and Testing of a Low-Cost Soil-Drying Oven. Vadose Zone Journal, 5(3), 856-859. doi:10.2136/vzj2005.0075
  More info

  Measuring gravimetric soil water content is a relatively elementary laboratory procedure; however, the inaccessibility of a laboratory oven makes this activity impractical for K–12 students. The Soil Moisture Campaign (SMC) Project of the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program was developed to use gravimetric water content measurement as an introduction to earth science research for K–12 students. We have designed and tested a low-budget, low-technology “light-bulb oven” that is affordable enough for use in a classroom. The light-bulb oven was tested by drying replicate samples of four different soil types in the light-bulb oven and in a traditional laboratory oven. The results show that the performance of the light-bulb oven was comparable to that of a traditional laboratory oven.
• Sorooshian, S., Imam, B., Mahani, S., Pagano, T., & Whitaker, M. (2003). Hydrologic sciences and water resources management issues in a changing world. Developments in Water Science, 50(C), 83-92.
• Whitaker, M. P., Sorooshian, S., & Hogue, T. S. (2002). Regional and global hydrology and water resources issues: The role of international and national programs. Aquatic Sciences, 64(4), 317-327. doi:10.1007/pl00012589
  More info

  This paper presents an overview of water resources issues in the context of world population growth, climate change, and variability, and provides examples of how these issues affect local and regional water policy concerns. Also discussed is the associated research of the international scientific community in regard to physically-based modeling of the hydrological cycle, with special focus on the Global Energy and Water cycle EXperiment (GEWEX) Programme. The critical role of precipitation measurements for climate model accuracy is emphasized, with a review of several satellite methods and strategies for improving precipitation measurements. Finally, the impact of semiarid regions on global hydrologic issues is underscored with a review of research conducted by SAHRA, the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center dedicated to Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas.
• Goodrich, D. C., Chehbouni, A., Goff, B., MacNish, B., Maddock, T., Moran, S., Shuttleworth, W. J., Williams, D. G., Watts, C., Hipps, L. H., Cooper, D. I., Schieldge, J., Kerr, Y. H., Arias, H., Kirkland, M., Carlos, R., Cayrol, P., Kepner, W., Jones, B., , Avissar, R., et al. (2000). Preface paper to the Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere (SALSA) Program special issue. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 105(1-3), 3-20.

Proceedings Publications

• Whitaker, M. P. (1993). Evaluating soil moisture and hydraulic conductivity in semi-arid rangeland soils.

Presentations

• Sherman, N., Barbian, V., Barcelo, D., Bartlett, S., Burns, K. `., Carling, A., Gineris, Z., Hanania, B., Lacson, L., Edie, L., Mathews, B., Moon, M., Post, E., Romero, M., Samorano, I., Yu, L., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, December 9).

  Quantifying Flash Flood Warning Thresholds in Pima County, AZ

  . Seminar presentation of 2025 CURE results to National Weather Service. ENR Building, Room 253 (Conference Room) UArizona Campus, Tucson, AZ: National Weather Service (NWS) Tucson Office.
  More info

  Below is an abstract I wrote in association with the presentation.Tucson meteorologists currently lack quantitative rainfall thresholds to inform flash flood warning issuance. In response to a request from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Tucson, Arizona, students in HWRS 350 Principles of Hydrology analyzed precipitation rates that triggered flash floods in Pima County and determined peak precipitation rates during flash flood events from 2018-2024. This research directly supports NWS objectives to safeguard communities and minimize economic losses by improving warning accuracy and potentially reducing emergency response times periodStudents obtained flash flood event dates in Pima County from 2018- 2024 using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) storm events database. Corresponding rainfall data at 15-, 30-, and 60-minute intervals were retrieved from the Pima County Regional Flood Control District ALERT web page using a web-scraping Python script. Frequency distribution of precipitation rates during flash flood events were generated through histogram analysis.Results indicate that maximum precipitation rates associated with flash floods from 2018-2024 were 0.43 inches in 15 minutes, 0.55 inches and 30 minutes, and 0.67 inches and 60 minutes. These quantitative thresholds provide empirical data to inform Tucson NWS meteorologists' flash flood warning decisions, ultimately supporting community safety and economic protection objectives.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This question of my percentage ownership is comples, and the honest answer depends somewhat on how "ownership/responsibility" is being defined — intellectual/creative ownership versus labor contribution. Here is how I thought through it:Factors pointing toward high ownership (mine):I conceived the project in collaboration with Tom Dang of the NWS. He helped me design the project, but I take responsibility for adjusting the design of the project t make it viable for a class of undergraduates to complete as a single module in the class in a single semesterI cultivated the relationship with the NWS that created the opportunityI developed the module activities and supervised all workI directed specific assignments to specific studentsI led all group discussions and interpretation of resultsI edited the final presentationI scheduled and managed the presentation logisticsI supervised a prior pilot study that took place in Spring 2025Factors pointing toward shared or student ownership:Students executed the data collection and analysisOne of the stduents wrote the Python scraping and histogram codesStudents created the slide contentThis is a common dynamic in faculty-supervised undergraduate research — the intellectual architecture, design, and direction are almost entirely the faculty member's, while the execution is shared with students.My estimate: 75–85% ownership/responsibility for the project leadershipThe primary reason it is not higher is that the Python code and data pipeline represent genuine intellectual contribution from a student, not just labor. The slide creation is largely execution of your direction, so that weighs less heavily.If the form is asking specifically about intellectual and creative ownership rather than labor hours, I would feel comfortable stating 80% as a defensible and honest figure. This is the number I listed below.If it is asking about labor contribution, the number would be lower — perhaps 40–50% — since students did the hands-on work. This is the number (50%) I chose when listing my percentage contribution as co-author on the presentation. I list Noah Sherman as first author since he wrote the Python codes, then all other students are listed alphabetically, even though some contributed slightly more than others. I listed my name at the end to acknowledge my students' core contribution to the project.  

Poster Presentations

• Baeza, B., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  Baeza, B., M.P.L. Whitaker, T. Crimmins. 2025. The influence of temperature on fruit/seed production for five species in Indiana. UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase. April 24, 2025.

  . UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase.. Tucson, AZ: UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension.
• Beyer, T., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  Beyer, T., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Can irrigation affect the onset of colored leaves in Pima County, AZ? VIP & CURE Poster Session. April 24, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . VIP & CURE Poster Session. Tucson, AZ.
• Beyer, T., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, March 24).

  Beyer, T., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. The 2025 UArizona School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) Earthweek Plenary Poster Session. March 24, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . Earthweek Plenary Poster Session. Tucson, AZ.
• Christien, S., Nepsa, B., Whitaker, M. P., Anderson, J., Elwakeel, L., Flanigan, J., Freese, J., Hammer, C., Han, A., Minke, A., Rowell, L., Stoner, G., & Zhao, L. (2025, April 24).

  The link between southwestern U.S. precipitation and northwestern North American
  snow cover may be weaker than previously believed.

  . Americn Geophysical Union 2025 Annual Meeting. New Orleans, Louisiana.
  More info

  Since Christien already presented a similar poster at the 2025 VIP/CURE Poster Session, she agreed to present an updated poster at AGU 2025.
• Christien, S., Whitaker, M. P., Anderson, J., Elwakeel, L., Jack, F., Freese, J., Hammer, C., Han, A., Minke, A., Nepsa, B., Rowell, L., Stoner, G., & Zhao, L. (2025, April 24).

  ERA5 precipitation data do not reveal a previously-established correlation between snowcover in NW North America and the magnitude of the North American monsoon

  . CURE/VIP Poster Session. Health Sciences Innovation Building, UArizona, Tucson, Arizona.
  More info

  Christien was the only student from the 2024 CURE project who volumteered to present the research in a poster format for the VIP/CURE Poster Session.
• Lasater, A., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  Lasater, A., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Day length and growing degree days as best predictors of leaf color change in two maple species. UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase. April 24, 2025.

  . UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase.. Tucson, AZ: UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension.
• Munoz, E., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  Munoz, E. 2025. How do plant species in different locations respond to phenological changes? VIP & CURE Poster Session. April 24, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . VIP & CURE Poster Session. Tucson, AZ.
• Munoz, E., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 28).

  Munoz, E. 2025. How do plant species in different locations respond to phenological changes? Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Undergraduate Poster Session. April 28, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Undergraduate Poster Session. Tucson, AZ: UArizona's Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB).
• Munoz, E., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, March 27).

  Munoz, E. 2025. How do plant species in different locations respond to phenological changes? ENViSion 2025 is the UArizona Department of Environmental Science student-run research symposium, March 27, 2025, Tucson, AZ.

  . ENViSion 2025. Tucson, AZ: The UArizona Department of Environmental Science.
• Murrieta, F., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  Murrieta, F., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Springtime intraspecies synchronicity of open flowers for desert willow, blue palo verde, velvet mesquite, and creosote bush in Tucson, Arizona. UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase. April 24, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase.. Tucson, AZ: UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension.
• Murrieta, F., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  Murrieta, F., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Springtime intraspecies synchronicity of open flowers for desert willow, blue palo verde, velvet mesquite, and creosote bush in Tucson, Arizona. VIP & CURE Poster Session. April 24, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . VIP & CURE Poster Session. Tucson, AZ.
• Murrieta, F., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, March 24).

  Murrieta, F., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Springtime intraspecies synchronicity of open flowers for desert willow, blue palo verde, velvet mesquite, and creosote bush in Tucson, Arizona. The 2025 UArizona School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) Earthweek Plenary Poster Session. March 24, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . UArizona School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) Earthweek Plenary Poster Session.. Tucson, AZ: UArizona School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES).
• Murrieta, F., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, March 25).

  Murrieta, F., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Springtime intraspecies synchronicity of open flowers for desert willow, blue palo verde, velvet mesquite, and creosote bush in Tucson, Arizona. El Dia del Agua y la Atmosfera, The UArizona Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences’ annual student research symposium. March 25, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . El Dia del Agua y la Atmosfera, The UArizona Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences’ annual student research symposium. Tucson, AZ: The UArizona Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences.
• Murrieta, F., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, March 27).

  Murrieta, F., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Springtime intraspecies synchronicity of open flowers for desert willow, blue palo verde, velvet mesquite, and creosote bush in Tucson, Arizona. ENViSion 2025 is the UArizona Department of Environmental Science student-run research symposium, March 27, 2025, Tucson, AZ.

  . ENViSion 2025. Tucson, AZ: UArizona Department of Environmental Science.
• Robert, J., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  The Nevada Streamgage Catalog

  . CURE/VIP Poster Session. Health Sciences Innovation Building, UArizona, Tucson, Arizona.
  More info

  Robert worked on this project and presented his results as part of his MS Project. He obtained the location of stream gages and precipitation gages in NV, under my and Claire Bunch's guidance. Claire is a Hydrologist at the US Geological Survey AZ Water Science Center in Tucson, AZ Robert's presentation was a demonstration of the interactive map that is the product of this project.
• Sigona, J., Whitaker, M. P., & Crimmins, T. M. (2025, April 24).

  Sigona, J.,  M.P.L. Whitaker, T. Crimmins. 2025. Do members of the Magnoliaceae family show resilience to climate factors in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? 

  . UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase. Tucson, AZ: UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE).
• Sigona, J., Whitaker, M. P., & Crimmins, T. M. (2025, March 27).

  Sigona, J.,  M.P.L. Whitaker, T. Crimmins. 2025. Do members of the Magnoliaceae family show resilience to climate factors in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

  . ENViSion 2025, the UArizona Department of Environmental Science student-run research symposium. Tucson, AZ: The UArizona's Department of Environmental Science.
• Stoller, S., Nicholas, M., Goodrum-Sterling, H., Jimenez-Wieneke, R., Bunch, C., Booker, S., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, December 16).

  Connecting Students with Federal Agency Research: The Arizona Streamgage Catalog (AZStreamCAT) Vertically-Integrated Project (VIP)

  . American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting. New Orleans, Louisiana.
  More info

  Water resource monitoring across the United States involves multiple agencies operating streamgages and precipitation gauges, yet these data remain fragmented across organizations, creating significant data gaps for researchers and water managers. The Arizona Streamgage Catalog (AZStreamCAT) Vertically-Integrated Project (VIP) addresses this challenge through a collaboration between undergraduate and graduate students and hydrologists at the US Geological Survey Arizona Water Science Center, demonstrating how academic-federal partnerships can tackle real-world infrastructure problems while providing authentic research experiences.Students in the AZStreamCAT VIP have created a growing interactive map cataloging streamgage and precipitation gauge locations with metadata for all seven Colorado River Basin states. This project provides students with essential professional skills including communicating with various agencies that maintain water data, downloading and navigating large public datasets, data scrubbing techniques, managing messy and incomplete data, data visualization software proficiency, website development, trend analysis, and scientific communication through oral presentations, posters, and live demonstrations at symposia and national conferences.The partnership has proven mutually beneficial, with students receiving opportunities for internships with USGS after completing at least one semester of project work. The VIP addresses a genuine need for centralized water resource data by creating a publicly-accessible web application using Tableau Public that catalogs both USGS and non-USGS gauge locations, supporting metadata, and (when available) direct links to access streamflow and precipitation data.This model demonstrates how VIPs can connect undergraduate education with federal agency missions while addressing critical infrastructure data gaps. The project exemplifies "Where Science Connects Us" by bridging academic institutions and federal agencies, creating pathways for student career development while producing valuable public resources. Our goal is to expand this model nationwide and publish the final product through USGS, showing how student research can contribute to national water resource management infrastructure.
• Traynor, D., Crimmins, T. M., & Whitaker, M. P. (2025, April 24).

  Traynor, D., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Daylength appears to be the most important factor affecting phenophases of oak trees in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

  . UArizona’s Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences, & Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Research Showcase. Tucson, AZ.
  More info

  Des was an undergraduate researcher. Dr. Theresa Crimmins advised his research as her expertise is phenology. I provided general scientific advise and especially provided editorial guidance on his poster.   
• Whitaker, M. P., & Crimmins, T. (2025, December 16).

  Connecting Students with Community Data: A Vertically-Integrated Project Model for Undergraduate Environmental Research

  . American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting. New Orleans, Louisiana.
  More info

  Many community-based environmental monitoring groups and citizen science initiatives, including the USA National Phenology Network’s (USA NPN) Local Phenology Programs (LPP), have collected rich, long-term datasets but lack the capacity to analyze their data effectively. Simultaneously, undergraduate students seek authentic research experiences that help them develop analytical and communication skills. This poster presents a Vertically-Integrated Project (VIP) model at the University of Arizona, called Integrated Climate Research: Ecology, Water, Weather (ICREWW) that addresses both needs by connecting students with volunteer-contributed environmental datasets, creating mutually-beneficial partnerships between academic institutions and community organizations.In the ICREWW VIP, students worked with phenology and environmental monitoring datasets contributed by LPPs, gaining hands-on experience with real-world data that is sometimes messy or inconsistently collected. Students developed research-ready skills including data cleaning, summarizing, analyzing, visualizing, and presenting results through oral presentations, posters, and written reports. The collaborative nature of the program fostered peer learning as students provided feedback to one another and refined their scientific communication abilities. Community partners benefited from analyses that answered their questions and provided results in formats useful for messaging with volunteers and host institutions.We will share self-reflections from students and faculty on this replicable model, identifying outcomes, challenges, and best practices for implementation. Key insights include the importance of involving community partners early in the process to better shape research questions, balancing individual student projects with manageable oversight, and the significant benefits of dedicating time to abstract writing, poster preparation, and presentation skills.
• Whitaker, M. P., & Dang, T. (2025, December 16).

  Connecting Undergraduate Students with Real-World Meteorological Research: A Partnership Between Academia and the National Weather Service

  . American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting. New Orleans, Louisiana.
  More info

  Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) provide authentic research opportunities while addressing scientific questions that benefit professional stakeholders. This presentation describes a successful three-year collaboration between undergraduate hydrology students and meteorologists at the National Weather Service (NWS) Tucson office, demonstrating how academic-professional partnerships enhance student learning with the possibility of contributing to operational forecasting needs.In HWRS 350 Principles of Hydrology, students engage in a CURE module that addresses questions that are relevant to NWS operational forecasts. Working with research questions suggested by Tom Dang of NWS Tucson, students have investigated regional climate questions including changes in daily Arizona monsoon storm timing over 50+ years, correlations between snow water equivalent and North American monsoon magnitude using ERA5 precipitation data, and minimum precipitation thresholds for flash flood warnings in Pima County using 30+ years of data. Each research question emerges from genuine operational interests, ensuring student work has the potential to contribute meaningfully to professional meteorological practice.The program culminates each semester with a student presentation to NWS meteorologists, providing direct feedback on research quality and real-world applicability. This professional presentation opportunity demonstrates the practical value of student research while building communication skills essential for scientific careers. The authenticity of these research questions has proven highly motivating, with students from the past two years voluntarily continuing their investigations beyond required coursework, ultimately presenting expanded research at departmental symposia and professional conferences.This model illustrates how strategic partnerships between academic institutions and professional organizations create mutually beneficial research experiences that enhance student engagement while addressing genuine scientific needs. The program demonstrates how undergraduate research bridges educational institutions and professional practice, creating lasting connections benefiting both student learning and operational science.
• Whitaker, M. P., Crimmins, T. M., & Sedona, O. (2025, April 23).

  O’Hearn, S. T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. Exploring plant synchronicity in phenological shifts in the Great Smoky Mountains. Franke Honors Pinnacle. April 23, 2025. Tucson, AZ.

  . Franke Honors Pinnacle. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona's Franke Honors College.
• Whitaker, M. P., Kyle, S., & Crimmins, T. M. (2025, April 24).

  Skoda, K., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. How does the leaf out of deep rooting phreatophyte, Populus deltoides, respond to variations in groundwater levels?

  . VIP & CURE Poster Session. Tucson, AZ.
• Whitaker, M. P., Kyle, S., & Crimmins, T. M. (2025, March 25).

  Skoda, K., T. Crimmins, M.P.L. Whitaker. 2025. How does the leaf out of deep rooting phreatophyte, Populus deltoides, respond to variations in groundwater levels?

  . El Día del Agua y la Atmósfera, The UArizona Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences’ annual student research symposium. Tucson, AZ: The UArizona's Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences.