Neha Gupta

Interests

No activities entered.

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Crosson, C., Pincetl, S., Bhushan, R., Scruggs, C., Zuniga-Teran, A., Gupta, N., Porse, E., Sharvelle, S., Boccelli, D. L., Pierce, G., Schuler, A., MacAdam, J., & Piza, H. (2025). Acceptance of a net zero urban water future: challenges and strategies for a sociotechnical shift of water systems. Front. Water, 7.
• Mroczek, C., Springer, A. E., Gupta, N., Sankey, T., & Lucas, B. (2025). Regional base-flow index in arid landscapes using machine learning and instrumented records. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 62. doi:10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102778
  More info

  Study region: This study focuses on Arizona, a dryland state in the southwestern United States with marked variability in climate, elevation, and hydrogeology. Arizona spans two major physiographic regions, the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range, each exhibiting distinct hydrologic behavior. Study focus: We quantify long-term base-flow index (BFI) patterns and trends across Arizona and develop a predictive framework for ungauged basins. BFI was calculated at 205 USGS stream gauges using a recursive digital filter applied to multi-decadal streamflow records. Coincident trends in precipitation, temperature, and evapotranspiration were analyzed to assess climate–base-flow relationships. We trained an eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model on hydroclimatic and physiographic variables to estimate long-term BFI from 1991 to 2020 at the 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) scale. New hydrological insights for the region: Groundwater discharge accounts for approximately 32 % of streamflow in Arizona, with substantial spatial variability linked to topography, land cover, and climate. High BFI values are found in forested headwaters with spring-fed and snowmelt-driven systems, while low values dominate the state’s arid lowlands. Declining BFI trends were most pronounced in monsoon-dominated, warm-dry, and low-slope basins. Precipitation was the strongest climate correlate of BFI trends, underscoring the importance of climate variability for dryland base flow. This integration of observational records and machine learning provides new insights into groundwater–surface water interactions and offers a transferable framework for water resource assessment in data-scarce dryland regions globally.
• Radonic, L., Zuniga-Teran, A. A., Gupta, N., Hovis, M. E., Kokroko, K. J., Aguilar-Murrieta, C., Gaxiola, I. E., Meziab, S., Nelson, M. L., & Sandoval, F. (2025). Learning from Bilingual Engagement Practice to Advance Justice in Climate Resilience Planning. Environmental Justice. doi:10.1089/env.2024.0076
  More info

  While there is widespread recognition of the need to incorporate underserved minority communities into planning and design processes for just climate adaptation policies and programs, the dynamics of facilitating bilingual workshops are still significantly under-explored in the literature. This article addresses the strategies, challenges, and lessons learned from conceptualizing, preparing, and facilitating low-budget bilingual workshops for community engagement in green infrastructure (GI) planning in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The two case studies discussed are connected to multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at involving historically underserved Hispanic communities in GI planning to address environmental justice issues. We first describe strategies to foster participation and exchanges in bilingual participatory workshops, where limited resources made professional interpretation and translation services unfeasible. We then share four lessons learned from these experiences by drawing on the successes and challenges of our approaches, and examining how cultural conceptions about language—our language ideologies—can impact community engagement in bilingual settings. The two case studies make a compelling argument for taking bilingual design and facilitation seriously to advance procedural and recognition justice in climate resilience planning through co-production in multilingual communities.
• Su, X., Dai, Q., Yao, C., Gupta, N., Korgaonkar, Y., Milczarek, M., Tong, D., & Xu, T. (2025). Stormwater capture as a Pathway to enhance groundwater recharge: A potential assessment in arid to semi-Arid urban landscapes. City and Environment Interactions, 26(Issue). doi:10.1016/j.cacint.2025.100190
  More info

  In semi-arid to arid regions, urban stormwater management practices (SMPs) can be used to capture runoff and enhance local groundwater recharge. This study develops a novel, transferable, easy-to-implement method that utilizes open public records and LiDAR data to quantify stormwater runoff captured by SMPs. The novel approach is demonstrated using the Phoenix Active Management Area (Phoenix AMA), a large metropolitan region in semi-arid to arid central Arizona. We employ a spatially distributed approach to analyse stormwater runoff capture under a portfolio of historical and future (1992–2058) climate and urbanization scenarios, with a focus on drywells and retention/detention ponds. It was found that existing drywell installations captured approximately 7.2 % of the total runoff in the Phoenix AMA during 2010–2020, or an average annual volume of 19,300 acre-ft (2.38 × 107m3). Retention/detention ponds are estimated to capture 82,900 acre-ft (1.02 × 108m3) annually during 2010–2019, or 28.4 % of the total runoff. Projections suggest that over 45,000 acre-ft (5.55 × 107m3) of more runoff could be captured per year under future climate and urbanization scenarios by 2058, with most of the increase attributed to urbanization. The results highlight the significant role of SMPs in mitigating stormwater runoff and improving local groundwater recharge. Our approach is transferable to other regions sharing the need for stormwater capture yet lacking detailed infrastructure data.
• Zuniga-Teran, A. A., Kokroko, K. J., Radonic, L. M., Hovis, M. E., Brown, A. R., Gaxiola, I. E., Sandoval, F., Bryson, M., Aguilar-Murrieta, C., Rodriguez-Ponce, O. A., Baldwin, B., Gupta, N., Cortez, L. I., & Barron-Gafford, G. A. (2025). Beyond native plants: Aligning greening programs with disadvantaged communities’ landscape needs for more equitable green infrastructure planning. Geoforum, 166. doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2025.104393
  More info

  Cities worldwide are turning to greening programs to adapt to climate change and increase urban resilience. These programs are particularly needed in disadvantaged neighborhoods, typically less vegetated and more vulnerable to severe heat and flooding. Drawing from environmental justice scholarship, we argue that it is necessary to recognize minority viewpoints and perspectives in green infrastructure planning and align greening programs accordingly to effectively reach disadvantaged communities. This study fills this gap by examining the alignment of greening programs with the viewpoints and perspectives of disadvantaged communities in Tucson, Arizona, a city leader in greening policies, albeit with inequities in the adoption of such policies and in greenspace distribution. We engaged low-income, predominantly Hispanic communities to identify residential plant preferences and understand the reasons for plant selection. Findings reveal a misalignment between the main drivers of greening programs and those of disadvantaged communities. To advance justice in green infrastructure planning in desert cities, we call for adopting a multifunctional approach to greening that recognizes the benefits and values sought by disadvantaged communities, acknowledges water as the key equity resource, and supports local leaders, engagement efforts, and partnerships.
• Crosson, C., Pincetl, S., Scruggs, C., Gupta, N., Bhushan, R., Sharvelle, S., Porse, E., Achilli, A., Zuniga-Teran, A., Pierce, G., Boccelli, D. L., Gerba, C. P., Morgan, M., Cath, T. Y., Thomson, B., Baule, S., Glass, S., Gold, M., MacAdam, J., , Cole, L., et al. (2024). Advancing a Net Zero Urban Water Future in the United States Southwest: Governance and Policy Challenges and Future Needs. ACS ES&T Water. doi:10.1021/acsestwater.4c00031
• Friedrich, H. K., Tellman, B., Sullivan, J. A., Saunders, A., Zuniga-Teran, A. A., Bakkensen, L. A., Cawley, M., Dolk, M., Emberson, R. A., Forrest, S. A., Gupta, N., Gyawali, N., Hall, C. A., Kettner, A. J., Lozano, J., & Bola, G. B. (2024). Earth Observation to Address Inequities in Post-Flood Recovery. Earth's Future, 12(2), e2023EF003606.
• Friedrich, H., Tellman, B., Sullivan, J., Saunders, A., Zuniga-Teran, A., Bakkensen, L., Cawley, M., Dolk, M., Emberson, R., Forrest, S., Gupta, N., Gyawali, N., Hall, C., Kettner, A., Lozano, J., & Bola, G. (2024). Earth Observation to Address Inequities in Post-Flood Recovery. Earth's Future, 12(2). doi:10.1029/2023EF003606
  More info

  Floods impact communities worldwide, resulting in loss of life, damaged infrastructure and natural assets, and threatened livelihoods. Climate change and urban development in flood-prone areas will continue to worsen flood-related losses, increasing the urgency for effective tools to monitor recovery. Many Earth Observation (EO) applications exist for flood-hazard monitoring and provide insights on location, timing, and extent in near real-time and historically to estimate flood risk. Less attention has been paid to flood recovery, even though differing recovery rates and outcomes can have immediate and enduring distributional effects within communities. EO data are uniquely positioned to monitor post-flood recovery and inform policy on hazard mitigation and adaptation but remain underutilized. We encourage the EO and flood research community to refocus on developing flood recovery applications to address growing risk. Translation of EO insights on flood recovery among flood-affected communities and decision-makers is necessary to address underlying social vulnerabilities that exacerbate inequitable recovery outcomes and advocate for redressing injustices where disparate recovery is observed. We identify an unequivocal need for EO to move beyond mapping flood hazard and exposure toward post-flood recovery monitoring to inform recovery across geographic contexts. This commentary proposes a framework for remote sensing scientists to engage community-based partners to integrate EO with non-EO data to advance flood recovery monitoring, characterize inequitable recovery, redistribute resources to mitigate inequities, and support risk reduction of future floods.
• Gupta, N., Bearup, L., Jacobs, K., Halper, E., Castro, C., Chang, H., & Fonseca, J. (2023). Stakeholder-Informed Hydroclimate Scenario Modeling in the Lower Santa Cruz River Basin for Water Resource Management. Water (Switzerland), 15(10). doi:10.3390/w15101884
  More info

  The Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study (LSCRB Study) is a collaborative effort of regional and statewide water management stakeholders working with the US Bureau of Reclamation under the auspices of the 2009 SECURE Water Act. The impacts of climate change, land use, and population growth on projected water supply in the LSCRB were evaluated to (1) identify projected water supply and demand imbalances and (2) develop adaptation strategies to proactively respond over the next 40 years. A multi-step hydroclimate modeling and risk assessment process was conducted to assess a range of futures in terms of temperature, precipitation, runoff, soil moisture, and evapotranspiration, with a particular focus on implications for ecosystem health. Key hydroclimate modeling process decisions were informed by ongoing multi-stakeholder engagement. To incorporate the region’s highly variable precipitation pattern, the study used a numerical “weather generator” to develop ensembles of precipitation and temperature time series for input to surface hydrology modeling efforts. Hydroclimate modeling outcomes consistently included increasing temperatures, and generated information related to precipitation responses (season length and timing, precipitation amount) considered useful for evaluating potential ecosystem impacts. A range of risks was identified using the hydroclimate modeling outputs that allowed for development of potential adaptation strategies.
• Gupta, N., Bearup, L., Jacobs, K., Halper, E., Castro, C., Chang, H., & Fonseca, J. (2023). Stakeholder-Informed Hydroclimate Scenario Modeling in the Lower Santa Cruz River Basin for Water Resource Management. Water, 15(10), 1884. doi:10.3390/w15101884
  More info

  The Lower Santa Cruz River Basin Study (LSCRB Study) is a collaborative effort of regional and statewide water management stakeholders working with the US Bureau of Reclamation under the auspices of the 2009 SECURE Water Act. The impacts of climate change, land use, and population growth on projected water supply in the LSCRB were evaluated to (1) identify projected water supply and demand imbalances and (2) develop adaptation strategies to proactively respond over the next 40 years. A multi-step hydroclimate modeling and risk assessment process was conducted to assess a range of futures in terms of temperature, precipitation, runoff, soil moisture, and evapotranspiration, with a particular focus on implications for ecosystem health. Key hydroclimate modeling process decisions were informed by ongoing multi-stakeholder engagement. To incorporate the region’s highly variable precipitation pattern, the study used a numerical “weather generator” to develop ensembles of precipitation and temperature time series for input to surface hydrology modeling efforts. Hydroclimate modeling outcomes consistently included increasing temperatures, and generated information related to precipitation responses (season length and timing, precipitation amount) considered useful for evaluating potential ecosystem impacts. A range of risks was identified using the hydroclimate modeling outputs that allowed for development of potential adaptation strategies.
• Gerlak, A., Baldwin, B., Zuniga-Teran, A., Colella, T., Elder, A., Bryson, M., Gupta, N., Yang, B., Doyle, T., Heflin, S., MacAdam, J., Hanshaw, K., McCoy, A., & Wilson, J. (2022). A collaborative effort to address maintenance of green infrastructure through a university–community partnership. Socio-Ecological Practice Research, 4(4). doi:10.1007/s42532-022-00127-5
  More info

  University–community partnerships can play an important role in this green infrastructure (GI) maintenance issue and provide a valuable mechanism to support socio-ecological practice to address complex urban water issues and build urban resilience. In this Perspective Essay, we draw from our experience in a university–community partnership to create a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Maintenance Protocol for the City of Tucson in Arizona, USA, through a collaborative, participatory dialogue process. We build upon our earlier work in the planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of green infrastructure efforts to tease out key lessons to inform university–community partnerships to support socio-ecological practice. In doing so, we explore our earlier three lessons for university–community partnerships including understanding and valuing the socio-ecological context; investing, and reinvesting, in the collaborative process; and embracing a diverse set of roles for universities. In reflecting on these lessons, we offer two additional lessons that speak to the importance of investing and engaging in equity, even when a university–community partnership seemingly appears not to be focused on justice issues, and the value in strengthening networks to maintain and further collaboration. These lessons can inform other university–community partnerships around the world to better support socio-ecological practice, expand access to GI in disadvantaged communities, and heighten urban resilience.
• Gerlak, A., Elder, A., Thomure, T., Shipek, C., Zuniga-Teran, A., Pavao-Zuckerman, M., Gupta, N., Matsler, M., Berger, L., Henry, A., Yang, B., Murrieta-Saldivar, J., & Meixner, T. (2021). Green Infrastructure: Lessons in Governance and Collaboration From Tucson. Environment, 63(3). doi:10.1080/00139157.2021.1898894
• Ibsen, P. C., Borowy, D., Dell, T., Greydanus, H., Gupta, N., Hondula, D. M., Meixner, T., Santelmann, M. V., Shiflett, S. A., Sukop, M. C., Swan, C. M., Talal, M. L., Valencia, M., Wright, M. K., & Jenerette, G. D. (2021). Greater aridity increases the magnitude of urban nighttime vegetation-derived air cooling. Environmental Research Letters, 16(Issue 3). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/abdf8a
  More info

  High nighttime urban air temperatures increase health risks and economic vulnerability of people globally. While recent studies have highlighted nighttime heat mitigation effects of urban vegetation, the magnitude and variability of vegetation-derived urban nighttime cooling differs greatly among cities. We hypothesize that urban vegetation-derived nighttime air cooling is driven by vegetation density whose effect is regulated by aridity through increasing transpiration. We test this hypothesis by deploying microclimate sensors across eight United States cities and investigating relationships of nighttime air temperature and urban vegetation throughout a summer season. Urban vegetation decreased nighttime air temperature in all cities. Vegetation cooling magnitudes increased as a function of aridity, resulting in the lowest cooling magnitude of 1.4 °C in the most humid city, Miami, FL, and 5.6 °C in the most arid city, Las Vegas, NV. Consistent with the differences among cities, the cooling effect increased during heat waves in all cities. For cities that experience a summer monsoon, Phoenix and Tucson, AZ, the cooling magnitude was larger during the more arid pre-monsoon season than during the more humid monsoon period. Our results place the large differences among previous measurements of vegetation nighttime urban cooling into a coherent physiological framework dependent on plant transpiration. This work informs urban heat risk planning by providing a framework for using urban vegetation as an environmental justice tool and can help identify where and when urban vegetation has the largest effect on mitigating nighttime temperatures.
• Meixner, T., Berkowitz, A., Downey, A., Pillich, J., Levea, R., Smith, B., Chandler, M., Gupta, N., Rullman, S., Woodroof, A., & Cherrier, J. (2021). Rapid assessment and long‐term monitoring of green stormwater infrastructure with citizen scientists. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(22). doi:10.3390/su132212520
  More info

  Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has emerged as a promising decentralized management approach to urban stormwater challenges. A lack of data about GSI performance interferes with widespread adoption of GSI. A citizen science program that benefits researchers, lay scientists, and municipalities offers a way to provide these lacking data. We have developed an open‐source, transferable green infrastructure rapid assessment (GIRA) protocol for studying the performance of GSI with citizen scientists. This protocol has been tested in six North American cities (New York City, Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago, San Francisco, and Buffalo). In this research we define the performance of GSI in varying geographic, climatic, and maintenance conditions with the intent to create technological, institutional, and management solutions to urban stormwater problems. The GIRA protocol was used by citizen scientists to assess the physical properties and capabilities of bioswales, while small, affordable Green Infrastructure Sensors Boxes (GIBoxes) were used to determine longer‐term function across several rain events. Our results indicate that teams of citizen scientists can be effective for collecting and archiving widespread information on the post‐installa-tion function of GSI. The effort also showed that citizen scientists had changes in understanding of urban stormwater challenges and the role that GSI can play in solving these problems. We explore the multiple benefits to knowledge, participants, and municipal partners as a result of this research.

Presentations

• Gupta, N. (2024). Meixner Tri-University Legacy Project. Water Resources Research Center Annual Conference. Tucson, AZ: Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona.
• Gupta, N. (2024). Supporting Arizona Water Resources Management through the Arizona Tri-University Recharge and Water Reliability Project. Invited Seminar: School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona UniversitySchool of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona University.

Poster Presentations

• Gupta, N., Korgaonkar, Y., Strom, N., & Ferrell, K. (2024). Empirical Analysis of Runoff in Urban and Undeveloped Arid and Semi-Arid Watersheds to Support Stormwater Capture Opportunities.. American Geophysical Union Fall 2024 Meeting.
• Gupta, N., Lima, R., Richter, H., & Jacobs, K. (2024). Using the San Pedro Watershed as a Test Bed for Hydrological Data Integration and Verification in the Arizona Tri-University Recharge and Water Reliability Project. American Geophysical Union Fall 2024 Meeting. Washington DC, USA.

Others

• Gupta, N., Jacobs, K., & Pearthree, K. (2024, March). Arizona Flood Control District Workshop on Integrating Recharge and Flood Control Objectives. Workshop.
• Gupta, N., Jacobs, K., Hinkley, M., & Schonek, K. (2024, December). Water Recharge and Environmental Enhancement Opportunities in Grasslands Workshop. Workshop.