USU Engineering Professor Awarded New Grant from the United States Geological Survey

Som Dutta, assistant professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Utah State University, in collaboration with the Utah Water Science Center, has been awarded a new grant from the United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

The $277,500 award, spanning three years, will support both short-term and long-term management goals of the Great Salt Lake. Key objectives include:

• Developing the first 3D hydrodynamic model of how the Bear River mixes with the lake's south arm.
• Using U.S. Geological Survey data to create a physics constrained machine learning models to predict water flow through Bear River Bay into the lake.

"Our models have helped improve the fidelity of the salt and water balance models used by the state and U.S. Geological Survey for managing the Great Salt Lake," said Dutta. "This grant will help us dive deeper and reduce uncertainty about the main source of fresh water into the lake."

The proposed models will be informed by previous work conducted in collaboration with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Brian Crookston, associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

This research is part of a broader U.S. Geological Survey initiative to better understand salt concentrations and water levels in the Great Salt Lake. As one of North America's largest saline ecosystems, the lake supports wildlife, supplies brine shrimp globally, provides important minerals to the US and plays a vital role in Utah's economy and environment. With growing threats from drought and climate change, this work is essential for guiding responsible management and long-term preservation.

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Writer: Madeline Buskirk, madeline.buskirk@usu.edu, 435-797-7512

Contact: Som Dutta, som.dutta@usu.edu, 435-797-0583