Dr. Sarah Null

Publications | Abstracts

• Yost, M., Schad, J., Barker, B., Null, S., (2025). Advancing Utah’s Secure Water Future: Irrigation Organizations and Water Market Uptake. *
• Yost, M., Null, S., Tarboton, D.G, (2025). GSL Strike Team: Comprehensive water resources management in a terminal watershed facing environmental challenges. *

An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.

Publications | Books

• Null, S., Wurtsbaugh, W.A, (2020). Water Development, Consumptive Water Uses, and Great Salt Lake: Great Salt Lake Biology: A Terminal Lake in a Time of Change.

An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.

Publications | Fact Sheets

• Zesiger, C., Barker, B., Null, S., Creech, J.E, Yost, M., Larsen, R., Dallin, J., (2023). Agriculture water use and economic value in the Great Salt Lake Basin.
• Beach, T., Mesner, N., Null, S., (2016). Exploring Utah’s Water. USU Extension

An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.

Publications | Journal Articles

Academic Journal

• Schumacher, B., Yost, M., Schad, J., Barker, B., Null, S., (2026). Agricultural Water Manager Perspectives on Water Markets in Utah. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70085
• Li, L., Dogan, M.S, Maskey, M., Rodriguez-Flores, J.M, Vache, K.B, Cole, S., Null, S., Viers, J.H, Safeeq, M., Medellin-Azuara, J., Conklin, M., (2025). Optimized water allocation with managed groundwater recharge and prioritized wetland deliveries to moderate human-nature water use tradeoffs under climate change. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 60:102496, doi: 10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102496
• Goodrum, G.C, Hawkins, C.P, Walsworth, T., Null, S., (2025). Predicting road‐crossing passability for river connectivity analysis. River Research and Applications, doi: 10.1002/rra.4434
• Turney, E.K, Goodrum, G.C, Saunders, W.C, Walsworth, T., Null, S., (2025). Comparing commonly used aquatic habitat modeling methods for native fish. Ecological Modelling, 499, doi: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110909
• Farshid, A., Null, S., (2025). Flood injustice in 500-year floodplains. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 7, doi: 10.3389/fhumd.2025.1496686
• Null, S., Zeff, H., Mount, J., Gray, B., Sturrock, A.M, Sencan, G., Dybala, K., Thompson, B., (2024). Storing and managing water for the environment is more efficient than mimicking natural flows. Nature Communications, 15:1, doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49770-4
• Morrisett, C.N, Van Kirk, R.W, Null, S., (2024). Can Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (Ag-MAR) Recover Return Flows Under Prior Appropriation in a Warming Climate?. Water Resources Research, 60:8, doi: 10.1029/2023WR036648
• Sor, R., Prudencio, L., Hogan, Z.S, Chandra, S., Ngor, P.B, Null, S., (2024). Factors influencing fish migration in one of the world’s largest inland fisheries. Frontiers in Freshwater Science, 2, doi: 10.3389/ffwsc.2024.1426350
• Sor, R., Ngor, P.B, Lek, S., Chann, K., Khoeun, R., Chandra, S., Hogan, Z.S, Null, S., (2023). Fish biodiversity declines with dam development in the Lower Mekong Basin. Scientific Reports, 13:1, doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-35665-9
• Morrisett, C.N, Van Kirk, R.W, Null, S., (2023). Assessing downstream aquatic habitat availability relative to headwater reservoir management in the Henrys Fork Snake River. River Research and Applications, 39:9, 1749-1762. doi: 10.1002/rra.4175
• Ngor, P.B, Uy, S., Sor, R., Chan, B., Holway, J., Null, S., So, N., Grenouillet, G., Chandra, S., Hogan, Z.S, Lek, S., (2023). Predicting fish species richness and abundance in the Lower Mekong Basin. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, doi: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1131142
• Morrisett, C.N, Van Kirk, R.W, Bernier, L.O, Holt, A.L, Perel, C.B, Null, S., (2023). The irrigation efficiency trap: rational farm-scale decisions can lead to poor hydrologic outcomes at the basin scale. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1188139
• Chann, K., Sok, T., Khoeun, R., Men, V., Visessri, S., Oeurng, C., Sor, R., Null, S., (2022). Prolonged and Severe Drought in the Most Dammed Tributaries of the Lower Mekong Basin. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14:23, doi: 10.3390/su142316254
• Parsinejad, M., Rosenberg, D.E, Ghale, Y., Khazaei, B., Null, S., Raja, O., Safaie, A., Sima, S., Sorooshian, A., Wurtsbaugh, W.A, (2022). 40-years of Lake Urmia restoration research: Review, synthesis and next steps. Science of the Total Environment155055, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155055
• Ficklin, D.L, Null, S., Abatzoglou, J.T, Novick, K.A, Myers, D.T, (2022). Hydrological Intensification Will Increase the Complexity of Water Resource Management. Earth's Future, 10:3, doi: 10.1029/2021EF002487
• Goodrum, G.C, Null, S., (2022). Reduced complexity models for regional aquatic habitat suitability assessment. Journal of the American Water Resources Association
• Zhang, Q., Jin, J., Budy, P., Null, S., Wang, X., Pennock, C., (2021). Predicting Thermal Responses of an Arctic Lake to Whole-Lake Warming Manipulation. Geophysical Research Letters, 48:23, e2021GL092680.
• Sims, C., Null, S., Medellin-Azuara, J., Odame, A., (2021). Hurry up or wait: Are private investments in climate change adaptation delayed?. Climate Change Economics, 12:4, doi: 10.1142/S2010007821500123
• Null, S., Olivares, M.A, Cordera, F., Lund, J.R, (2021). Pareto Optimality and Compromise for Environmental Water Management. Water Resources Research, 57:10, doi: 10.1029/2020WR028296
• Soum, S., Ngor, P.B, Dilts, T.E, Lohani, S., Kelson, S., Null, S., Tromboni, F., Hogan, Z.S, Chan, B., Chandra, S., (2021). Spatial and long-term temporal changes in water quality dynamics of the tonle sap ecosystem. Water (Switzerland), 13:15, doi: 10.3390/w13152059
• Tromboni, F., Dilts, T.E, Null, S., Lohani, S., Ngor, P.B, Soum, S., Hogan, Z., Chandra, S., (2021). Changing land use and population density are degrading water quality in the lower mekong basin. Water (Switzerland), 13:14, doi: 10.3390/w13141948
• Sima, S., Rosenberg, D.E, Wurtsbaugh, W.A, Null, S., Kettenring, K., (2021). Managing Lake Urmia, Iran for diverse restoration objectives: Moving beyond a uniform target lake level. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 35
• Sor, R., Ngor, P.B, Soum, S., Chandra, S., Hogan, Z.S, Null, S., (2021). Water quality degradation in the lower mekong basin. Water (Switzerland), 13:11, doi: 10.3390/w13111555
• Gray, C.A, Toone, C., Jenkins, M.J, Null, S., Yocom, L., (2021). Spatial and temporal fuels changes in whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) from mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae). Forest Ecology and Management, 482, doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118789
• Null, S., Farshid, A., Goodrum, G., Gray, C.A, Lohani, S., Morrisett, C.N, Prudencio, L., Sor, R., (2021). A meta-analysis of environmental tradeoffs of hydropower dams in the sekong, sesan, and srepok (3S) rivers of the lower mekong basin. Water (Switzerland), 13:1, doi: 10.3390/w13010063
• Lohani, S., Dilts, T.E, Weisberg, P.J, Null, S., Hogan, Z.S, (2020). Rapidly accelerating deforestation in Cambodia's Mekong River basin: A comparative analysis of spatial patterns and drivers. Water (Switzerland), 12:8, doi: 10.3390/W12082191
• Van Kirk, R.W, Contor, B.A, Morrisett, C.N, Null, S., Loibman, A.S, (2020). Potential for managed aquifer recharge to enhance fish habitat in a regulated river. Water (Switzerland), 12:3, 1-21. doi: 10.3390/w12030673
• Brahney, J., Bothwell, M.L, Capito, L., Gray, C.A, Null, S., Menounos, B., Curtis, P.J, (2020). Glacier recession alters stream water quality characteristics facilitating bloom formation in the benthic diatom Didymosphenia geminata. Science of the Total Environment
• Zhang, Q., Jin, J., Wang, X., Budy, P., Barrett, N., Null, S., (2019). Improving lake mixing process simulations in the Community Land Model by using K profile parameterization. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 23:12, 4969-4982. doi: 10.5194/hess-23-4969-2019
• Dzara, J.R, Neilson, B.T, Null, S., (2019). Quantifying thermal refugia connectivity by combining temperature modeling, distributed temperature sensing, and thermal infrared imaging. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 23:7, 2965-2982. doi: 10.5194/hess-23-2965-2019
• Wine, M.L, Null, S., DeRose, J., Wurtsbaugh, W.A, (2019). Climatization-Negligent attribution of great salt lake desiccation: A comment on Meng (2019). Climate, 7:5, doi: 10.3390/cli7050067
• Sims, C., Null, S., (2019). Climate Forecasts and Flood Mitigation. Southern Economic Journal, 85:4, 1083-1107. doi: 10.1002/soej.12331
• Kraft, M., Rosenberg, D.E, Null, S., (2019). Prioritizing Stream Barrier Removal to Maximize Connected Aquatic Habitat and Minimize Water Scarcity. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 55:2, 382-400. doi: 10.1111/1752-1688.12718
• Génova, P., Null, S., Olivares, M.A, (2019). Economic-engineering method for assessing trade-offs between instream and offstream uses. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 145:3, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001026
• Edwards, E., Null, S., (2019). The cost of addressing saline lake level decline and the potential for water conservation markets. Science of the Total Environment, 651, 435-442.
• Ficklin, D.L, Abatzoglou, J.T, Robeson, S.M, Null, S., Knouft, J.H, (2018). Natural and managed watersheds show similar responses to recent climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 115:34, 8553-8557. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1801026115
• Prudencio, L., Null, S., (2018). Stormwater management and ecosystem services: a review. Environmental Research Letters , 13:3, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/aaa81a
• Wurtsbaugh, W.A, Miller, C., Null, S., Justin De Rose, R., Wilcock, P., Hahnenberger, M., Howe, F., Moore, J., (2017). Decline of the world's saline lakes. Nature Geoscience, 10:11, 816-821.
• Null, S., Mouzon, N.R, Elmore, L.R, (2017). Dissolved oxygen, stream temperature, and fish habitat response to environmental water purchases. Journal of Environmental Management, 197, 559-570. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.016
• Beach, T., Null, S., Gray, C.A, (2016). An affordable method of thermal infrared remote sensing of wadeable rivers using a weather balloon. Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence, VII, 26-31.
• Null, S., Prudencio, L., (2016). Climate change effects on water allocations with season-dependent water rights. Science of the Total Environment, 571, 943-954. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.081
• Rheinheimer, D.E, Null, S., Viers, J.H, (2016). Climate-adaptive water year typing for instream flow requirements in California's sierra Nevada. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 142:11, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000693
• Elmore, L.R, Null, S., Mouzon, N.R, (2016). Effects of Environmental Water Transfers on Stream Temperatures. River Research and Applications, 32:7, 1415-1427. doi: 10.1002/rra.2994
• Null, S., (2016). Water Supply Reliability Tradeoffs between Removing Reservoir Storage and Improving Water Conveyance in California. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 52:2, 350-366. doi: 10.1111/1752-1688.12391
• White, J.S, Null, S., Tarboton, D.G, (2015). How Do Changes to the Railroad Causeway in Utah’s Great Salt Lake Affect Water and Salt Flow?. PLoS One, 10:12, e0144111. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144111
• Rheinheimer, D.E, Null, S., Lund, J.R, (2015). Optimizing selective withdrawal from reservoirs to manage downstream temperatures with climate warming. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 141:4, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000447
• Hale, R.L, Armstrong, A., Baker, M.A, Bedingfield, S., Betts, D., Buahin, C., Buchert, M., Crowl, T.A, Dupont, R.R, Ehleringer, J., Endter-Wada, J.L, Flint, C., Grant, J., Hinners, S., Horsburgh, J.S, Jackson-Smith, D., Jones, A.S, Licon, C., Null, S., Odame, A., Pataki, D.E, Rosenberg, D.E, Runburg, M., Stoker, P., Strong, C., (2015). iSAW: Integrating Structure, Actors, and Water to Study Socio-Hydro-Ecological Systems. Earth's Future/AGU , doi: 10.1002/2014EF000295
• Null, S., Medellin-Azuara, J., Escriva-Bou, A., Lent, M., Lund, J.R, (2014). Optimizing the dammed: Water supply losses and fish habitat gains from dam removal systems analysis in California. Journal of Environmental Management, 136, 121-131. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.01.024
• Wurtsbaugh, W.A, Heredia, N.A, Laub, B.G, Meredith, C.S, Mohn, H.E, Null, S., Pluth, D.A, Roper, B.B, Carl Saunders, W., Stevens, D.K, Walker, R.H, Wheeler, K., (2014). Approaches for studying fish production: Do river and lake researchers have different perspectives?. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 72:1, 149-160. doi: 10.1139/cjfas-2014-0210
• Null, S., Viers, J.H, (2013). In bad waters: Water year classification in nonstationary climates. Water Resources Research, 49:2, 1137-1148. doi: 10.1002/wrcr.20097
• Null, S., Ligare, S.T, Viers, J.H, (2013). A Method to Consider Whether Dams Mitigate Climate Change Effects on Stream Temperatures. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 49:6, 1456-1472. doi: 10.1111/jawr.12102
• Null, S., Viers, J.H, Deas, M.L, Tanaka, S.K, Mount, J.F, (2013). Stream temperature sensitivity to climate warming in California's Sierra Nevada: Impacts to coldwater habitat. Climatic Change, 116:1, 149-170. doi: 10.1007/s10584-012-0459-8
• Null, S., Bartolomeo, E., Lund, J.R, Hanak, E., (2012). Managing California's water: Insights from interviews with water policy experts. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science
• Null, S., Lund, J.R, (2012). Fish habitat optimization to prioritize river restoration decisions. River Research and Applications, 28:9, 1378-1393. doi: 10.1002/rra.1521
• Ligare, S.T, Viers, J.H, Null, S., Rheinheimer, D.E, Mount, J.F, (2012). Non-uniform changes to whitewater recreation in california's sierra nevada from regional climate warming. River Research and Applications, 28:8, 1299-1311. doi: 10.1002/rra.1522
• Null, S., Viers, J.H, Mount, J.F, (2010). Hydrologic response and watershed sensitivity to climate warming in California's Sierra Nevada. PLoS ONE, 5:4, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009932
• Null, S., Deas, M.L, Lund, J.R, (2010). Flow and water temperature simulation for habitat restoration in the Shasta River, California. River Research and Applications, 26:6, 663-681. doi: 10.1002/rra.1288
• Null, S., Lund, J.R, (2006). Restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley: The role of modeling in policy. Eos, 87:42, doi: 10.1029/2006EO420001
• Null, S., Lund, J.R, (2006). Reassembling Hetch Hetchy: Water supply without O'Shaughnessy Dam. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 42:2, 395-408. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2006.tb03846.x

An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.

Publications | Technical Reports

Research Reports

• Lukens, E., Turney, E., Null, S., Neilson, B.T, (2024). Measurement and Infrastructure Gap Analysis in Utah's Great Salt Lake Basin. Utah State University *
• Kopp, K., Endter-Wada, J.L, Baker, M.A, Brahney, J., Chikamoto, Y., Kettenring, K., Neilson, B.T, Null, S., Rivers, E., Rosenberg, D.E, Schmidt, J.C, Shilton, R., Tarboton, D.G, Torres-Rua, A., Wang, S., Wheaton, J.M, Wurtsbaugh, W.A, Yost, M., Zhang, W., (2021). Utah State University 2021 Report to the Governor on Utah’s Land, Water, and Air.

Other Reports

• Wurtsbaugh, W.A, Miller, C., Null, S., Wilcock, P., Hahnenberger, M., Howe, F., (2016). Impacts of Water Development on Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Front. *
• White, J.S, Null, S., Tarboton, D.G, (2014). Modeled changes to Great Salt Lake salinity from railroad causeway alteration. Final report to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands *

An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.

Publications | Other

Magazine/Trade Publications

Newsletter

An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.