The first standardized ranking system for Phoenix dust storms has been launched, just in time for monsoon season. Called PHX-DUST, the scale was created by a coalition led, in part, by Arizona State University researchers, and categories the storms from 1 to 5 based on dust concentration.

For Arizona, where much of the state’s water supply depends on the Colorado River, even small improvements in hydrologic forecasting can have significant consequences. A new study led by Arizona State University researchers aims to improve those forecasts by changing how water is tracked across the Colorado River basin.