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Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) = An important gauge for predicting La Nina or El Nino trends. <br />SSTs are monitored from ship reports, buoys and satellite imagery. <br />Seniority = In the context of the prior appropriation system of water allocation, seniority refers to <br />the date at which a water use was first established, and the provision that the oldest (i.e., most senior) <br />rights are superior to younger (more junior) rights during periods in which supplies are insufficient to <br />satisfy all rights. <br />SNOWTEL ( Snowpack Telemetry) = An extensive, automated system that collects snowpack and <br />related climatic data in the western United States. <br />SST = See: Sea Surface Temperatures. <br />Stakeholders = Agencies, groups, or individuals with a vested interest in the outcome of particular <br />decisions or policies. <br />State Engineer = The chief state water official in most western states charged with the <br />administration of water and water rights. <br />SWE (or SWC) = Snow Water Equivalent (or Content). A measure of how much water is contained <br />within a given snowpack. <br />Time Series Data = Values of a given variable recorded successively in time (e.g., annual <br />precipitation totals), and often plotted on a graph with time as the x -axis and the variable as the y- <br />axis. <br />USBR (or "Reclamation ") = United States Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior. The <br />primary federal agency established to build and operate water projects in the western United States. <br />Water Right = A legally recognized and protected privilege conferred upon individuals and <br />organizations to use water under given terms. Water rights in the West are generally based on the <br />prior appropriation doctrine, and are defined in terms of the quantity, location, timing, purpose, and <br />seniority of the water use. <br />Water Transfers = The voluntary movement of water and water rights between sectors and regions <br />through the use of markets. In the West, most transfers move water from agricultural to municipal <br />uses. <br />WWA = Western Water Assessment. A RISA program focused primarily on water and climate <br />issues along the Rocky Mountain headwaters, particularly the South Platte River Basin. (Internet <br />link provided earlier.) <br />WWPRAC = Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission. A congressionally established <br />body charged with reviewing federal laws and policies associated with water resources in the <br />American West. (Completed its work in 1998.) <br />20 <br />