About
The Name
In Chinese medicine, meridians are the invisible channels through which vital energy — qi — flows across the body, connecting distant systems into a living whole. Disrupt one meridian and the effects ripple far beyond the point of origin.
Arid Meridian borrows that concept deliberately. Water is the qi of the arid world. It flows — or fails to flow — through river systems, aquifers, pipelines, and treaties, connecting the American Southwest to the steppes of Central Asia along a shared arc of scarcity and adaptation. These two regions have never been neighbors on any map, yet they face the same fundamental challenge: how civilizations survive, and sometimes thrive, where water is the limiting factor of everything.
A meridian is also a line of longitude — a fixed reference point from which position and direction are measured. That is what this publication aspires to be: a reliable reference line for understanding what is actually happening in two of the world's most consequential arid zones.
About the Publication
Arid Meridian is an independent intelligence publication covering the American Southwest and the historic Silk Road corridor of Central Asia and Iran. Each week we publish research-grounded briefs on water policy, infrastructure, climate, and geopolitics — drawn from primary data sources, regional media, and institutional reports.
Our editorial approach is direct: no filler, no advocacy — just well-sourced intelligence for readers who need to understand what is actually happening on the ground.
What We Cover
🌵 Southwest — Colorado River allocations, Lake Mead and Powell levels, Arizona water legislation, ADWR data, municipal water systems, agriculture and ag-tech, and Western drought policy.
🌏 Silk Road — Amu Darya and Syr Darya basin disputes, Aral Sea recovery efforts, glacier retreat in the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges, five-nation water negotiations, and regional energy and infrastructure developments across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran.
A Project of the Solarsilk Initiative
Arid Meridian is published under the Solarsilk Initiative — an independent research and facilitation organization focused on the intersection of solar energy, water scarcity, and regional intelligence across arid zones worldwide.
About the Editor
Ron Miller is a facilitator, researcher, and publisher based in Wickenburg, Arizona. His work spans energy infrastructure, water intelligence, and cross-regional analysis connecting the American West with Central Asia. He can be reached at 7k7opa@[gmail.com](https://gmail.com) or on LinkedIn.
Arid Meridian publishes every week. Subscribe below to receive briefs directly in your inbox.