Final Reports: Modeling Woody Plant Regeneration and Debris Accumulation under Future Streamflow and Wildfire Scenarios in the DLCC

Executive Summary: Riparian ecosystems are vital components of the semi-arid landscape because woody riparian plants provide resources that are absent in adjacent vegetation types. Historically, flood played a key role in shaping the composition and structure of riparian forests. In recent decades, however, the frequency and magnitude of floods has decreased and the timing of peak discharge has been altered. In addition, wildfire has increased in importance as an agent of disturbance along many streams. We initiated this study to increase our understanding of fire, flood, and drought processes at our Middle Rio Grande study sites and develop tools that managers of other systems can use to project the response of...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, Acer negundo, Applications and Tools, Data.gov Desert LCC, Decision Support, All tags... EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION > FOREST COMPOSITION/VEGETATION STRUCTURE, Federal resource managers, LCC Network Science Catalog, Middle Rio Grande, NM-01, NM-02, NM-03, New Mexico, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Populus spp, Publication, R, Report, Training/Outreach/Workshop, United States, Vulnerability Assessment, biota, boxelder, completed, cottonwood, debris, fire, population model, riparian, riparian obligates, vegetation, vulnerability, watershed management, wildlife, woody vegetation, Fewer tags

Desert LCC Data Management and Delivery

This project will result in development of an information management and delivery system to coordinate science communication platforms and to build a catalog inside of the USGS ScienceBase data and information management platform. The tasks maximize use of available products and services developed and tested by data experts working together through LCC's, Climate Science Centers, and the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center. In working with USGS Fort Collins (FORT) to complete the tasks, the Desert LCC will be responsible for providing input on specifications, data entry and maintenance of records in Science Base to populate the tools that comprise the information management and delivery system, and...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2014, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Aquascalientes, Arizona, Baja California, Big Bend ‐ Río Bravo & Lower Río Conchos Pilot Area, CA-08, CA-23, CA-25, CA-27, CA-36, CA-50, CA-51, California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Data Management and Integration, Datasets/Database, Desert LCC (all), Desert LCC Funded Science Project, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Durango, EARTH SCIENCE SERVICES > DATA MANAGEMENT/DATA HANDLING, Federal resource managers, Guanajuato, Interested public, Jalisco, LCC, Mexico, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, NM-02, NV-01, NV-03, NV-04, Nayarit, Nevada, New Mexico, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, TX-16, TX-23, Tamaulipas, Texas, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, UT-02, United States, Utah, Website, Zacatecas, environment, environment, Fewer tags

Golden Alga Distribution and Water Quality

REPORT PROJECT BACKGROUND: Golden alga (Prymnesium parvum) is a harmful algal species that is primarily found in marine ecosystems but is also present and invasive in brackish inland waters. The first documented bloom of golden alga in the United States occurred in the Pecos River in 1985. This species has since invaded other water bodies in the Pecos River basin (e.g. sinkhole habitats, reservoirs) and has been reported in at least 23 U.S. states. Toxins produced by golden alga can be lethal to fishes, bivalves, crayfish, and gilled amphibians. The ecological and economical impacts of golden alga blooms have been severe. Recent research suggests that the frequency and severity of golden alga blooms will increase...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, CONTAMINANTS, CONTAMINANTS, Data Acquisition and Development, Data.gov Desert LCC, All tags... Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, Federal resource managers, HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (HABs), HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (HABs), LCC Network Science Catalog, NM-02, New Mexico, Pecos River, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Publication, Report, TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE, TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE, TX-23, Texas, United States, WATER QUALITY/WATER CHEMISTRY, WATER QUALITY/WATER CHEMISTRY, algae, biota, completed, product, water, Fewer tags

Report, Inventory and Assessment Protocols, Adaptation Plan, and Presentation for: Springs in the Sky Island Region: Inventory, Assessment, and Management Planning Project

Sky Island Alliance (SIA) is a non-governmental organizational that works to protect and restore the rich natural heritage of native species and habitats in the Sky Island Region. We work with volunteers, scientists, land-owners, public officials, and government agencies to establish protected areas, restore healthy landscapes, and promote public appreciation of the region’s unique biological diversity. Because of our long-standing collaborative relationships with land managers and our large corps of skilled volunteers, we were in a unique position to spearhead this project.SIA initiated this springs inventory, assessment and management planning project to develop baseline information on springs in the Sky Island...

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service, Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, AZ-02, AZ-03, Arizona, Conservation NGOs, All tags... Data Acquisition and Development, Data Management and Integration, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Document, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, FLUVIAL LANDFORMS, FLUVIAL LANDFORMS, Federal resource managers, GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES, GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES, LAND SURFACE, LAND SURFACE, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Policy makers & regulators, Publication, Regional & county planners, Report, Report, SPRING, SPRING, Sky Island Region, Sky Islands Region, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, assessment, assessments, biota, completed, management, presentation, product, seeps and springs, volunteers, Fewer tags

Development of a Decision Support Tool for Water and Resource Management using Biotic, Abiotic, and Hydrological Assessments of Topock Marsh

Topock Marsh is a large wetland adjacent to the Colorado River and main feature of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (Havasu NWR) in southern Arizona. In 2010, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Bureau of Reclamation began a project to improve water management capabilities at Topock Marsh and protect habitats and species. Initial construction required a drawdown, which caused below-average inflows and water depths in 2010-2011. Co-applicants Daniels and Haegele of FORT monitored Topock Marsh during the drawdown and immediately after, thus obtained information on immediate effects. However, stress from the drawdown may have a delayed effect on aquatic resources; additionally, significant changes to the infrastructure...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AZ-04, Applications and Tools, Arizona, CA-08, All tags... California, Data Acquisition and Development, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Federal resource managers, GIS, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, Monitoring, Policy makers & regulators, Project, Publication, Report, State agencies, United States, WATER MANAGEMENT, WATER MANAGEMENT, aquatic, biota, completed, fish, hydrology, invasive, invertebrate, map, model, monitoring, native, plant, protected area, vegetation, water availability, water management, water quality, wetland, Fewer tags

Reducing Uncertainty Regarding Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in the California Desert

University of California Riverside’s Center for Conservation Biology will create a sustainable resource monitoring framework that will provide empirical data identifying if and how climate change is changing the composition and vitality of Joshua Tree National Park. These data will then help focus the Park’s resource management programs to help ensure the Park’s rich biodiversity can be sustained to the extent possible. A broader goal is to have this framework adopted across the surrounding public lands to then integrate data from multiple sites and land management philosophies to create an unambiguous picture of the impacts of climate change across the desert region.

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, Biodiversity, CA-08, CA-36, California, All tags... Climate change, Datasets/Database, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Federal resource managers, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, Interested public, Joshua Tree National Park, LAND MANAGEMENT, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Methodology/Protocol, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, Monitoring, Monitoring, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, United States, Vulnerability Assessment, biota, completed, Fewer tags

Decision Support Tool for Water and Resource Management of Topock Marsh

Topock Marsh is a large wetland adjacent to the Colorado River and main feature of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (Havasu NWR) in southern Arizona. In 2010, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Bureau of Reclamation began a project to improve water management capabilities at Topock Marsh and protect habitats and species. Initial construction required a drawdown, which caused below-average inflows and water depths in 2010-2011. Co-applicants Daniels and Haegele of FORT monitored Topock Marsh during the drawdown and immediately after, thus obtained information on immediate effects. However, stress from the drawdown may have a delayed effect on aquatic resources; additionally, significant changes to the infrastructure...

Categories: Data, Software; Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service, ArcGIS Service Definition, Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AZ-04, Applications and Tools, Arizona, CA-08, All tags... California, Data Acquisition and Development, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Federal resource managers, GIS, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, Monitoring, Policy makers & regulators, Project, Publication, Report, Software, State agencies, United States, WATER MANAGEMENT, WATER MANAGEMENT, aquatic, biota, completed, fish, hydrology, invasive, invertebrate, map, model, monitoring, native, plant, product, protected area, vegetation, water availability, water management, water quality, wetland, Fewer tags

Literature Review: Fire Effects and Management in Riparian Ecosystems of the Southwestern United States and Mexico

Riparian ecosystems are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems in desert biomes. In the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave deserts of the United States and Mexico, riparian ecosystems support regional biodiversity and provide many ecosystem services to human communities. Due to the dynamic nature of these ecosystems and their abundance of resources, riparian areas have been modified in various ways and to a large extent through human endeavor to manage water and accommodate various land uses, particularly in lowland floodplains and stream channels. Modifications often interfere with multiple and complex ecological processes, resulting in the loss of native riparian vegetation and increasing vulnerability...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Aquascalientes, Arizona, Baja California, Big Bend ‐ Río Bravo & Lower Río Conchos Pilot Area, CA-08, CA-23, CA-25, CA-27, CA-36, CA-50, CA-51, California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Desert LCC (all), Document, Durango, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > FIRE ECOLOGY, Federal resource managers, Guanajuato, Informing Conservation Delivery, Jalisco, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mexico, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, NM-02, NV-01, NV-03, NV-04, Nayarit, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mexico, Nuevo León, Querétaro, Report, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Southwest US, TX-16, TX-23, Tamaulipas, Texas, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, UT-02, United States, Utah, Zacatecas, biota, completed, fire, product, riparian ecosystems, Fewer tags

A Landscape Approach for Fisheries Database Compilation and Predictive Modeling

A strong data foundation is needed to inform science-based decisions for fisheries management at a watershed level. In preparation for a shift towards comprehensive watershed-scale planning, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is developing a fisheries data management system with an initial focus on compiling and formatting several hundred thousand fish survey and stocking records. Fish data will be integrated within a Geographic Information System (GIS) by georeferencing observations to an existing national spatial framework (National Hydrography Dataset), which will allow for broader transferability to watersheds shared with neighboring states, creating a seamless layer not limited by state boundaries. In...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Arizona, Conservation NGOs, Data Management and Integration, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE SERVICES > DATA MANAGEMENT/DATA HANDLING, Federal resource managers, GIS, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, NM-01, NM-02, NM-03, New Mexico, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, Publication, State agencies, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, aquatic, biota, climate change, completed, environment, fish, invasive species, riparian, water management, water use, Fewer tags

Publication: Assessment of ecosystem response to a temporary water level drawdown and subsequent refilling at Topock Marsh, Arizona

Abstract: Topock Marsh is a large wetland adjacent to the Colorado River and the main feature of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (Havasu NWR) in southern Arizona. In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Bureau of Reclamation began a project to improve water management capabilities at Topock Marsh and protect habitats and species. Initial construction required a drawdown, which caused below-average inflows and water depths in 2010–11. U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) scientists collected an assemblage of biotic, abiotic, and hydrologic data from Topock Marsh during the drawdown and immediately after, thus obtaining valuable information needed by FWS. Building upon that work,...

Categories: Data; Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service, ArcGIS Service Definition, Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AZ-04, Applications and Tools, Arizona, CA-08, All tags... California, Data Acquisition and Development, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Federal resource managers, GIS, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, Monitoring, Policy makers & regulators, Publication, Report, Report, State agencies, United States, WATER MANAGEMENT, WATER MANAGEMENT, aquatic, biota, completed, fish, hydrology, invasive, invertebrate, map, model, monitoring, native, plant, product, protected area, vegetation, water availability, water management, water quality, wetland, Fewer tags

Quantitative and Predictive Analysis: Landscape Connectivity of Isolated Waters for Wildlife in the Sonoran Desert

Executive Summary: We provide an analysis of Sonoran Desert water network connectivity to inform managers of current conditions for target wildlife and how the connectivity will change as the landscape becomes more water limited.Climate change is expected to lead to fragmentation of the network, increasing coalescence distance by 8% and reducing the persistence and overall number of waters on the landscape. Identification of key water sites, ranked by network connectivity metrics, are presented in Appendix B. Wetland number under our scenario of water limitation will decline by 43% reducing network resilience.Anurans and Caudates, although varying in ability to disperse, generally experienced reduced connectivity...

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service, Shapefile; Tags: 2013, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... Academics & scientific researchers, Applications and Tools, Arizona, CA-36, CA-50, CA-51, California, Conservation Design, Conservation NGOs, Conservation Plan/Design/Framework, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS > WETLANDS, Federal resource managers, LCC Network Science Catalog, Publication, Report, Sonoran Desert, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, Vulnerability Assessment, biota, completed, connectivity, map, product, southwestern United States, water, wetlands, wildlife, Fewer tags

Final Report: Predicting Snow Water Equivalence (SWE) and Soil Moisture Response to Restoration Treatments in Headwater Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Desert LCC

The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct forest restoration treatments through the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) on hundreds of thousands of acres of ponderosa pine forest along the Mogollon Rim of Arizona over the next 20 years with the goals of reducing wildfire hazard and improving forest health. The 4FRI’s key objective is to thin and burn the forests to create within-stand openings that “promote snowpack accumulation and retention which benefit groundwater recharge and watershed processes at the fine (1 to 10 acres) scale.” However, little is known about how these openings created by restoration treatments affect snow water equivalence (SWE) and soil moisture, which are key parts of the water balance...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AL-04, AZ-01, Academics & scientific researchers, Applications and Tools, All tags... Arizona, Centennial Forest, Coconino National Forest, Conservation NGOs, Conservation Planning, Data Acquisition and Development, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE > TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE > SNOW/ICE > SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT, Federal resource managers, Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) area, GIS, Gus Pearson Natural Area, Informing Conservation Delivery, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Presentation, Publication, Report, Report, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Tribes, United States, Verde River Basin, biota, climate change, completed, forest management, forest structure, forest thinning, ponderosa pine forests, remote sensing, restoration, snow, snowpack, soil moisture, water, wildfire, Fewer tags

Resources on the Effects of Wildfire and Climate Change on Avian Communities and Habitats in the Sky Islands, Arizona

Executive summary: The avifauna within the Sky Islands of southeastern Arizona includes species found nowhere else in the U.S. Thus, birdwatchers from across the globe visit the region, providing a vibrant state and local ecotourism industry. RMRS scientists initiated a study in the 1990s on avian distribution and habitat associations within the Sky Islands. Since then, the region has been under increased stress from ongoing droughts and wildfires, likely associated with climate change. By re-measuring vegetation and bird populations in 2014 following wildfires and applying climate change models, we will assess the singular and synergistic effects of climate change and wildfire and provide strategies for managing...

Categories: Data; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service, Shapefile; Tags: 2013, AZ-01, AZ-02, Arizona, Birds, All tags... Citizen science, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > BIRDS, Federal resource managers, Interested public, LCC Network Science Catalog, Monitoring, Monitoring, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Publication, Report, Sky Islands, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, United States, Vulnerability Assessment, Website, Wildfire, avian communities, biota, completed, product, Fewer tags

Fish Data Compilation and Climate Change Assessment for Desert LCC Fishes

Freshwater fishes are globally among the most imperiled major biodiversity groups and they are especially endangered in the North American deserts of the vast binational Desert LCC. Sixty seven native fish species of conservation concern are in the study area, which includes all of the DLCC in both the US and Mexico. Essentially all species in our study area are understudied and management of them has been greatly impeded by the intrinsic difficulties of working internationally and by relative lack of, or inaccessibility to, basic knowledge about their distributions and conservation status. We propose to mine data from all online and known US-based institutions holding specimen-based occurrence records from our...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service, Shapefile; Tags: 2011, AZ-02, AZ-03, Academics & scientific researchers, Applications and Tools, All tags... Aquascalientes, Arizona, Big Bend ‐ Río Bravo & Lower Río Conchos Pilot Area, Biodiversity, CO-03, Chihuahua, Climate change, Coahuila, DLCC region, Data Acquisition and Development, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Durango, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH, Federal resource managers, Fish, Freshwater, Guanajuato, Jalisco, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mexico, NM-01, NM-02, NM-03, Nayarit, New Mexico, Nuevo León, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Project, Publication, Querétaro, Rio Grande River Basin, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, TX-23, TX-28, TX-34, Tamaulipas, Texas, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, biota, completed, Fewer tags

Aligning Ecological Restoration and Community Interests through Active Experimentation

Overgrazing and fire suppression have led to a loss of deep soils and vegetative cover in the 420,000 acre Alamosa Creek watershed in southwestern New Mexico. Rain and snow melt are no longer held by the soils and released slowly, but run off in floods, resulting in catastrophic flows and severe erosion that contribute sediment to Elephant Butte Dam. The diverse community of farmers that irrigate 800 acres of valley land on 49 farms in Cañada Alamosa are looking to revive traditional and develop innovate new practices to maintain their way of life. Partnerships are required to design new land management practices between scientists and local land managers. This project is a component of a larger Alamosa Land Institute...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, Alamosa Creek, Cañada Alamosa Watershed, Conservation Design, Datasets/Database, All tags... Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Elephant Butte Dam, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, Interested public, LAND MANAGEMENT, LAND MANAGEMENT, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, NM-02, New Mexico, New Mexico, Pilot/Case Study, Private land owners, Project, Publication, Socio-economics/Ecosystem Services, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Tribes, United States, adaptation, agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, community involvement, completed, cultural, ecosystem services, environment, erosion, management, monitoring, native, remote sensing, resilience, restoration, riparian, traditional knowledge, vegetation, water availability, water quality, watershed, Fewer tags

Publication and Report: Ecosystem Water Balance in a Desert Grassland

​Abstract: Climate change predictions include warming and drying trends, which are expected to be particularly pronounced in the southwestern United States. In this region, grassland dynamics are tightly linked to available moisture, yet it has proven difficult to resolve what aspects of climate drive vegetation change. In part, this is because it is unclear how heterogeneity in soils affects plant responses to climate. Here, we combine climate and soil properties with a mechanistic soil water model to explain temporal fluctuations in perennial grass cover, quantify where and the degree to which incorporating soil water dynamics enhances our ability to understand temporal patterns, and explore the potential consequences...

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, Academics & scientific researchers, All tags... Applications and Tools, Arizona, Big Bend ‐ Río Bravo & Lower Río Conchos Pilot Area, CA-08, CO-03, California, Chihuahua, Chihuahuan Desert, Colorado Plateau, Conservation NGOs, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION, Federal resource managers, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mexico, Mojave Desert, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, NM-02, NV-03, NV-04, New Mexico, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Publication, Report, Sonora, Sonoran Desert, TX-16, TX-23, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, UT-02, UT-03, United States, User Manual, Utah, Vulnerability Assessment, biota, climate change, completed, desert southwest, ecohydrology, plants, product, soil water, vegetation change, water availability, Fewer tags

Understanding Environmental Flows in Desert Rivers of the U.S. and Mexico through the Desert Flows Database

Article Introduction: Efforts to define water needs for riparian and aquatic ecosystems in arid and semi-arid systems are critical because riparian areas are essential for the survival of desert life, with stream corridors providing a large proportion of ecosystem services in these landscapes (Poff, Koestner, Neary, & Henderson, 2011; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). To create a one-stop-shop for published ecological water needs information and illuminate critical knowledge gaps in the desert watersheds of the U.S. and Mexico, the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center and the Northern Arizona University School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability created the Desert Flows Database....

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Aquascalientes, Arizona, Baja California, California, Chihuahua, All tags... Coahuila, Data Acquisition and Development, Data Management and Integration, Data.gov Desert LCC, Desert LCC (all), Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Dos Rios Pilot Area, Durango, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS > RIVERS/STREAM, Eastern Mojave Desert Pilot Area, Federal resource managers, Guanajuato, Jalisco, LCC Network Science Catalog, Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, Mexico, Nayarit, Nevada, New Mexico, Nuevo León, Publication, Querétaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Texas, United States, User Manual, Utah, Zacatecas, completed, inlandWaters, product, Fewer tags

Developing tools for detecting climate change impacts on birds and their habitats in the desert southwest and northwest Mexico

Assessing the vulnerability of species or ecosystems to climate change and formulating appropriate management responses requires predictions of the exposure and sensitivity of the species or ecosystems to projected changes. This collaborative effort by the Sonoran Joint Venture, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, and Point Reyes Bird Observatory will develop a foundation for monitoring environmental change in the desert southwest by identifying where and what to monitor in order to evaluate climate-change impacts.Climate change will not have the same effects in all locations of the southwest. Some areas will change quickly (hotspots) and others will change slowly (refugia). Identifying both types of areas...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service, Shapefile; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Applications and Tools, Arizona, Arizona, Big Bend ‐ Río Bravo & Lower Río Conchos Pilot Area, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Durango, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > BIRDS, Federal resource managers, Jalisco, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mexico, Mexico, Monitoring, NM-01, NM-02, NM-03, Nayarit, New Mexico, New Mexico, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Project, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, TX-01, TX-02, TX-03, TX-04, TX-05, TX-06, TX-07, TX-08, TX-09, TX-10, TX-11, TX-12, TX-13, TX-14, TX-15, TX-16, TX-17, TX-18, TX-19, TX-20, TX-21, TX-22, TX-23, TX-24, TX-25, TX-26, TX-27, TX-28, TX-29, TX-30, TX-31, TX-32, TX-33, TX-34, TX-35, TX-36, Tamaulipas, Texas, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, adaptation, biota, bird, climate change, completed, habitat shifting and alteration, map, model, monitoring, vulnerability, Fewer tags

Grasslands Conservation Geospatial Data Compilation and Synthesis

Grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet (Hoekstra et al 2004). Recently, the bird conservation and grasslands communities have united around a forward looking approach to conservation planning. To accomplish this the following information is needed:1) The location, quantity, and quality of desert grasslands,2) the regional risks associated with loss or degradation of grasslands,3) the vulnerability of those grasslands and the species that depend on them to environmental and climate stressors,4) where and what types of programs or partnerships exist on the landscape to address system stressors and implement further conservation programs, and5) what capacity for conservation do these entities...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2014, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Aquascalientes, Arizona, Baja California, Big Bend ‐ Río Bravo & Lower Río Conchos Pilot Area, CA-23, CA-25, CA-27, CA-36, CA-50, CA-51, California, Chihuahua, Chihuahuan Desert, Coahuila, Conservation Planning, Data Acquisition and Development, Data Management and Integration, Desert LCC, Desert LCC (all), Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Durango, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS > GRASSLANDS, Federal resource managers, Guanajuato, Jalisco, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Mexico, Mojave Desert, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, NM-02, NV-01, NV-03, NV-04, Nayarit, Nevada, New Mexico, Nuevo León, Presentation, Project, Querétaro, Report, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Sonoran Desert, TX-16, TX-23, Tamaulipas, Texas, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, UT-02, United States, Utah, Zacatecas, biota, climate change, completed, conservation, grasslands, vulnerability assessment, Fewer tags

Results and Reports: Water Delivery Data and Model Integration for Restoring Ecological Health to the Colorado River Delta

In February 2014, taking action to implement a 2012 U.S.-Mexico agreement on the Colorado River known as Minute 319, International Boundary and Water Commissioners (IBWC) Edward Drusina and Roberto Fernando Salmon Castelo announced plans to move forward with a one-time pulse flow (a release of water into the Colorado River channel below the last dam on the River) as well as a five-year commitment by a coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations to deliver base flow water. Minute 319’s environmental water deliveries to the Colorado River Delta are intended to restore native riparian habitat along the river corridor, where invasive non-native saltcedar has displaced the native willow and cottonwood trees that provide...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2014, AZ-03, AZ-04, Applications and Tools, Arizona, All tags... Baja California, CA-51, California, Colorado River Delta, Data Management and Integration, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION, Federal resource managers, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Mexico, Minute 319, Report, Sonora, United States, biota, completed, Fewer tags