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The Desert Flows Assessment
Coconino Plateau Technical Advisory Committee April 28th, 2015
Kelly Mott LacroixElia Tapia
Abraham Springer
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The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center promotes understanding of critical state and regional water management and policy issues through research, community outreach and engagement, and public education.
Water RAPIDS (Research And Planning In Dryland Systems) - Help communities balance a secure water future for residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors with the water needs of natural areas.
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER
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NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY PROGRAM
The Watershed Ecohydrology program coordinates and conducts comprehensive research to inform ecosystem management practices that affect hydrologic systems.
The program provides best available science to decision makers, while educating the next generation of multi-disciplinary water resources professionals.
• One of 22 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives in North America
• Federal partnership (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led)
• Partners from federal, state, NGO and academic communities (in U.S. and Mexico) working together to ID and address science needs
• Focused on Springs, Streams, and Grasslands
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EVOLUTION OF THE DESERT FLOWS ASSESSMENT AND DATABASE
• 2010 Arizona Environmental Flow Needs Assessment
• 2012 Environmental Water Demands Database
• 2015 Revision/Expansion to create Desert Flows Database
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WHAT IS THE DESERT FLOWS DATABASE?
• Tabular database of available peer-reviewed articles and agency reports on the environmental flow needs and flow responses for flora and fauna in watersheds of the deserts of the U.S. and Mexico
• Spatial layer of reaches where flow needs/responses have been observed, modelled, or recommended
• Spatial layer of perennial streams for U.S. and Mexico within the DLCC
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GATHERING THE DATA
• Survey of land and water managers:
• >50% of respondents are not using water needs data to manage riparian or aquatic species and ecosystems
• Most important information • depth to groundwater,
• surface water flows, and
• legal or regulatory requirements for the species that are being considered
• Information needed
• links between groundwater depths and surface water flows and
• species abundance, age structure, and survivorship
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LOOKING FOR GAPS BY…
• Ecoregion
• State
• River
• Species
• Species studied
• Methods used
• Risks and stressors identified
• Human aspects studied
• Study elements
• Flora and fauna relationships
• Ecology and hydrology relationships
IDENTIFYING TRENDS IN…
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STUDIES BY STATE
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State No. of Studies % of Studies
Arizona, US 224 46
California, US 14 3
Colorado, US 1 0
New Mexico, US 106 22
Nevada, US 21 4
Texas, US 39 8
Baja California, MX 15 3
Chihuahua, MX 22 4
Coahuila, MX 14 3
Nuevo León, MX 3 1
Sonora, MX 28 6
Tamaulipas, MX 2 0
Total 489 100
EXTENT OF INVENTORY
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408 Studies
257 of flow needs and/or flow responses
48 of relationships between riparian vegetation and fauna
50 of human values
53 review of multiple studies/multiple study synthesis w/o “new” flow needs/responses information
Desert Rivers Studied
EXTENT OF INVENTORY
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33% of studies in AZ/NM and Plateau Region
Fewest studies (5% and 1%) in Mojave and Sierra Madre
83% of studies in the U.S.
224 studies in Arizona and 106 in New Mexico
Desert Rivers Studied
TYPES OF METHODS USED
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34 different methods used across 408 studies.
67% of methods used were “Qualitative”
Most commonly used method was describing the distribution of flora/fauna associated with water sources (37% of studies)
QUALITATIVE VS QUANTITATIVE STUDIES
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124
43
52
18
104
1
41
16
32
8
53
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A Z - N M M TN S / P L A TE A U
C H I H U A H U A N
M A D R E A N
M O J A V E
S O N O R A N
S I E R R A M A D R E
Qualitative Quantitative
QUALITY OF EVIDENCE FOR FLOW METHODS
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Category Quality of evidence
I
Strong evidence obtained from at least
one properly designed; randomized
controlled trial of appropriate size.
II-1
Evidence from well-designed
controlled trials without
randomization.
II-2
Evidence from a comparison of
differences between sites with and
without (controls) a desired species or
community.
II-3
Evidence obtained from multiple time
series or from dramatic results in
uncontrolled experiments.
III
Opinions of respected authorities
based on qualitative field evidence,
descriptive studies or reports of expert
committees.
IV
Evidence inadequate owing to
problems of methodology (e.g., sample
size, length or comprehensiveness of
monitoring) or conflicts of evidence.
CA Calibrated studies
NCA Not calibrated
QUALITY OF
METHODS USED
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STUDY ELEMENTS
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Vegetation surveys most common study element (20% of all studies)
Only 12% examined geomorphology, 3% climate change impacts, and 2% spring permanence
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9
29
4
37
40
22
10
10
22
1
38
5
24
6
31
14
12
22
2
22
22
6
4
1
16
12
3
6
14
6
1
3
1
1
2
3
5
1
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
AZ-NM Mtns/Plateau
Chihuahuan
Madrean
Mojave
Sonoran
Sierra Madre
Vegetation Survey
Fauna monitoring
Vegetation Mapping
Stream Permanence
Geomorphology
Water Quality
Climate Change Impacts
Spring Permanence
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RISKS AND STRESSORS
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FLOW NEEDS AND RESPONSES TO CHANGES IN FLOW
Biological Element
Natural Flow Regime Element
Ecology Relationship
Flow need• Depends upon
• Does not depend on
• Uses
• Associated with
Flow response• Influenced
• Enhanced
• Harmed
Hydrology
• Magnitude
• Frequency
• Duration
• Timing
• Rate of
Change
• Abundance
• Age structure
• Survivorship
• Reproduction
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FOR EXAMPLE
Cottonwood/Willow Forest abundance is associated with ~655 cfs every 10-25 years (community type found on fine-loamy over sandy cobbly soil)
Durkin, Paula, Esteban Muldavin, Mike Bradley, Stacey E. Carr,
and others. 1996. “A Preliminary Riparian/wetland Vegetation
Community Classification of the Upper and Middle Rio Grande
Watersheds in New Mexico.” In Desired Future Conditions for
Southwestern Riparian Ecosystems: Bringing Interests and
Concerns Together, RM-GTR-272:44–57. Albuquerque, New
Mexico: U.S. Forest Service.
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Study Subject Number of Studies Taxa
Populus 66
Veg.Tamarix 40
Prosopis 24
Salix 20
Gila 16
Fish
Hybognathus amarus 8
Rhinichthys osculus 8
Catostomus clarkii 7
Cyprinella lutrensis 6
Meda fulgida 6
Baccharis salicifolia 6
Veg.Platanus wrightii 6
Pluchea sericea 6
Castor canadensis 6 Mam.
Empidonax traillii 6 Bird
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RIPARIAN VEGETATION & TERRESTRAIL/AQUATIC SPECIES
associated
with
depends
upon
enhanced
by
harmed
by
influenced
by
not assoc.
with
not
harmed by
Total # of
Entries
Tamarix 48% 3% 8% 36% 1% 4% 75
Populus 53% 8% 4% 36% 53
Non-Native 100% 48
Prosopisis 43% 57% 46
Salix 52% 3% 45% 33
Native riparian
vegetation10% 52% 38% 29
Baccharis 9% 91% 23
Populus/Salix
Forest36% 50% 14% 14
Larrea tridenta 50% 50% 12
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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Significant areas with perennial streams, such as the Sierra Madre in Mexico and the White Mountains in the United States, that remain unexamined
• There is a need for further systematic evaluation of perennial and intermittent streams in the desert watersheds of the United States and Mexico and of flow needs and flow responses in the Sierra Madre in Mexico and the White Mountains in the United States.
• Spring layers currently only exist for the United States
• Complexity of groundwater law and policy presents different environmental flow needs challenges for managing springs than streams solely dependent on surface water management
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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Only one-third of the 312 species or genera have been studied more than once and only 15 genera (or 5%) have been studied five or more time
• Focus on working with the people who manage riparian and aquatic systems to determine if data on a handful of species are sufficient, or if a broader array of species need to be examined
• The majority of flow studies are qualitative
• Determine if qualitative studies provide sufficient information for land and water managers to establish and secure environmental flows
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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• Climate change impacts are infrequently examined
• Studies that explicitly examine how species will be impacted by altered flow regimes due to changes in climate are needed
• Desert Flows Database is current through July 2015, but the long-term utility of this dataset is dependent upon periodic updates and maintenance
• The Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative should establish a protocol for periodic updates
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NEXT STEPS 2016-2017
• Research on challenges to and best practices for riparian/aquatic ecosystem management in the face of climate change
• Create a Guidebook for Environmental Flows Management based on three themes: establishing, ensuring, and predicting environmental flows
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THANK YOU!
Kelly Mott Lacroixklacroix@email.arizona.edu
Water RAPIDS Water Resources Research Center
College of Agriculture and Life SciencesUniversity of Arizona
wrrc.arizona.edu/waterrapids
Report and database available online at:wrrc.arizona.edu/desertflowsdata
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