James R. Thibault

On groundwater fluctuations, evapotranspiration, and understory removal in riparian corridors

[1]xa0This study utilizes 7 years of continuously monitored groundwater-level data from four sites along the Rio Grande riparian corridor in central New Mexico to calculate evapotranspiration from groundwater and assess impacts of understory vegetation removal during a restoration project. Diurnal groundwater fluctuation measurements were used to compare the well-known White method for estimating evapotranspiration from groundwater (ETg) to colocated measurements of total riparian evapotranspiration (ET) measured using the eddy covariance method. On average, the two methods were linearly correlated and had similar variability, but groundwater hydrograph estimates of ETg tended to be larger than tower ET estimates. Average ETg estimates for two wells at one site ranged from 91.45% to 164.77% of measured tower ET estimates, but were also shown to range from 57.35% to 254.34% at another site. Comparisons between the methods improved with deeper water tables, reduced groundwater and river connectivity, and where soil profiles were dominated by coarse-sized particles. Using a range of texture-based estimates of specific yield (Sy) with water table position improves the field application of the White method. River-induced fluctuations in groundwater increased the variability of ETg measurements. Removal of understory vegetation at one site resulted in a small but significant reduction in diel groundwater fluctuation amplitude of 19–21%. Caution is required when understory vegetation removal is used as a means to decrease overall riparian ET. Diel groundwater fluctuation amplitudes can be useful in gauging the hydrological effects of vegetation removal. Riparian groundwater hydrographs are critical to investigating the hydrologic connectivity between river and shallow groundwater, the temporal patterns of vegetative consumption, and monitoring changes to the vegetation community.

Flooding Regime Impacts on Radiation, Evapotranspiration, and Latent Energy Fluxes over Groundwater-Dependent Riparian Cottonwood and Saltcedar Forests

Radiation and energy balances are key drivers of ecosystem water and carbon cycling. This study reports on ten years of eddy covariance measurements over groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in New Mexico, USA, to compare the role of drought and flooding on radiation, water, and energy budgets of forests differing in species composition (native cottonwood versus nonnative saltcedar) and flooding regime. After net radiation (700–800u2009Wu2009m−2), latent heat flux was the largest energy flux, with annual values of evapotranspiration exceeding annual precipitation by 250–600%. Evaporative cooling dominated the energy fluxes of both forest types, although cottonwood generated much lower daily values of sensible heat flux (<−5u2009MJu2009m−2u2009d−1). Drought caused a reduction in evaporative cooling, especially in the saltcedar sites where evapotranspiration was also reduced, but without a substantial decline in depth-to-groundwater. Our findings have broad implications on water security and the management of native and nonnative vegetation within semiarid southwestern North America. Specifically, consideration of the energy budgets of GDEs as they respond to fluctuations in climatic conditions can inform the management options for reducing evapotranspiration and maintaining in-stream flow, which is legally mandated as part of interstate and international water resources agreements.

Press–pulse interactions: effects of warming, N deposition, altered winter precipitation, and fire on desert grassland community structure and dynamics

Global environmental change is altering temperature, precipitation patterns, resource availability, and disturbance regimes. Theory predicts that ecological presses will interact with pulse events to alter ecosystem structure and function. In 2006, we established a long-term, multifactor global change experiment to determine the interactive effects of nighttime warming, increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, and increased winter precipitation on plant community structure and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) in a northern Chihuahuan Desert grassland. In 2009, a lightning-caused wildfire burned through the experiment. Here, we report on the interactive effects of these global change drivers on pre- and postfire grassland community structure and ANPP. Our nighttime warming treatment increased winter nighttime air temperatures by an average of 1.1xa0°C and summer nighttime air temperature by 1.5xa0°C. Soil N availability was 2.5 times higher in fertilized compared with control plots. Average soil volumetric water content (VWC) in winter was slightly but significantly higher (13.0% vs. 11.0%) in plots receiving added winter rain relative to controls, and VWC was slightly higher in warmed (14.5%) compared with control (13.5%) plots during the growing season even though surface soil temperatures were significantly higher in warmed plots. Despite these significant treatment effects, ANPP and plant community structure were highly resistant to these global change drivers prior to the fire. Burning reduced the cover of the dominant grasses by more than 75%. Following the fire, forb species richness and biomass increased significantly, particularly in warmed, fertilized plots that received additional winter precipitation. Thus, although unburned grassland showed little initial response to multiple ecological presses, our results demonstrate how a single pulse disturbance can interact with chronic alterations in resource availability to increase ecosystem sensitivity to multiple drivers of global environmental change.

Long-term Water Table Monitoring of Rio Grande Riparian Ecosystems for Restoration Potential Amid Hydroclimatic Challenges

Hydrological processes drive the ecological functioning and sustainability of cottonwood-dominated riparian ecosystems in the arid southwestern USA. Snowmelt runoff elevates groundwater levels and inundates floodplains, which promotes cottonwood germination. Once established, these phreatophytes rely on accessible water tables (WTs). In New Mexico’s Middle Rio Grande corridor diminished flooding and deepening WTs threaten native riparian communities. We monitored surface flows and riparian WTs for up to 14 years, which revealed that WTs and surface flows, including peak snowmelt discharge, respond to basin climate conditions and resource management. WT hydrographs influence the composition of riparian communities and can be used to assess if potential restoration sites meet native vegetation tolerances for WT depths, rates of recession, and variability throughout their life stages. WTs were highly variable in some sites, which can preclude native vegetation less adapted to deep drawdowns during extended droughts. Rates of WT recession varied between sites and should be assessed in regard to recruitment potential. Locations with relatively shallow WTs and limited variability are likely to be more viable for successful restoration. Suitable sites have diminished greatly as the once meandering Rio Grande has been constrained and depleted. Increasing demands on water and the presence of invasive vegetation better adapted to the altered hydrologic regime further impact native riparian communities. Long-term monitoring over a range of sites and hydroclimatic extremes reveals attributes that can be evaluated for restoration potential.

Determining Evapotranspiration Rates in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque: 3-D Eddy Covariance and Remote Sensing Techniques

Currently, annual rates of actual evapotranspiration (ET) in native and non-native riparian forests in semi-arid landscapes are poorly known. In addition, the effects of flooding, or the removal of flooding through flow regulation, on riparian ecosystem ET is also not well understood. Both ground-based and remote sensing techniques are used to estimate ET along the Middle Rio Grande corridor. Ground based climatic data are collected using four instrumentation towers installed in representative ecosystems. The 3-D Eddy Covariance method gives more accurate estimates of ET than were previously known. Landsat imagery, along with ground estimates of leaf area index (LAI), will be used to scale the estimates to the entire corridor. Background Evapotranspiration is believed to account for about one quarter of the total water depletion along the semi-arid Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. An accurate estimate of evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component in developing effective riparian restoration strategies for this area, as well as for better quantifying the water budget. The Middle Rio Grande runs through central New Mexico, U.S.A. and is typically defined by the reach of river between Cochiti Dam and Elephant Butte Reservoir. The contributing watershed to this reach of river is shown in Figure 1. Water demands include those of the state’s largest city (Albuquerque), irrigation districts, and several endangered species. Water budgeting is critical due to these demands and the legal compacts between adjacent states requiring the delivery of mandated quantities of water. The inputs and outputs of water from the upper and lower end of the river corridor are reasonably well quantified by permanent gauges with long-term records. Additional sources of water along the Middle Rio Grande corridor, and the amount of water depleted by various sources, are more poorly quantified.