by Alexandra Permar

GIS ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND LANDSCAPE FUNCTIONAL CHANGES IN THE RIO SALADO SUBBASIN, NM

Project Motivations

•Overarching Interests:• Understand landscape-scale changes through time• Natural evolution & redistribution of vegetative communities• Changes in hydrological parameters through time• Changes in geomorphological parameters through time• Contextualize trajectories of change in ecological parameters with respect to ecosystem function

•Understand how Rio Salado subbasin & La Jencia watershed have changed through time

Research Questions

•Questions driving my current research interests include:•What ecological parameters are useful for characterizing the function of an ecosystem?

•Do GIS-, satellite remotely sensed, and field-based integrity assessment data properly inform conservation- and restoration site selection?• Do the various data sources provide insight as to the current

condition of ecological parameters?• Do the data sources sufficiently inform assessment of

ecological parameters at varying spatial- and temporal resolutions?

Thesis Research Methods•Methods to address a portion of thesis objectives:•Understand changes in ecological parameters through time • Characterize landscape change through time using historical and contemporary data sets in two United States case studies (one in the Western U.S., another in the East).• Derive and compare water budgets for case studies, addressing variables such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, consumptive water use, runoff, infiltration, and stored water.• Analyze changes in vegetative community patterns through time (abundance, distribution, types, species). • Evaluate changes in amounts- and types of urbanized infrastructure in case studies, and evaluate urbanization data in context of other data sets being used.

Thesis Research Methods

•Methods to address a portion of thesis objectives:•Understand changes in ecological parameters through time • Where possible, contextualize case study changes with respect to natural landscape disturbances (including drought, fire, flooding) to ascertain what types and impacts disturbance have upon ecosystem function.• Evaluate relative impacts of anthropogenic land use (grazing, recreation, restructuralization of water resources) on ecosystem function.

• Contextualize understanding of landscape changes through time with relevance to restoration site selection.•Monitor restoration projects through time to observe how they enable the landscape to withstand disturbance.

Life History

• La Jencia Creek is comprised of eight subwatersheds (12-unit HUCs)

• La Jencia Creek Conservation Ranch’s missions:• Restore and protect the

ranch's native lands and wildlife • Provide educational and

partnership opportunities to those interested in conservation.

Term Project Intended Analyses• Types of Analyses:• NLCD 1992, 2001, 2006 from-to assessment of change in

classified land cover type through time • Variable source area assessment of wetlands of interest • WI assessment of Rio Salado subbasin and La Jencia watershed• Calculation of % impervious cover in region surrounding wetlands

of interest • Assessment of flow accumulation at water bodies/stream reaches

of interest and changes in this value through time • Assessment of hillslope slope- and aspect values for riparian

regions surrounding wetlands of interest • Assessment of changes in subbasin- and watershed water inputs

(precipitation) through time • Assessment of water contaminant loading, changes through time

Life History• La Jencia Creek Primary Channel (highlighted in blue)

NHDPlus Flowlines Comprising Primary Channel of La Jencia Creek

GNIS_NAME LENGTHKM REACHCODE

Jencia Creek, La 2.628 13020209000280

Jencia Creek, La 0.459 13020209000281

Jencia Creek, La 0.309 13020209000282

Jencia Creek, La 2.445 13020209000283

Jencia Creek, La 1.199 13020209000284

Jencia Creek, La 0.42 13020209000285

Jencia Creek, La 4.633 13020209000287

Jencia Creek, La 1.662 13020209000298

Jencia Creek, La 0.436 13020209000297

Jencia Creek, La 8.577 13020209000288

Jencia Creek, La 0.196 13020209000290

Jencia Creek, La 0.244 13020209000291

Jencia Creek, La 0.834 13020209000296

Jencia Creek, La 1.027 13020209000292

Jencia Creek, La 0.701 13020209000293

Jencia Creek, La 0.734 13020209000294

Jencia Creek, La 1.201 13020209000289

Jencia Creek, La 1.747 13020209000290

Jencia Creek, La 3.104 13020209000286

Jencia Creek, La 3.818 13020209000295

Total 36.374

Rio Salado Subbasin Overview• La Jencia Creek watershed is situated north of

Magdalena, NM• The Rio Salado subbasin is 3,632 km2 (893,383 acres) in area

La Jencia Watershed Overview• La Jencia Creek Watershed (HUC-10 1302020906)

• Size: 768.604627 km2 (189,742.321 acres) 

La Jencia Subwatershed Overview

• La Jencia Creek Watershed (HUC-10 1302020906)• Size: 768.604627 km2 (189,742.321 acres)

 

La Jencia Creek Watershed Component Subwatersheds

NameArea (km2) HUC-12

Gallinas Canyon41.41617

7130202090

601

Arroyo Montosa62.52245

9130202090

602

Dry Lake Canyon122.6287

2130202090

603Headwaters Arroyo Gato

154.475257

130202090604

Outlet Arroyo Gato51.84276

6130202090

605Headwaters La Jencia

83.807294

130202090606

Goat Spring Watershed

107.616287

130202090607

Outlet La Jencia143.5778

07130202090

608

Total767.886

767

NLCD 2001-2006 Rio Salado Subbasin Landcover Comparison Map

Legend: Blue is shrubland; brown is evergreen forest

NLCD 2001-2006 Rio Salado Subbasin Landcover Comparison Table

OIDNLCD 2001

NLCD 2006

Pixel Count

Pixels/Total

Pixel %Area (km2)

0 11 11 4490.0002786

920.02786

91.01237

8

1 11 52 261.61381E-

050.00161

40.05862

3

2 21 21 37260.0023127

130.23127

18.40116

1

3 22 22 19710.0012233

920.12233

94.44409

2

4 23 23 3090.0001917

95 0.019180.69671

5

5 31 31 173660.0107790

04 1.077939.1558

1

6 31 90 714.40694E-

050.00440

70.16008

7

7 41 41 6290.0003904

180.03904

21.41823

1

8 42 42 7400470.4593441

1145.9344

11668.61

3

9 42 52 3010.0001868

290.01868

30.67867

7

10 43 43 53.10348E-

06 0.000310.01127

4

11 52 31 211.30346E-

050.00130

3 0.04735

12 52 42 533.28969E-

05 0.003290.11950

1

13 52 52 2698090.1674693

316.7469

3608.349

1

14 52 90 53.10348E-

06 0.000310.01127

4

15 71 52 106.20696E-

060.00062

10.02254

7

16 71 71 5740880.3563340

46 35.63341294.41

9

17 81 52 342.11037E-

05 0.002110.07666

1

18 81 71 95.58626E-

060.00055

90.02029

3

19 81 81 6390.0003966

250.03966

21.44077

9

20 82 82 1740.0001080

01 0.01080.39232

5

21 90 90 13530.0008398

02 0.083983.05066

3

Total161109

5 1 100 3632.6

11 - Open Water12 - Perennial Ice/Snow21 - Low Intensity Residential22 - High Intensity Residential23 - Commercial/Industrial31 - Bare Rock/Sand/Clay32 - Quarries/Strip Mines/Gravel Mines33 - Transitional41 - Deciduous Forest42 - Evergreen Forest43 - Mixed Forest51/52 - Shrubland61 - Orchards/Vinyards/Other71 - Grasslands/Herbaceous81 - Pasture/Hay82 - Row Crops83 - Small Grains84 - Fallow85 - Urban/Recreational Grasses90/91 - Woody Wetlands92 - Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands

Rio Salado Subbasin 2006 NLCD Landcover Types: Shrubland

Rio Salado Subbasin 2006 NLCD Landcover Types: Grass/Herb

Rio Salado Subbasin 2006 NLCD Landcover Types: Evergreen

Forest

Rio Salado Subbasin 2006 NLCD Landcover Types: Bare

Rock/Sand/Clay

Rio Salado Subbasin 2006 NLCD Landcover Types: Developed

(21-23)

Rio Salado Subbasin 2006 NLCD Landcover Types: Open Water &

Woody Wetlands

Rio Salado Subbasin on September 23, 1992 (Landsat 5 TM, RGB=543)

La Jencia Watershed• Landsat TM image captured on September 23, 1992 (RGB = 543)

La Jencia Watershed• Landsat ETM+ image captured on September 8, 2001 (RGB = 543)

La Jencia Creek - Rio Salado Confluence

• Landsat ETM+ image captured on September 8, 2001 (RGB = 543)

La Jencia Watershed EVI:September 23, 1992

La Jencia Watershed EVI:September 8, 2001

Elevational Gradient Analysis of Rio Salado Subbasin

Elevation Range: 1432.03 m (4,698 ft) to 3057.48 m (10,031 ft)

Slope Analysis of Rio Salado Subbasin

Rio Salado Subbasin Aspect Analysis

Discharge Area Analysis of Rio Salado Subbasin: Stream 1000

Pixel Value1 = 1000• 900 m2/pixel x

1000 pixels = 900,000 m2

• 900,000 m2/ 10,000 m2/ha = 90 ha

Mean Annual Flow Thresholds in Rio Salado Subbasin

Legend: Purple denotes Rio Salado Watershed boundary | Aquamarine denotes streams/rivers with MAF > 30 cfs | Medium blue denotes streams/rivers with 10 < MAF ≤ 30 | Light blue (most common lines) denote streams/rivers with MAF ≤ 10

Rio Salado Watershed Mean Wetness Index Map

Average WI Value Range: -2.346851 to 23.40756 w/ calculated WIavg. = 10.44716

Rio Salado Watershed Local Saturation Deficit Map

Map of Si = 2.5 Value with m=0.4517 m-1 and λ = 10.44716

Rio Salado Watershed Saturated Area Map

sat2.5 Map ('s2.5'<=0)

Rio Salado Watershed Return Flow Map

rf2.5 = (abs('s2.5'))*'sat2.5' MapReturn Flow Range: 0 to 3.354214

Thank You!!