The arroyo cycle and climate change are of scientific and practical interest. The Rio Puerco Basin, New Mexico, is an area of historic arroyo incision, long-term geomorphic investigation, and ongoing land management issues. This website comprises earth science and historical perspectives of the Rio Puerco Basin, and data and models that can be used to help predict responses to future changes of climate and landuse.

For more information and further reading, please see:

• Erosion in the Rio Puerco: Geography and Processes
  
• The Rio Puerco Arroyo Cycle and the History of Landscape Changes
  
• The Arroyo Problem in the Southwestern United States

Impacts of the late 19th century arroyo incision, and subsequent sediment aggradation, can be documented through repeat photography. Historic photos from selected locations in the basin were obtained from the USGS photo archive in Denver, CO. Repeat photography was done by Scott Aby in 1998. We welcome any contributions to this historic archive.

One cannot talk about the Rio Puerco without talking about sediment. The USGS in conjunction with other federal and state agencies and Universities has established methods and sites for monitoring sediment yields in the Puerco. Allen Gellis has summarized the history of gaging and sediment collection and is developing a sediment budget for the Rio Puerco. Gaging of the main stem and tributaries, such as Arroyo Chavez, allows for comparison of sediment yields over various spatial and temporal scales.

Cosmogenic isotopes ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al provide evidence for upland erosion rates and residence time of sediment in temporary storage on hillslopes and low-order stream alluvium. Sampling and analysis are being conducted by Paul Bierman at the University of Vermont.

The late Quaternary record dated by ¹⁴C provides evidence for climate change over the past 30,000 years. Within that time, intervals as short as a few hundred years, such as the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age, can be distinguished.

Tree ring records provide a 2000 year record of rainfall cycles for the western part of the basin. Records from the El Malpais National Monument have been studied recently by Henri Grissino-Mayer.

Over ten thousand archeological sites are known to exist in the Rio Puerco Basin, ranging in age from paleoindian (9,500 to 9,000 BC) to 19^th and 20^th century historic settlements. These sites can aid in the understanding of population dynamics, settlement pattern analyses, and provide clues to landscape and environmental changes.

Data sets for the project are being prepared for online distribution at the Rocky Mountain Mapping Center. Browse the Online Data Library for GIS coverages and aerial photos that are available for downloading and viewing.

Hydrologic and geomorphic data are being used to calibrate a model of water and sediment discharge in the arroyo. A model overview shows the links from the atmosphere to hillslopes and channel processes. Preliminary hillslope flow model results for Arroyo Chavez are presented in the detailed diagrams. Data from six stream gages will be used to test model outputs of stream discharge. Channelization has produced dramatic effects near La Ventana in the Upper Puerco. Please read Erosion in the Rio Puerco: Geography and Processes for more information, or visit the Water Resources Division's Albuquerque District Office to learn more about hydrology and sediment in New Mexico.

Visit the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budget web site to learn more about USGS research activities in a variety of other watersheds.

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
This page is http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/rio_puerco/
Maintained by Richard Pelltier
Last modified: 14:42:15 on 15-Mar-2006