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:
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
19th and 20th 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.
USGS ||
Geology ||
Mapping ||
Water ||
Biology
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
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