Evapotranspiration by remote sensing: An analysis of the Colorado River Delta before and after the Minute 319 pulse flow to Mexico

The unique hydrologic conditions characterizing riparian ecosystems in dryland (arid and semi-arid) areas help maintain high biodiversity and support high levels of primary productivity compared to associated uplands. In western North America, many riparian ecosystems have been damaged by altered fl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological engineering 2017-09, Vol.106, p.725-732
Main Authors: Jarchow, Christopher J., Nagler, Pamela L., Glenn, Edward P., Ramírez-Hernández, Jorge, Rodríguez-Burgueño, J. Eliana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquifers
Arid regions
Biodiversity
Colorado River Delta
Ecosystems
El Nino
El Nino phenomena
Evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration (ET)
Groundwater
Groundwater flow
Highlands
Hydrologic cycle
Hydrology
Imaging techniques
Impoundments
Intrusion
Measuring instruments
Minute 319
MODIS
Plants (botany)
Primary production
Pulse flow
Remote sensing
Riparian environments
Riparian land
Riparian vegetation
Riparian zone
Rivers
Statistical analysis
Stream flow
Studies
Uptake
Vegetation
Water balance
Water flow
Water resources
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The unique hydrologic conditions characterizing riparian ecosystems in dryland (arid and semi-arid) areas help maintain high biodiversity and support high levels of primary productivity compared to associated uplands. In western North America, many riparian ecosystems have been damaged by altered flow regimes (e.g., impoundments and diversions) and over utilization of water resources (e.g., groundwater pumping for agriculture and human consumption). This has led some state and national governments to provide occasional environmental flows to address the declining condition of such riparian systems. In a historic agreement between the United States and Mexico, 130 million cubic meters (mcm) of water was released to the lower Colorado River Delta in Mexico, with the intent to evaluate the hydrological and biological response of the ecosystem. We used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to estimate long term (2000–2014) and short term (pre- and post-pulse; 2013 and 2014) evapotranspiration (ET; used herein as an indicator of plant health) of the delta’s riparian corridor. We found the pulse flow helped reverse a decline in ET from 2011 to 2013, with a small, but statistically significant increase in 2014 (P
ISSN:0925-8574
1872-6992
DOI:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.10.056