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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Environmental Sciences

Utah State University

2015

Drought

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Added Value From 576 Years Of Tree-Ring Records In The Prediction Of The Great Salt Lake Level, Robert R. Gillies, Oi-Yu Chung, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. Justin Derose, Yan Sun Sep 2015

Added Value From 576 Years Of Tree-Ring Records In The Prediction Of The Great Salt Lake Level, Robert R. Gillies, Oi-Yu Chung, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. Justin Derose, Yan Sun

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

Predicting lake level fluctuations of the Great Salt Lake (GSL) in Utah – the largest terminal salt-water lake in the Western Hemisphere – is critical from many perspectives. The GSL integrates both climate and hydrological variations within the region and is particularly sensitive to low-frequency climate cycles. Since most hydroclimate variable records cover less than a century, forecasting the predominant yet under-represented decadal variability of the GSL level with such relatively short instrumental records poses a challenge. To overcome data limitations, this study assesses two options: (1) developing a model using the observational GSL elevation record of 137 years to …


Riparian Vegetation, Colorado River, And Climate: Five Decades Of Spatiotemporal Dynamics In The Grand Canyon With River Regulation, Joel B. Sankey, Barbara Ralston, Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Laura E. Cagney Aug 2015

Riparian Vegetation, Colorado River, And Climate: Five Decades Of Spatiotemporal Dynamics In The Grand Canyon With River Regulation, Joel B. Sankey, Barbara Ralston, Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Laura E. Cagney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Documentation of the interacting effects of river regulation and climate on riparian vegetation has typically been limited to small segments of rivers or focused on individual plant species. We examine spatiotemporal variability in riparian vegetation for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon relative to river regulation and climate, over the five decades since completion of the upstream Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. Long-term changes along this highly modified, large segment of the river provide insights for management of similar riparian ecosystems around the world. We analyze vegetation extent based on maps and imagery from eight dates between 1965 and 2009, …