Recent Desiccation-Related Ecosystem Changes at Lake Abert, Oregon: A Terminal Alkaline Salt Lake

Larson, Ron; Eilers, J. M.; Kreuz, Keith; Pecher, Wolf T.; DasSarma, Shiladitya; Dougill, Steve

doi:10.3398/064.076.0402

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(43 reference statements)

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“…Lake Abert, Mono Lake, and Great Salt Lake). Lower lake levels are resulting in increased salinity rates as freshwater inflows diminish (Larson et al, 2016;Moore, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate and human water use diminish wetland networks supporting continental waterbird migration

Donnelly

King

Silverman

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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Migrating waterbirds moving between upper and lower latitudinal breeding and wintering grounds rely on a limited network of endorheic lakes and wetlands when crossing arid continental interiors. Recent drying of global endorheic water stores raises concerns over deteriorating migratory pathways, yet few studies have considered these effects at the scale of continental flyways. Here, we investigate the resiliency of waterbird migration networks across western North America by reconstructing long‐term patterns (1984–2018) of terminal lake and wetland surface water area in 26 endorheic watersheds. Findings were partitioned regionally by snowmelt‐ and monsoon‐driven hydrologies and combined with climate and human water‐use data to determine their importance in predicting surface water trends. Nonlinear patterns of lake and wetland drying were apparent along latitudinal flyway gradients. Pervasive surface water declines were prevalent in northern snowmelt watersheds (lakes −27%, wetlands −47%) while largely stable in monsoonal watersheds to the south (lakes −13%, wetlands +8%). Monsoonal watersheds represented a smaller proportion of total lake and wetland area, but their distribution and frequency of change within highly arid regions of the continental flyway increased their value to migratory waterbirds. Irrigated agriculture and increasing evaporative demands were the most important drivers of surface water declines. Underlying agricultural and wetland relationships however were more complex. Approximately 7% of irrigated lands linked to flood irrigation and water storage practices supported 61% of all wetland inundation in snowmelt watersheds. In monsoonal watersheds, small earthen dams, meant to capture surface runoff for livestock watering, were a major component of wetland resources (67%) that supported networks of isolated wetlands surrounding endorheic lakes. Ecological trends and human impacts identified herein underscore the importance of assessing flyway‐scale change as our model depictions likely reflect new and emerging bottlenecks to continental migration.

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“…Lake Abert, Mono Lake, and Great Salt Lake). Lower lake levels are resulting in increased salinity rates as freshwater inflows diminish (Larson et al, 2016;Moore, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lake Abert, Mono Lake, and Great Salt Lake). Lower lake levels are resulting in increased salinity rates as freshwater inflows diminish (Larson et al, ; Moore, ). Higher salinity can drastically reduce diversity and biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates that serve as critical food resource for waterbirds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and human water use diminish wetland networks supporting continental waterbird migration

Donnelly

King

Silverman

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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show abstract

“…We found that 36 of 37 bird species or species groups displayed stable or positive trends during fall and spring at Great Salt Lake. These stable and positive trends, in conjunction with potential declines of some species at other saline lakes experiencing declining water levels (Larson et al 2016;Jones et al 2019), further emphasize the importance of these survey units in or associ-ated with Great Salt Lake to migratory, waterdependent birds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Twenty-one Year Trends for Shorebirds, Waterfowl, and Other Waterbirds at Great Salt Lake, Utah

Meehan

Neill³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Millions of wetland-dependent birds annually depend on saline lakes and associated wetlands in the western United States. Understanding the population status and trends of birds with different life histories and habitats can guide efforts to secure water resources needed to sustain bird habitats. We used a 21-year dataset to examine population trends for 24 survey units presumed to be high-quality habitat for migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, and other waterbirds at Great Salt Lake and associated wetlands. As expected for high-quality habitats, we found stable or positive trends for 36 of 37 species or groups in fall, spring, or both seasons when considering survey units in aggregate. Despite stable or positive aggregate trends, negative trends did occur in some individual survey units. Foraging, migration distance, and taxonomic groupings were unrelated to trend direction. Research is needed to test whether survey units represent high-quality habitat. With declining regional water resources, stable and positive aggregate trends reinforce the importance of surveyed units at Great Salt Lake and associated wetlands to wetland-dependent birds. Ensuring continuation of stable and positive trends will require identifying environmental factors - including water quantity and quality - driving trends, and require coordinated regional management and monitoring of wetland-dependent birds.

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“…In 2014–15, the lake declined from historic levels of more than 15,000 ha to 236 and 666 ha, respectively 29 . Between 2011 and 2015, counts of phalarope species went from more than 60,000 to less than 13,000 birds, and Eared Grebes from more than 11,000 to less than 100 birds 41 . Senner and colleagues 23 found that as the area of Lake Abert decreased and salinity increased, invertebrate and waterbird numbers declined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate-Altered Wetlands Challenge Waterbird Use and Migratory Connectivity in Arid Landscapes

Haig

Murphy

Matthews³

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Wetlands in arid landscapes provide critical habitat for millions of migratory waterbirds across the world and throughout their annual cycle. The scope and scale of understanding avian use of these wetlands in conjunction with changes in climate are daunting yet critical to address lest we lose continent-wide migratory pathways. Here, we assess changes in waterbird use of North America’s Pacific Flyway in the Great Basin by examining water availability and climate trends over the past 100 years. We found recent (1980–2015) climate warming has significantly reduced the amount and shifted seasonality of water flowing into wetlands. Further, we found remarkable changes in waterbird species composition over time. We propose that a reduced hydroperiod and lower water quality from reduction in water level and flow limits sites used by waterbirds. These factors reduce chick survivorship as they cannot metabolize saline water, which makes suitable freshwater conditions a limiting resource. Collectively, climate-induced changes in Great Basin wetlands suggest a major shift in freshwater ecosystems, resulting in degradation of a continental migratory route. This work illustrates the importance of examining multi-scale changes in critical regional resources to understand their impact across a hemispheric flyway and provides a model to examine other flyways.

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Recent Desiccation-Related Ecosystem Changes at Lake Abert, Oregon: A Terminal Alkaline Salt Lake

Cited by 17 publications

References 44 publications

Climate and human water use diminish wetland networks supporting continental waterbird migration

Climate and human water use diminish wetland networks supporting continental waterbird migration

Twenty-one Year Trends for Shorebirds, Waterfowl, and Other Waterbirds at Great Salt Lake, Utah

Climate-Altered Wetlands Challenge Waterbird Use and Migratory Connectivity in Arid Landscapes

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