Testing the Established Hydrogeologic Model of Source Water to the Amargosa River Basin, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California

Zdon, Andy; Davisson, M. Lee; Love, Adam H.

doi:10.1080/15275922.2015.1091406

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In a metapopulation analysis of highly vulnerable cloud forest in Mexico, a similar finding of regional autocorrelation of climate impacts indicated that the expectation for multiple species' persistence was dire [49]. Ongoing loss of water in the Mojave would likely be catastrophic not just to voles but to numerous flora and fauna throughout the region [15].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 93%

“…An earlier study inferred that Amargosa voles persist in a metapopulation due to the habitat patchiness [10]: we were concerned that such a designation might imply that subpopulations in small patches are buffered against local extinction by colonization from nearby habitat patches. Rather, some patches may function as sinks and overall connectivity among patches may be decreasing due to reduction of local water [15]. We implemented this by classifying each patch as a Context-independent Source, Rescued Source, Context-independent Sink, or Converted Sink, extending the classifications used earlier [42].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

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A stochastic structured metapopulation model to assess recovery scenarios of patchily distributed endangered species: Case study for a Mojave Desert rodent

et al. 2020

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While metapopulation theory offers tractable means to understand extinction risks for patchily-distributed endangered species, real systems often feature discrepant patch quality and accessibility, complex influences of environmental stochasticity, and regional and temporal autocorrelation. Spatially structured metapopulation models are flexible and can use real data but often at the cost of generality. Particularly as resources for management of such species are often critically limited, endangered species management guided by metapopulation modeling requires incorporation of biological realism. Here we developed a flexible, stochastic spatially structured metapopulation model of the profoundly endangered Amargosa vole, a microtine rodent with an extant population of only a few hundred individuals within 1km 2 of habitat in the Mojave Desert. Drought and water insecurity are increasing extinction risks considerably. We modelled subpopulation demographics using a Ricker-like model with migration implemented in an incidence function metapopulation model. A set of scenarios was used to assess the effect of anthropogenic stressors or management actions on expected time to extinction (T e) including: 1) wildland fire, 2) anthropogenically-mediated losses of hydrologic flows, 3) drought, 4) intentional expansion of existing patches into 'megamarshes' (i.e. via restoration/enhancement), and 5) additive impacts of multiple influences. In isolation, marshes could be sources or sinks, but spatial context within the full metapopulation including adjacency could alter relative impacts of subpopulations on all other subpopulations. The greatest reductions in persistence occurred in scenarios simulated with impacts from drought in combination with fire or anthropogenically-mediated losses of hydrologic flows. Optimal actions to improve persistence were to prevent distant and smaller marshes from acting as sinks through strategic creation of megamarshes that act as sources of voles and stepping-stones. This research reinforces that management resources expended without guidance from empirically-based modeling can actually harm species' persistence. This metapopulation-PVA tool could easily be implemented for other

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

A stochastic structured metapopulation model to assess recovery scenarios of patchily distributed endangered species: Case study for a Mojave Desert rodent

et al. 2020

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“…They all have relatively small catchment areas, relative to the broad extent of the larger groundwater basins. Bonanza Spring has previously been identified as being in hydraulic communication with the basin-fill aquifer system surrounding the Clipper Mountains [2].…”

Section: Geologic and Hydrogeologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The collected water samples were analyzed by Isotech Analytical Laboratories, Inc., (Champaign, IL, USA) for radiocarbon at all springs. In addition, tritium was analyzed for Burnt Spring, Vernandyles Spring, and Theresa Springs, as Bonanza Spring and Hummingbird Spring were previously analyzed for tritium [2]. The carbon isotope analyses involved the acidification of water to convert dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which was then extracted, purified, and analyzed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry for δ 13 C and accelerator mass spectrometry for 14 C. Tritium analysis was conducted using tritium electrolytic enrichment of the sample to obtain lower reporting limits and liquid scintillation spectrometry analysis.…”

Section: Analytical Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Radiocarbon Ages to Narrow Groundwater Recharge Estimates in the Southeastern Mojave Desert, USA

Love¹,

Zdon²

2018

Hydrology

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Estimating groundwater recharge in arid or semiarid regions can be a difficult and complex task, since it is dependent on a highly variable set of spatial and temporal hydrologic parameters and processes that are dependent on the local climate, the land surface properties, and subsurface characteristics. As a result, traditional methods for estimating the recharge can result in a wide range of derived values. This is evident in the southeastern Mojave Desert, where calculated recharge estimates by previous investigators that range over an order of magnitude (from ~2500 to ~37,000 acre feet per year) are reported. To narrow down this large span of recharge estimates to narrower and more plausible values, this study evaluates the previous recharge estimates in this region, to examine the sources of variability in the reported results and to constrain the recharge estimates based on the hydrologic conditions and the radiocarbon age-dating of spring flows—even without knowledge of the precise subsurface hydrology. The groundwater age and perennial flow characteristics of springs in this study could not be derived from waters sourced solely from local recharge. Therefore, the springs in this study require a significant groundwater contribution to their overall discharge. A previously described conceptual site model in the region established that Bonanza Spring is similarly hydrologically connected to the regional basin-fill aquifer, based on geologic and geochemical/isotopic analyses, and this conceptual site model for where perennial spring water is sourced should readily be extended to these other perennial springs in this region.

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“…During 2015 and 2016, Andy Zdon & Associates [12] conducted a spring survey on behalf of the BLM, The Nature Conservancy, and Transition Habitat Conservancy for BLM's Needles, and Barstow and Ridgecrest Field Offices. The field methods used for those surveys are the same as those used for the current investigation and therefore provide regional continuity and comparable data [13,14].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of Source Water Mixing in the Fish Slough Spring Complex, Mono County, California, USA

Zdon¹,

Rainville

Buckmaster

et al. 2019

Hydrology

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While the desert ecosystem is highly dependent on the water resources that sustain it, the Fish Slough spring complex is an arid, spring-dependent wetland undergoing a multidecadal decline in spring outflow. This evaluation updates the source water forensics of the Fish Slough Spring complex, a substantial spring complex in the northern Owens Valley of the Basin and Range geomorphic provinces, in order to better understand the nature of the spring flow decline. The source of spring flow at Fish Slough was evaluated through an integration of the established geologic setting with measured groundwater elevations, and water quality and isotope chemistry compiled from both previously published sources and collection of new samples. While previous efforts to source the Fish Slough springs only considered potential source areas within the local geography, this evaluation considered a larger geographic extent for potential source areas to the spring water. The results infer that Fish Slough springs are sourced from multiple source water areas in hydraulic communication: a basin fill aquifer and warm, sodic spring systems with distinctive chemical signatures. Mixing from these sources occurs along two hypothesized flow paths, one from the northeast through the Tri-Valley area and one from the north and northwest through the Volcanic Tablelands. Northeast Spring has the strongest signature for Tri-Valley area waters, whereas the remaining Fish Slough Springs are comprised of a mixture of both flow paths. These conclusions have important implications for water management activities that have the potential to impact the desert ecosystem supported by these springs.

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Testing the Established Hydrogeologic Model of Source Water to the Amargosa River Basin, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California

Cited by 5 publications

References 6 publications

A stochastic structured metapopulation model to assess recovery scenarios of patchily distributed endangered species: Case study for a Mojave Desert rodent

A stochastic structured metapopulation model to assess recovery scenarios of patchily distributed endangered species: Case study for a Mojave Desert rodent

Use of Radiocarbon Ages to Narrow Groundwater Recharge Estimates in the Southeastern Mojave Desert, USA

Identification of Source Water Mixing in the Fish Slough Spring Complex, Mono County, California, USA

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