TY - JOUR
T1 - Monthly Water Balance of an Iconic Coastal Desert Wetland Under Reduced Flows and Increased Salinities; Implications for Management
AU - Lomeli, Marcelo A.
AU - Ramírez-Hernández, Jorge
AU - Glenn, Edward P.
AU - Zamora-Arroyo, Francisco
AU - Flessa, Karl W.
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the students of the Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra del Instituto de Ingeniería de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California and the personal of the Sonoran Institute for their enthusiastic participation in collecting, analyzing data and logistics. This study is a part of a Master’s Degree program supported by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), the Central Arizona Project, the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP), the Sonoran Institute, and the International Boundary and Water Commission (U.S./Mexico). We appreciate the helpful residents Ejído Luis Encínas Johnson, who shared their empirical knowledge of the Cienega and who moved inside the remote marsh areas during the study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Society of Wetland Scientists.
PY - 2015/8/25
Y1 - 2015/8/25
N2 - The Cienega de Santa Clara is a brackish coastal wetland located in the Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve. It plays vital ecological roles that support endangered-migratory species and flora. Its main water supply comes from irrigation return flows from the United States with salinity levels (2–3 g L−1) that promote the growth of Typha domingensis. This study conducted a water-mass balance during one year of reduced water volumes and high salinity levels caused by a trial run of the Yuma Desalting Plant. The analysis projected the effects that could be expected from the plant with permanent operation conditions. During the test run, inflows varied from 0.62 to 5 m3s−1, supplying the wetland with 127.20 hm3 of water at 2–5 g L−1. Forty-five percent of this volume exited as runoff, while 52 % exited by evapotranspiration. Water depth varied from 0.10–2.1 m at different time responses; also, during the summer water salinity levels increased above the tolerance limit for the vegetation, reducing its area by 20 %. Vegetation area returned when normal flows were resumed in the fall. The results indicate that permanent operation of the plant would reduce the vegetated area in the wetland due to reduced flows and increased salinities.
AB - The Cienega de Santa Clara is a brackish coastal wetland located in the Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve. It plays vital ecological roles that support endangered-migratory species and flora. Its main water supply comes from irrigation return flows from the United States with salinity levels (2–3 g L−1) that promote the growth of Typha domingensis. This study conducted a water-mass balance during one year of reduced water volumes and high salinity levels caused by a trial run of the Yuma Desalting Plant. The analysis projected the effects that could be expected from the plant with permanent operation conditions. During the test run, inflows varied from 0.62 to 5 m3s−1, supplying the wetland with 127.20 hm3 of water at 2–5 g L−1. Forty-five percent of this volume exited as runoff, while 52 % exited by evapotranspiration. Water depth varied from 0.10–2.1 m at different time responses; also, during the summer water salinity levels increased above the tolerance limit for the vegetation, reducing its area by 20 %. Vegetation area returned when normal flows were resumed in the fall. The results indicate that permanent operation of the plant would reduce the vegetated area in the wetland due to reduced flows and increased salinities.
KW - Cienega de Santa Clara
KW - Colorado River Delta
KW - Evapotranspiration
KW - Water balance
KW - Yuma Desalting Plant
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U2 - 10.1007/s13157-015-0669-8
DO - 10.1007/s13157-015-0669-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84937839369
SN - 0277-5212
VL - 35
SP - 783
EP - 793
JO - Wetlands
JF - Wetlands
IS - 4
ER -