2008 Weather and Aeolian Sand-Transport Data from the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Draut, Amy E.; Sondossi, Hoda A.; Hazel, Joseph E.; Andrews, Timothy; Fairley, Helen C.; Brown, Christopher R.; Vanaman, Karen M.

doi:10.3133/ofr20091190

Cited by 4 publications

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“…This is attributed to the density of vegetation cover near the instrument station, which effectively inhibits entrainment of sand by decreasing wind velocity near the bed (Bressolier and Thomas, 1977;Buckley, 1987). Sand transport at this site was no higher in the spring than at other times of year in 2007Draut and others, 2009a).…”

Section: Az A:15:0033mentioning

confidence: 84%

2009 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Draut¹,

Sondossi²,

Dealy³

et al. 2010

Open-File Report

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This report presents measurements of weather parameters and aeolian sand transport made in 2009 near selected archeological sites in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Ariz. The quantitative methods and data discussed here form a basis for monitoring ecosystem processes that affect archeological-site stability. Combined with forthcoming work to evaluate landscape evolution at nearby archeological sites, these data can be used to document the relation between physical processes, including weather and aeolian sand transport, and their effects on the physical integrity of archeological sites. Data collected in 2009 reveal event-and seasonal-scale variations in rainfall, wind, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. Broad seasonal changes in aeolian sediment flux are also apparent at most study sites. Differences in weather patterns between 2008 and 2009 included an earlier spring windy season, greater spring precipitation even though 2009 annual rainfall totals were in general substantially lower than in 2008, and earlier onset of the reduced diurnal barometric-pressure fluctuations commonly associated with summer monsoon conditions. Weather patterns in middle to late 2009 were apparently affected by a transition of the ENSO cycle from a neutral phase to the El Niño phase. The continuation of monitoring that began in 2007, and installation of additional equipment at several new sites in early 2008, allowed evaluation of the effects of the March 2008 high-flow experiment (HFE) on aeolian sand transport. As reported earlier, at 2 of the 9 sites studied, spring and summer winds in 2008 reworked the HFE sandbars to form new aeolian dunes, where sand moved inland toward larger, well-established dune fields. Observations in 2009 showed that farther inland migration of the dune at one of those two sites is likely inhibited by vegetation. At the other location, the new aeolian dune form was found to have moved 10 m inland toward older, well-established dunes during 2009, resulting in landward transport of several hundred cubic meters of new sand upslope and above the elevation reached by the peak HFE water level.

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Section: Az A:15:0033mentioning

confidence: 84%

2009 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Draut¹,

Sondossi²,

Dealy³

et al. 2010

Open-File Report

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“…A series of automated weather stations operating in Grand Canyon between 2006 and 2010 provided precipitation and wind data for our analyses. We coalesced and integrated data from several field studies (Draut et al , , ; O'Brien and Pederson, ; Dealy et al , ) to build continuous time series for analysis and corroboration with documented site changes. These data provide the highest resolution data (with four‐minute sampling intervals) ever collected at the bottom of Grand Canyon.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…sand sources) and the archaeological sites. We then analyzed available wind and sand transport data and interpretations (Draut et al , , ) to identify whether sand could have been transported to the archaeological sites when new aeolian sand deposition was identified in the change detection data.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the presence of an on‐site aeolian sand supply, modern fluvial sand deposits are currently generally small (approximately a few hundred square meters) upwind of the site. An HFE sand deposit with a favorable upwind location to the site was reported to have formed in 2008 (Draut et al , ) but its longevity was on the order of several months, being quickly eroded by daily dam‐regulated fluctuations of the river (Draut et al , ). However, archived aerial photographs taken shortly after high flows in the mid‐1980s and 1996 show a large amount of fluvial sediment adjacent to and upwind of this site, indicating that a larger aeolian sand supply had been available earlier in the post‐dam era (i.e.…”

Section: Combined Site Response From Fluvial–aeolian–alluvial Interacmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The LiDAR change detection and meteorological data for this paper are available through open‐access United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports (Collins et al , , ; Draut et al , , ; Dealy et al , ; Hazel et al , ; Hereford et al , , ) and also summarized in Supplementary Information Table S2. Infiltration data used in our analyses is provided in Supplementary Information Table S1 and associated references (i.e.…”

Section: Acknowledgementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relations between rainfall–runoff‐induced erosion and aeolian deposition at archaeological sites in a semi‐arid dam‐controlled river corridor

Collins

Bedford

Corbett

et al. 2016

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Process dynamics in fluvial-based dryland environments are highly complex with fluvial, aeolian, and alluvial processes all contributing to landscape change. When anthropogenic activities such as dam-building affect fluvial processes, the complexity in local response can be further increased by flood-and sediment-limiting flows. Understanding these complexities is key to predicting landscape behavior in drylands and has important scientific and management implications, including for studies related to paleoclimatology, landscape ecology evolution, and archaeological site context and preservation. Here we use multi-temporal LiDAR surveys, local weather data, and geomorphological observations to identify trends in site change throughout the 446-km-long semi-arid Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, where archaeological site degradation related to the effects of upstream dam operation is a concern. Using several site case studies, we show the range of landscape responses that might be expected from concomitant occurrence of dam-controlled fluvial sand bar deposition, aeolian sand transport, and rainfall-induced erosion. Empirical rainfall-erosion threshold analyses coupled with a numerical rainfall-runoff-soil erosion model indicate that infiltration-excess overland flow and gullying govern large-scale (centimeter-to decimeter-scale) landscape changes, but that aeolian deposition can in some cases mitigate gully erosion. Whereas threshold analyses identify the normalized rainfall intensity (defined as the ratio of rainfall intensity to hydraulic conductivity) as the primary factor governing hydrologic-driven erosion, assessment of false positives and false negatives in the dataset highlight topographic slope as the next most important parameter governing site response. Analysis of 4+ years of high resolution (four-minute) weather data and 75+ years of low resolution (daily) climate records indicates that dryland erosion is dependent on short-term, storm-driven rainfall intensity rather than cumulative rainfall, and that erosion can occur outside of wet seasons and even wet years. These results can apply to other similar semi-arid landscapes where process complexity may not be fully understood. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA

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Effects of river regulation on aeolian landscapes, Colorado River, southwestern USA

Draut

2012

J. Geophys. Res.

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103

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[1] Connectivity between fluvial and aeolian sedimentary systems plays an important role in the physical and biological environment of dryland regions. This study examines the coupling between fluvial sand deposits and aeolian dune fields in bedrock canyons of the arid to semiarid Colorado River corridor, southwestern USA. By quantifying significant differences between aeolian landscapes with and without modern fluvial sediment sources, this work demonstrates for the first time that the flow-and sediment-limiting effects of dam operations affect sedimentary processes and ecosystems in aeolian landscapes above the fluvial high water line. Dune fields decoupled from fluvial sand supply have more ground cover (biologic crust and vegetation) and less aeolian sand transport than do dune fields that remain coupled to modern fluvial sand supply. The proportion of active aeolian sand area also is substantially lower in a heavily regulated river reach (Marble-Grand Canyon, Arizona) than in a much less regulated reach with otherwise similar environmental conditions (Cataract Canyon, Utah). The interconnections shown here among river flow and sediment, aeolian sand transport, and biologic communities in aeolian dunes demonstrate a newly recognized means by which anthropogenic influence alters dryland environments. Because fluvial-aeolian coupling is common globally, it is likely that similar sediment-transport connectivity and interaction with upland ecosystems are important in other dryland regions to a greater degree than has been recognized previously.Citation: Draut, A. E. (2012), Effects of river regulation on aeolian landscapes, Colorado River, southwestern USA,

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2008 Weather and Aeolian Sand-Transport Data from the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

2009 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

2009 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Relations between rainfall–runoff‐induced erosion and aeolian deposition at archaeological sites in a semi‐arid dam‐controlled river corridor

Effects of river regulation on aeolian landscapes, Colorado River, southwestern USA

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