Skip to Main Content
U.S. Forest Service
Caring for the land and serving people

United States Department of Agriculture

Home > Search > Publication Information

  1. Flow of water and sediments through Southwestern riparian systems

    Share via EmailShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on Twitter
    Dislike this pubLike this pub
    Author(s): Leonard F. DeBano; Peter F. Ffolliott; Kenneth N. Brooks
    Date: 1996
    Source: In: Shaw, Douglas W.; Finch, Deborah M., tech coords. Desired future conditions for Southwestern riparian ecosystems: Bringing interests and concerns together. 1995 Sept. 18-22, 1995; Albuquerque, NM. General Technical Report RM-GTR-272. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. p. 128-134.
    Publication Series: General Technical Report (GTR)
    Station: Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station
    PDF: View PDF  (103.81 KB)
    Note: This article is part of a larger document. View the larger document

    Description

    The paper describes streamflow, sediment movement and vegetation interactions within riparian systems of the southwestern United States. Riparian systems are found in a wide range of vegetation types, ranging from lower elevation desert environments to high elevation conifer forests. The climatic, vegetative and hydrologic processes operating in the southwestern environments provide a unique setting for discussing riparian ecosystem interactions with both water and sediment. Most streamflow at lower elevations is intermittent, and riparian vegetation frequently occupies channels that are dry at least part of the year. As a result, water table fluctuations in relation to streamflow and their subsequent effects on the establishment and maintenance of healthy riparian vegetation are key processes. At higher elevations, streamflow from snowmelt and rainfall is sufficient to sustain perennial streamflow and thereby provides a more consistent source of water for riparian vegetation. At all elevations, precipitation fluctuates widely, with many high-intensity, localized, convection storms occurring during the summer. As a result of this highly variable precipitation-runoff regime, erosion in the southwestern United States is an unsteady or discontinuous process that transports sediment from source areas through a channel system with Intermittent periods of storage. This episodic transport process is characteristic of drylands in the southwestern United States where big storms are the prime movers of sediment. Intermittent streamflow coupled with the discontinuous storage and subsequent movement of sediment through channel systems in response to fire and other disturbances is extremely complex, and can be difficult to interpret when assessing responses of southwestern riparian systems to management.

    Publication Notes

    • You may send email to rmrspubrequest@fs.fed.us to request a hard copy of this publication.
    • (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)
    • We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
    • This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

    Citation

    DeBano, Leonard F.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Brooks, Kenneth N. 1996. Flow of water and sediments through Southwestern riparian systems. In: Shaw, Douglas W.; Finch, Deborah M., tech coords. Desired future conditions for Southwestern riparian ecosystems: Bringing interests and concerns together. 1995 Sept. 18-22, 1995; Albuquerque, NM. General Technical Report RM-GTR-272. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. p. 128-134.

    Keywords

    riparian ecosystems, human dimensions, hydrology, ecology, history, restoration

    Related Search

    XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
Jump to Top of Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/35705