A baseline of soil erosion and vegetation monitoring in desert grasslands: Chihuahua, Texas and New Mexico

TitleA baseline of soil erosion and vegetation monitoring in desert grasslands: Chihuahua, Texas and New Mexico
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Publication1987
AuthorsLudwig J., Moir WH
EditorAldon EF, Gonzales-Vicente C.E, Moir W.H(eds.)
Conference NameStrategies for Classification and Management of Native Vegetation for Food Production in Arid Zones
VolumeGeneral Technical Report RM-150
Pagination214-220
Date PublishedOctober 12-16, 1
PublisherUSDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station
Conference LocationTucson, Arizona
Call Number00192
Keywordsabstract, abstracts, conference, conference proceedings, conferences, desertification, long term monitoring, soil erosion, model, validation data, proceeding, proceedings, soil erosion, transect, soil erosion, transect, vegetation, vegetation transect
Abstract A long-term monitoring for vegetation and soil changes in desert grasslands of the northern Chihuahuan Desert was started in 1981 as part of the USDA/SEA Antidesertification program. Five study areas were located on the Jornada Experimental Range, Otero Mesa, and Peloncillo Mountains in New Mexico, Big Bend National Park in Texas, and Rancho La Campana in Chihuahua, Mexico. Vegetation was charted in quadrats along 30m permanent transects in these study areas. A high-precision auto-level was used to establish baseline data on the current soil-surface levels along the transects. In the future, recharting vegetation and remeasuring soil-surface level should provide data on rates of change. This data could be used to validate models designed to predict rates of soil erosion and vegetation change.
Custom 1 Fort Collins, Colorado