@conference {JRN54403, title = {Climate change effects in the southwestern states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California and Hawaii}, booktitle = {National Association of Environmental Professionals Annual Conference 2015}, year = {2015}, month = {04/2015}, address = {Honolulu, HI}, abstract = {

On February 7, 2014 Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, created seven regional hubs across the U.S.\  The directors of the regional climate hubs are either from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) or the U.S. Forest Service.\  In addition to regional hubs, there are three individual subsidiary hubs (Sub Hubs) in Davis, CA; Houghton, MI; and Rio Piedras, PR that focus on specialty crops or particularly unique working lands.\  The overall goal of the regional hubs is to maintain and strengthen agricultural production and natural resources under increasing climate variability and environmental change.\  The mission of the hubs is to develop and deliver science-based, regional specific information and technologies to agriculture and natural resource managers that enable climate-informed decision-making and provide assistance to enable land managers to implement those decisions.

}, author = {A. Rango and Caitriana Steele and Emile H. Elias and Kris Havstad} } @conference {JRN54506, title = {Connecting stakeholders and climate science: A summary of farmer, rancher, and forester climate data needs and climate change attitudes}, booktitle = {American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting}, year = {2015}, month = {12/2015}, publisher = {AGU}, organization = {AGU}, address = {San Francisco, CA}, abstract = {

The mission of the USDA Southwest Regional Climate Hub is to provide farmers, ranchers and forest land owners and managers with information and resources to cope with the impacts of climate change. As such, a clear understanding of landowner needs for weather and climate data and their attitudes about climate change is required. Here we present a summary of results from 17 peer-reviewed articles on studies pertaining to landowner needs and attitudes towards climate change adaptation and mitigation that span much of the continental U.S. and ideally represent a cross-section of different geographies. In general, approximately 75\% of landowners and farm advisors believe climate change is occurring, but disagree on the human contribution. Studies found that most farmers were supportive of adaptation responses, but fewer endorsed farm-based greenhouse gas reduction mitigation strategies. Adaptation is often driven by local concerns and requires locally specific strategies. Perceiving weather variability increased belief in human-caused climate change. Presently farmers and ranchers rely on past experience and short-range forecasts (weeks to seasons) whereas some foresters are requesting long-term predictions on the order of years to decades. Foresters indicated that most of them (74\%) are presently unable to find needed long-term information. We augment peer-reviewed literature with observations from landowner workshops conducted in Nevada and Arizona during 2014, the first year of Climate Hub operation. To better collect information about climate change needs and attitudes of farmers, ranchers and foresters across the globe, we created a Climate Change Attitudes collection in JournalMap (https://journalmap.org/usda-southwest-regional-climate-hub/climate-change-attitudes). Users anywhere can add articles to this collection, ultimately generating a comprehensive spatial resource in support of adaptation and mitigation efforts on working lands.

}, author = {A. Rango and Michael Crimmins and Emile H. Elias and Caitriana Steele and Weiss, Jeremy} } @conference {JRN54399, title = {USDA Southwest climate hub for climate change}, booktitle = {Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop (CPASW)}, year = {2015}, month = {03/2015}, publisher = {Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop (CPASW)}, organization = {Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop (CPASW)}, address = {Las Cruces, NM}, abstract = {

The USDA Southwest (SW) Climate Hub was created in February 2014 to develop risk adaptation and mitigation strategies for coping with climate change effects on agricultural productivity. There are seven regional hubs across the country with three subsidiary hubs. The SW Climate Hub Region is made up of six states: New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California and Hawaii (plus the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands). The SW Climate Hub has a subsidiary hub located in Davis, California. The Southwest region has high climatic diversity, with the lowest and highest average annual rainfall in the U.S.(6.0 cm in Death Valley, CA and 1168 cm at Mt. Waialeale, HI). There are major deserts in five of the six states, yet most of the states, with exception of Hawaii, depend upon the melting of mountain snowpacks for their surface water supply. Additionally, many of the agricultural areas of the SW Regional Hub depend upon irrigation water to maintain productivity. The SW Regional Hub will rely upon existing infrastructure of the Cooperative Extension Service at Land-Grant State Universities. Extension service and USDA-NRCS personnel have existing networks to communicate with stakeholders (farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners) through meetings and workshops which have already started in the six states. Outreach through the development of a weather and climate impact modules designed for seventh grade students and their teachers will foster education of future generations of rural land managers. We will be synthesizing and evaluating existing reports, literature and information on regional climate projections, water resources, and agricultural adaptation strategies related to climate in the Southwest. The results will be organized in a spatial format and provided through the SW Hub website (http://swclimatehub.info) and peer-reviewed articles.

}, author = {A. Rango and Caitriana Steele and Emile H. Elias and Kris Havstad} } @conference {JRN54397, title = {USDA southwest regional hub for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change}, booktitle = {American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2014}, year = {2014}, month = {12/2014}, publisher = {AGU}, organization = {AGU}, address = {San Francisco, CA}, abstract = {

The USDA Southwest (SW) Climate Hub was created in February 2014 to develop risk adaptation and mitigation strategies for coping with climate change effects on agricultural productivity.\  There are seven regional hubs across the country with three subsidiary hubs.\  The SW Climate Hub Region is made up of six states:\  New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California and Hawaii (plus the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands).\ \  The SW Climate Hub has a subsidiary hub located in Davis, California because of the large agricultural productivity, wide variety of crops, and the high value of many of the crops.\  The Southwest region has a high climatic diversity.\  The lowest average r=annual rainfall (6.0 cm) and highest temperature recorded (57o C) in the U.S were located in Death Valley, CA.\  The highest average annual rainfall in the U.S. is located in Mt. Waialeale, Hawaii with 1169 cm.\  The lowest temperature recorded in the Region was in Peter{\textquoteright}s Sink, UT with -56oC.\  Despite the fact that there are major deserts in four of the six states, most of the states, with exception of Hawaii, depend upon the melting of mountain snowpacks for their surface water supply.\  Additionally, many of the productive agricultural areas of the SW Regional Hub depend upon irrigation water for this high productivity.

}, author = {A. Rango and Emile H. Elias and Caitriana Steele and Kris Havstad} } @article {JRN54874, title = {Acequias and the Effects of Climate Change}, year = {2013}, abstract = {

Traditional forms of acequia irrigation can be combined with ground based and remote sensing snow measurements and snowmelt runoff modeling to better estimate runoff volumes now and in the future under conditions of climate change. The experience gained over 400 years of irrigating small fields strongly binds communities and strengthens the resolve of acequia associations to contest challenges presented by climate change. Increased density of snow measurements in high elevations of the Rio Grande along with input of real-time data to snowmelt models has led to an improved potential for acequia decision making under the increased temperatures projected for the future by climate models. Acequia communities and similar Native American settlements have shown the willingness to share water during times of severe water shortages in the southwestern U.S. Acequia associations have shown the desire to adopt new forms of hydrologic data and modeling techniques and incorporate them into acequia association approaches.

}, keywords = {Acequias, climate change, snowmelt runoff modeling}, doi = {10.1111/j.1936-704X.2013.03154.x}, url = {/files/bibliography/13-042.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Alexander Fernald and Caitriana Steele and Hurd, B. and Carlos Ochoa} } @proceedings {JRN54530, title = {Hydrology with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)}, volume = {p.7, $\#$1228817}, year = {2011}, month = {02/2012}, publisher = {AGU Chapman Confrence on REmoe Sensing of the Terrestrail Water Cycle}, address = {Kona, Hawaii}, abstract = {Hydrologic remote sensing currently depends on expensive and infrequent aircraft observations for validation of operational satellite products, typically conducted during field campaigns that also include ground-based measurements. With the advent of new, hydrologically-relevant satellite missions, such as the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, there is a pressing need for more frequent, less expensive techniques for validating satellite retrievals that can be integrated with ground sensor networks. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) provide intermediate to high resolutions and spatial coverage that can fill the gap between satellite observations and ground-based sensors at resolutions superior to manned aircraft data. Their use in the hydrologic community for obtaining variables that can serve as input or validation fields for hydrologic models is an emerging area that deserves greater attention. The development of these tools for field to regional-scale hydrologic sensing and modeling is further punctuated by the potential for reduced long-term funding for satellite and manned aircraft missions. In this work, we present our recent experiences with the use of UAVs for hydrologic assessments and modeling at the Jornada Experimental Range in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We document the capability of UAV platforms for obtaining very high resolution imagery, digital elevation models and vegetation canopy properties over an experimental watershed equipped with a distributed sensor network of water, energy and carbon states and fluxes. We also draw attention to the important interaction between UAV products and their direct use in hydrologic models at the watershed scale. From a hydrologic perspective, the development of UAV techniques should be driven by the necessary inputs to a hydrologic model or the potential for utilizing the imagery to test the model predictions. This co-development can ensure that remote sensing advances make their way into products that directly quantify the hydrologic cycle and improve predictive skill at a range of resolutions. We present results from the application of the Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN)-based Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS) to the instrumented upland watershed to highlight the challenges and benefits of these tailored remote sensing products. We also discuss how UAVs could be used to validate upcoming products from satellite missions for the purpose of improving their routine use in a range of watershed models applied at local to regional scales.}, author = {A. Rango and Enrique Vivoni} } @proceedings {JRN54523, title = {Using the snowmelt runoff model to evaluate climate change effects and to compare basin runoff between New Mexico and Idaho.}, volume = {Abstract $\#$7481. p. 17}, year = {2011}, month = {11/2011}, publisher = {American Water Resources Association Conference }, address = {Albuquerque, New Mexico}, abstract = {The Snowmelt Runoff Model(SRM) has been developed and tested in small to large basins worldwide. SRM has been found to be very useful for understanding snowmelt processes as well as for simulating or forecasting snowmelt-derived water supplies. SRM is being used in New Mexico in a NSF-funded EPSCoR(Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) project. All important snowmelt sub basins of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and Colorado are being studied to provide required snow covered area inputs to SRM in and attempt to answer what the climate change impacts on New Mexico{\textquoteright}s mountain sources of water are. Landsat and MODIS satellites are being employed to remotely sense snow cover in both New Mexico and Colorado. Initial mapping provided information that indicated that resolution better than provided by MODIS(250-500m) would be necessary, so we have used Landsat(15-30m) when available. Additionally, it seemed that the satellite mapping was not detecting all the snow cover in the forest snow zone. The forest cover was delineated with high resolution, but much less frequent aerial photography. The addition of these approaches provides better hydrologic simulations without resorting to changes in the SRM parameters. SRM has a further advantage for evaluating climate change effects on water supply because it has an algorithm that automatically takes any future climate scenario into account. Such future climates are being derived from climate models run over the Rio Grande basin. Various snowmelt algorithms in SRM are being used independently in Idaho basins driven by another important snow variable: the daily snow water equivalent available from NRCS SNOTEL sites. It is important to compare the output of basins in the northern Rockies(Idaho) to those in the southern Rockies(New Mexico/Colorado). Typically, a La Nina year like 2011 in Idaho produces above average snow accumulation and runoff whereas in New Mexico or Colorado, La Nina produces well below average snowpacks and runoff. SRM snowmelt calculations can be made using either snow covered area or snow water equivalent inputs. This presentation will show examples of each of these SRM-related products.}, author = {A. Rango and Caitriana Steele and Demouche, Leann and J. Martinec and Abramovich, Ron} } @article {49985, title = {The utilization of historical data and geospatial technology advances at the Jornada Experimental Range to support western America ranching culture}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, volume = {3}, year = {2011}, month = {09/2011}, pages = {2089-2109}, chapter = {2089}, abstract = {By the early 1900s, concerns were expressed by ranchers, academicians, and federal scientists that widespread overgrazing and invasion of native grassland by woody shrubs were having severe negative impacts upon normal grazing practices in Western America. Ranchers wanted to reverse these trends and continue their way of life and were willing to work with scientists to achieve these goals. One response to this desire was establishment of the USDA Jornada Experimental Range (783 km2) in south central New Mexico by a Presidential Executive Order in 1912 for conducting rangeland investigations. This cooperative effort involved experiments to understand principles of proper management and the processes causing the woody shrub invasion as well as to identify treatments to eradicate shrubs. By the late 1940s, it was apparent that combining the historical ground-based data accumulated at Jornada Experimental Range with rapidly expanding post World War II technologies would yield a better understanding of the driving processes in these arid and semiarid ecosystems which could then lead to improved rangeland management practices. One specific technology was the use of aerial photography to interpret landscape resource conditions. The assembly and utilization of long-term historical aerial photography data sets has occurred over the last half century. More recently, Global Positioning System (GPS) techniques have been used in a myriad of scientific endeavors including efforts to accurately locate historical and contemporary treatment plots and to track research animals including livestock and wildlife. As an incredible amount of both spatial and temporal data became available, Geographic Information Systems have been exploited to display various layers of data over the same locations. Subsequent analyses of these data layers have begun to yield new insights. The most recent technological development has been the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that afford the opportunity to obtain high (5 cm) resolution data now required for rangeland monitoring. The Jornada team is now a leader in civil UAV applications in the USA. The scientific advances at the Jornada in fields such as remote sensing can be traced to the original Western America ranching culture that established the Jornada in 1912 and which persists as an important influence in shaping research directions today.}, keywords = {geospatial technology, historical data, remote sensing, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Western American culture}, doi = {10.3390/rs3092089}, url = {/files/bibliography/11-031.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Kris Havstad and Richard E. Estell} } @conference {50058, title = {Change detection using 75-year aerial photo and satellite data sets, inexpensive means to obtain 6 cm resolution data, and developing opportunities for community-oriented remote sensing through photography}, booktitle = {2010 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting}, year = {2010}, month = {12/2010}, address = {San Francisco, California}, abstract = {Some governmental research sites have been in existence for as many as 100 years with ground photography used for documentation starting in the early 1900s(e.g., at the USDA Jornada Experimental Range (JER) (783 km2) in south central New Mexico) If ground photography is properly documented when acquired, it can be used as a baseline for later re-photography assessments of change or for providing historical perspective. The JER historical ground photographic data base contains 3148 scenes and is available from a number of photographic archives. For long-term change detection, earth resources satellites (starting in 1972) have been valuable, but their usefulness can be enhanced when combined with data from vertical aerial photography programs begun in the mid 1930s by USDA (and other agency/aerial photo contractors). This historic aerial photography is generally an untapped data resource. Most of these aerial photos have approximately 1-2 m spatial resolution but are scattered in numerous archives around the United States. For the JER, we have been able to locate and obtain 5500 individual aerial photos which have been indispensable in evaluating vegetation change, locating treatment legacies on the landscape, and assessing rangeland treatment effectiveness. All the acquired aerial photos have been digitized and stored in the JER data base. We have also been exploring the use of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to provide hyperspatial aerial photos at about 6 cm spatial resolution to complement the 1-2 m resolution aerial photos. The areas covered by these individual UAV photos are only about 215 x 160 m, so in order to cover larger areas we have had to develop our own methods for mosaicing and analysis. In four years of flying the UAV, we have obtained about 15,000 images over JER and other western rangelands. This method is very cost effective because we are able to use an inexpensive 10 megapixel consumer-grade digital camera on the UAV as opposed to more costly aerial mapping cameras or scanners. The extreme high resolution of the images has found great application in rangeland health assessments. Archiving all these photographic products is a necessity so that future researchers can build their own studies on a firm foundation of past observations and analyses. Although we have experienced enormous advances in automated processing and classification of digital remote sensing data since the 1970s, the results are not always better that when we were working with manual interpretation of photographic products. One example is that manual techniques we used for mapping snow cover extent in the 1970-1980s in the Rio Grande basin provided data with information content that may exceed that from today{\textquoteright}s automated methods which result in less discrimination of snow cover beneath the forest canopy. Additionally, continued utilization of photography opens up the possibility of community-oriented remote sensing which can have application to developing research areas like phenology and snow hydrology where the public can contribute photos as a form of ground truth.}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Craig Winters and Caitriana Steele and Dawn M. Browning} } @article {50057, title = {Impact of flight regulations on effective use of unmanned aerial vehicles for natural resources applications}, journal = {Journal of Applied Remote Sensing}, volume = {4}, year = {2010}, pages = {043539}, abstract = {Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have great potential for rangeland assessment, monitoring, and management as has been shown by prior studies. Additionally, numerous other applications in natural resources have shown the value of using UAVs. In order to have UAVs become a dependable tool for public land management agencies in carrying out their government-mandated responsibilities, it is necessary to integrate UAVs into the National Airspace System (NAS). To achieve this, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations have to be followed to assure public safety. UAV operators need to know that the safety regulations which incorporate line of sight restrictions will slow progress towards an operational system and plan accordingly for the extra time necessary to prepare and complete flight missions. In the long term by following approved safety procedures, you will develop a UAV flight team that is capable of accomplishing missions anywhere in the United States and contribute to a totally integrated NAS comprised of manned and unmanned aircraft systems that can be used jointly for natural resources management. At the same time, it is hoped that FAA regulations will change with time based on the locale in which operations take place, especially when they include large, remote, sparsely populated areas, and based on the capabilities and experience of the UAV flight team being used.}, keywords = {aerial photography, civilian applications, FAA regulations, National Airspace System, rangeland management, Small unmanned aerial vehicles}, url = {/files/bibliography/10-021.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte} } @conference {JRN54478, title = {Infrastructure improvements for snowmelt runoff assessments of climate change impacts on water supplies in the Rio Grande basin}, booktitle = {Western Snow Conference, 2010}, year = {2010}, month = {04/2010}, address = {Logan, Utah}, abstract = {

It has become apparent that the effects of climate change will be especially important for Southwestern US water users. The NSF-funded EPSCoR project {\textquotedblleft}Climate Change Impacts on New Mexico{\textquoteright}s Mountain Sources of Water{\textquotedblright} focuses on improving hydrometeorological measurements, developing basin-wide and sub-basin snow cover mapping methods, generating snowmelt runoff simulations and long-term climate change assessments, and informing the public of the results through outreach and educational activities. Five new and 12 upgraded SNOTEL sites, four SCAN stations and about 30 new automated weather stations are being added to New Mexico measurement networks. 25 sub-basins of the Rio Grande have been identified as important snowmelt basins where development and testing of snow cover mapping methods will be conducted. High spatial resolution Landsat TM data (30 m) are being used to evaluate estimates of snow cover from Terra MODIS moderate spatial resolution data (250m and 500 m). We aim to identify the best snow-mapping algorithm for the Rio Grande basin using Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) simulations. For the snowmelt modeling, we are using an updated revision of SRM which can automatically assess the climate change effects on water supplies of future climate scenarios.

}, author = {A. Rango and Caitriana Steele and Demouche, Leann} } @proceedings {50059, title = {Rangeland resource assessment, monitoring, and management using unmanned aerial vehicle-based remote sensing}, volume = {Art. No. 1470}, year = {2010}, month = {07/25/2010}, pages = {608-611}, address = {Honolulu, Hawaii}, abstract = {

Civilian applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have rapidly been expanding recently. Thanks to military development many civil UAVs come via the defense sector. Although numerous UAVs can perform civilian tasks, the regulations imposed by FAA in the national airspace system and military equivalent agencies in restricted airspace need to be closely considered and followed in order to make progress in civilian applications. Personnel at the Jornada Experimental Range have developed approaches to abide by FAA and military regulations. Because of this, the enormous potential of UAVs for rangeland assessment, monitoring, and management is starting to be realized.

}, doi = {10.1109/IGARSS.2010.5651659}, url = {/files/bibliography/10-029.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Kris Havstad and Craig Winters and Caitriana Steele and Dawn M. Browning} } @conference {JRN54477, title = {Infrastructure improvements for snowmelt runoff forecasting and assessments of climate change impacts on water supplies in the Rio Grande Basin}, booktitle = {American Geophysical Union}, year = {2009}, month = {12/2009}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, organization = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {San Francisco, CA}, abstract = {In the Southwest US, the southern Rocky Mountains provide a significant orographic barrier to prevailing moisture-laden Westerly winds, which results in snow accumulation and melt, both vitally important to the region{\textquoteright}s water resources. The inherent variability of meteorological conditions in the Southwest, during both snowpack buildup and depletion, requires improved spatially-distributed data. The population of ground-based networks (SNOTEL, SCAN, and weather stations) is sparse and does not satisfactorily represent the variability of snow accumulation and melt. Remote sensing can be used to supplement data from ground networks, but the most frequently available remotely sensed product with the highest temporal and spatial resolution, namely snow cover, only provides areal data and not snow volume. Fortunately, the Snowmelt Runoff Model(SRM), which was developed in mountainous regions of the world, including the Rio Grande basin, accepts snow covered area as one of its major input variables along with temperature and precipitation. With the growing awareness of atmospheric warming and the southerly location of Southwest watersheds, it has become apparent that the effects of climate change will be especially important for Southwestern water users. The NSF-funded EPSCoR project {\textquotedblleft}Climate Change Impacts on New Mexico{\textquoteright}s Mountain Sources of Water{\textquotedblright} (started in 2009) has focused on improving hydrometeorological measurements, developing basin-wide and sub-basin snow cover mapping methods, generating snowmelt runoff simulations, forecasts, and long-term climate change assessments, and informing the public of the results through outreach and educational activities. Five new SNOTEL and four new SCAN sites are being installed in 2009-2010 and 12 existing basic SNOTEL sites are being upgraded. In addition, 30 automated precipitation gages are being added to New Mexico measurement networks. The first phase of snow mapping and modeling has focused on four sub basins, namely, the Rio Grande near Del Norte, CO and the Rio Hondo, Rio Chama, and Castillo Creek in NM, all tributaries of the Rio Grande basin. An additional 21 sub basins will be added as the development and testing of methods progresses. High spatial resolution Landsat TM data (30 m) are being used to evaluate estimates of snow cover maps from moderate spatial resolution data from Terra MODIS (250m and 500 m). Currently MODIS provides optimal temporal sampling (daily data) but the most effective MODIS-based snow cover mapping method has yet to be determined. We aim to identify the best MODIS snow-mapping algorithm for the Rio Grande area. For the snowmelt modeling, we are using an updated revision of SRM which directly accepts remote sensing snow cover inputs but can also automatically assess the climate change effects of future scenarios. The methods under development are intended for operational use by interested water resources agencies. With this end in mind, we will be developing an ArcGIS Toolbox (ESRI) and manual that will incorporate all the tools and instructions necessary for data download, re-projection and formatting, modeling and streamflow estimation.}, author = {A. Rango and Caitriana Steele and Demouche, Leann} } @article {50137, title = {Unmanned aerial vehicle-based remote sensing for rangeland assessment, monitoring, and management}, journal = {Journal of Applied Remote Sensing}, volume = {3}, year = {2009}, month = {08/2009}, pages = {033542}, abstract = {

Rangeland comprises as much as 70\% of the Earth\’s land surface area. Much of this vast space is in very remote areas that are expensive and often impossible to access on the ground. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have great potential for rangeland management. UAVs have several advantages over satellites and piloted aircraft: they can be deployed quickly and repeatedly; they are less costly and safer than piloted aircraft; they are flexible in terms of flying height and timing of missions; and they can obtain imagery at sub-decimeter resolution. This hyperspatial imagery allows for quantification of plant cover, composition, and structure at multiple spatial scales. Our experiments have shown that this capability, from an off-the-shelf mini-UAV, is directly applicable to operational agency needs for measuring and monitoring. For use by operational agencies to carry out their mandated responsibilities, various requirements must be met: an affordable and reliable platform; a capability for autonomous, low altitude flights; takeoff and landing in small areas surrounded by rugged terrain; and an easily applied data analysis methodology. A number of image processing and orthorectification challenges have been or are currently being addressed, but the potential to depict the land surface commensurate with field data perspectives across broader spatial extents is unrivaled.

}, keywords = {aerial photography, autonomous flight, indicators, rangeland applications, Small unmanned aerial vehicles}, doi = {10.1117/1.3216822}, url = {/files/bibliography/09-025.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Jeffrey E. Herrick and Craig Winters and Kris Havstad and Caitriana Steele and Dawn M. Browning} } @proceedings {50136, title = {Water harvesting applictions for rangelands}, year = {2009}, month = {May 2-9, 2009}, address = {Ft. McDowell, AZ}, abstract = {Although water harvesting techniques have been used effectively in irrigated agriculture and domestic water supplies, there seems to have been little continued exploitation of the same techniques in arid and semiarid rangeland restoration. A review of the history of rangeland water harvesting allows identification of the methods that have been useful in the past and which would be likely effective in the future. It seems that relatively simple water harvesting approaches work best on rangelands, particularly water ponding dikes to stimulate vegetation growth, and possibly the use of larger-scale water spreaders. The complexity of larger scale applications, however, may lead to problems in operational use. Experience from rangeland water harvesting at the Jornada Experimental Range in the south central New Mexico and other locations in the Southwest indicates that the approach is a long-term solution that produces significant vegetation growth, generally 10-15 years after installation because of the sporadic and spatially distributed nature of the summer monsoon rainfall. Additionally, the use of water ponding dikes seems to most reliably produce an {\textquotedblleft}island{\textquotedblright} of enhanced soil moisture and increased habitat cover and forage. Water ponding dikes are easy and relatively inexpensive to construct and produce a pattern of vegetation similar to naturally occurring banded vegetation. Even very shallow dikes (7.5cm) are shown to produce ponds and a significant vegetation response. Research needs to be done to determine if the bands of vegetation behind the dikes will function like natural banded vegetation and expand to larger areas. Climate change continues to impact our water supplies, and the historical techniques of water harvesting that have been successfully used for over 9,000 years are a viable rangeland water conservation alternative now and in the future.}, keywords = {harvesting, rangeland restoration, water}, author = {A. Rango and Kris Havstad} } @article {50135, title = {Water-harvesting applications for rangelands revisited}, journal = {Environmental Practice}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, year = {2009}, month = {June 2009}, pages = {84-94}, abstract = {Although water harvesting techniques have been used effectively in irrigated agriculture and domestic water supplies, there seems to have been little exploitation of the same techniques in arid and semiarid rangeland restoration. A review of the history of rangeland water harvesting allows identification of the methods that have been useful in the past and which would be likely effective in the future. It seems that relatively simple water harvesting approaches work best on rangelands including water ponding dikes to stimulate vegetation growth, stock tanks for livestock watering, and possibly the use of larger-scale water spreaders, although their complexity sometimes can lead to problems in operational use. Rangeland water harvesting in the southwest U.S. indicates that the approach is a long-term solution that produces significant vegetation growth generally after 10-15 years because of the sporadic and spatially distributed nature of the summer monsoon rainfall. Additionally, the use of water ponding dikes seems to most reliably produce an island of increased soil moisture and increased forage. Water ponding dikes are easy and relatively inexpensive to construct and produce a pattern of vegetation similar to naturally occurring banded vegetation. Even very shallow dikes (7.5cm) produce ponds and a significant vegetation response. Research needs to be done to see if the bands of vegetation behind the dikes will function like banded vegetation and expand to larger areas. As climate change continues to impact our water supply, the techniques of water harvesting will become a viable rangeland water conservation alternative in the future.}, keywords = {harvesting, journal, water}, doi = {10.1017/S1466046609090140}, url = {/files/bibliography/09-017.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Kris Havstad} } @proceedings {50262, title = {Development of an operational UAV / Remote sensing capability for rangeland management}, year = {2008}, month = {April 2008}, pages = {CDROM 9 pp.}, abstract = {Rangeland comprises approximately 70\% of the Earth{\textquoteright}s land surface area. Much of this vast space is in very remote areas with difficult access. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have great potential for rangeland management applications. UAVs have several advantages over satellites and piloted aircraft: they can be deployed quickly and repeatedly; they are less costly and safer than piloted aircraft; they are flexible in terms of flying height and timing of missions; and they can obtain imagery at sub-decimeter resolution. This hyperspatial imagery allows for observation of individual plants, patches, gaps, and patterns over the landscape not previously possible. Our experiments have shown that this capability, from an off-the-shelf small-UAV is directly applicable to operational agency needs for evaluating rangeland health. At the Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico, USA, ongoing research is aimed at determining the utility of UAVs for rangeland mapping and monitoring. For use by operational agencies to carry out their mandated responsibilities, various requirements must be met: an affordable and reliable platform; a capability for autonomous, low altitude flights; takeoff and landing in minimal size and rugged areas; and an easily applied data analysis methodology. There are a number of image processing and orthorectification challenges; image distortion associated with inexpensive, consumer grade digital cameras; difficulty of detecting sufficient ground-control points in small area photos; accuracy of exterior information (X.Y,Z, roll, pitch, and heading); and the large number of images that can be collected. Recent results of this research are presented.}, keywords = {imagery, remote sensing, UAV, unmanned aerial vehicle}, url = {/files/bibliography/08-048.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Jeffrey E. Herrick and Craig Winters and Kris Havstad} } @inbook {50261, title = {Introduction to Snow Hydrology}, booktitle = {Principles of Snow Hydrology}, year = {2008}, month = {July 2008}, pages = {1-19}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, chapter = {1}, address = {Cambridge, NY}, abstract = {

There are many fallacies or misconceptions about snow and its importance in the environment. One good example of this is found in the Rio Grande Basin in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The Rio Grande, the third longest river in the United States, is sustained by snow accumulation and melt in the mountain rim regions which provide a major contribution to the total streamflow, despite flowing right through the heart of North America\’s largest desert (Chihuahuan). Because the majority of the population in the basin resides in a few large cities in the Rio Grande Valley, which are all located in the desert there is little realization on the part of the urban residents that snowmelt is an important factor in their lives. This is true around the globe. Where agricultural water use predominates, however, the importance of snow for the water supply and food production is more widely known, although to a markedly smaller proportion of the population.

}, keywords = {hydrology, introduction, Rio Grande, snow, southwestern}, url = {http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/hydrology-hydrogeology-and-water-resources/principles-snow-hydrology}, author = {A. Rango and D. DeWalle} } @proceedings {50263, title = {Predicitons for snow cover, glaciers and runoff in a changing climate}, year = {2008}, month = {09/2008}, pages = {277-280}, address = {Prague, Czech Republic}, abstract = {

The problem of evaluating the hydrological effects of climate change has opened a new field of applications for snowmelt runoff models. The Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) has been used to evaluate climate change effects on basins in North America, the Swiss Alps, and the Himalayas. Snow covered area depletes about one month earlier in response to warmer temperatures (+40C) with runoff peaks shifted accordingly. Runoff will be higher in winter at the expense of summer runoff. In glacerized basins, runoff is not only redistributed, but increased due to glacier melting. This improved knowledge facilitates long-term decisions concerning hydropower, flooding, water allocations, and water management in general.

}, keywords = {climate change, proceedings, runoff, snowmelt, SRM}, url = {/files/bibliography/08-038.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec} } @conference {50265, title = {Predictions for snow cover, glaciers and runoff in a changing climate}, booktitle = {Hydrology and Water Resrouces International Conference Proceedings}, year = {2008}, abstract = {The problem of evaluating the hydrological effects of climate change has opened a new field of applications for snowmelt runoff models. The Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) has been used to evaluate climate change effects on basins in North America, the Swiss Alps, and the Himalayas. Snow covered area depletes about one month earlier in response to warmer temperatures (+4oC) with runoff peaks shifted accordingly. Runoff will be higher in winter at the expense of summer runoff. In glacerized basins, runoff is not only redistributed, but increased due to glacier melting. This improved knowledge facilitates long-term decisions concerning hydropower, flooding, water allocations, and water management in general.}, keywords = {climate change, hydrology, runoff shifts, snowmelt runoff modelling, water management}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec} } @article {50259, title = {Relative importance of glacier contributions to water supply in a changing climate}, journal = {World Resource Review}, volume = {20}, number = {(3)}, year = {2008}, note = {Original submission: Intern{\textquoteright}tl Cong on Modeling \& Simulation Proccedings 7-30-07; resubmitted to World Resource Review 9/25/2007}, month = {August 8, 2008}, pages = {487-503}, abstract = {

The Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) was designed for simulation, forecasting, and future assessments, such as the effects of climate change. The most recent version of SRM uses the Microsoft Windows operating system and operates efficiently in the PC environment. A formalized algorithm for assessing the effects of climate change on runoff is included in the model. SRM parameters are predetermined from actual measurements or from hydrological experience and, therefore, calibration is not necessary. This deterministic approach allows the parameters to be altered with regard to a changed future climate. SRM variables of daily temperature, precipitation, and snow covered area are also easily acquired. SRM allows contributions of snow, rain, and glacier ice to be separately computed for a present year and for a future climate-changed year. In basins with a significant glacier melt component, such as the Illecillewaet Basin in British Columbia, as the climate warms, the glacier runoff component increases. Of course, when the glacier volume is depleted to a certain point, the glacier areas will start to decline and the valuable glacier melt component will also be diminished.

}, keywords = {glacier melt, global warming, snowmelt runoff modeling, water resources planning, water supply}, url = {/files/bibliography/08-027.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec and R. T. Roberts} } @conference {50268, title = {The remote characterization of vegetation using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle photography}, booktitle = {AGU 2008 Fall Meeting}, series = {AGU 2008 Fall Meetings}, year = {2008}, month = {December 15-19, }, pages = {B32A-01}, address = {San Francisco, CA}, abstract = {Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can fly in place of piloted aircraft to gather remote sensing information on vegetation characteristics. The type of sensors flown depends on the instrument payload capacity available, so that, depending on the specific UAV, it is possible to obtain video, aerial photographic, multispectral and hyperspectral radiometric, LIDAR, and radar data. The characteristics of several small UAVs less than 55lbs (25kg)) along with some payload instruments will be reviewed. Common types of remote sensing coverage available from a small, limited-payload UAV are video and hyperspatial, digital photography. From evaluation of these simple types of remote sensing data, we conclude that UAVs can play an important role in measuring and monitoring vegetation health and structure of the vegetation/soil complex in rangelands. If we fly our MLB Bat-3 at an altitude of 700ft (213m), we can obtain a digital photographic resolution of 6cm. The digital images acquired cover an area of approximately 29,350sq m. Video imaging is usually only useful for monitoring the flight path of the UAV in real time. In our experiments with the 6cm resolution data, we have been able to measure vegetation patch size, crown width, gap sizes between vegetation, percent vegetation and bare soil cover, and type of vegetation. The UAV system is also being tested to acquire height of the vegetation canopy using shadow measurements and a digital elevation model obtained with stereo images. Evaluation of combining the UAV digital photography with LIDAR data of the Jornada Experimental Range in south central New Mexico is ongoing. The use of UAVs is increasing and is becoming a very promising tool for vegetation assessment and change, but there are several operational components to flying UAVs that users need to consider. These include cost, a whole set of, as yet, undefined regulations regarding flying in the National Air Space(NAS), procedures to gain approval for flying in the NAS(FAA Certificate of Authorization), and training(remote control piloting, UAV-specific instruction, FAA ground school and testing, FAA observer procedures, FAA medical Class 2 exam, and a private pilot{\textquoteright}s license). The relevance and need of all these to developing a UAV capability will be explained. While working through the necessary requirements above, we have also learned that we need to know how to handle extremely large and easily acquired data sets as well as to develop tools to orthorectify and mosaic individual UAV images for analysis.}, keywords = {remote sensing, UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Craig Winters and Connie J. Maxwell and Caitriana Steele} } @inbook {50267, title = {Remote Sensing of the Snowpack}, booktitle = {Principles of Snow Hydrology}, year = {2008}, month = {July 2008}, pages = {118-145}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, chapter = {5}, address = {Cambridge, NY}, abstract = {

Because of vast differences in the physical properties of snow and other natural surfaces, the occurrence of snow in a drainage basin can cause significant changes in energy and water budgets. As an example, the relatively high albedo of snow reflects a much higher percentage of incoming solar, shortwave radiation than snow-free surfaces (80\% or more for relatively new snow as opposed to roughly 15\% or less for snow-free vegetation). This can be important because snow may cover up to 53\% of the land surface in the northern hemisphere and up to 44\% of the world\’s land areas at any one time. The visible portion (0.4 to 0.7 \µm) of the electromagnetic spectrum can be used to map the percentages of a basin covered by snow because of the differences in reflectance of snow and snow-free areas. The thermal infrared portion of the spectrum (8-14 \µm) can detect snowpack surface temperature variability in space and time which can be directly linked to the presence of water in the snowpack and perhaps to snowmelt. Although, in widely disparate portions of the spectrum the gamma radiation (3 divided by 10 to the sixth power to 3 divided by 10 to the fifth power \µm) and the microwave radiation (1 mm 1 m) bands can be used in similar ways to detect the snowpack water equivalent using the attenuation of the relevant radiation by the snowpack itself. A combination of two different remote sensors can at certain times increase information available about the snowpack. With recent technological advances in data processing and transmission, data and derived snow and ice products from many current sensors are available to the hydrologic community in near real time (e.g., within 6 to 24 hours of satellite overpass).

}, keywords = {drainage basin, energy, remote sensing, snow, snowmelt, snowpack, water}, url = {http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/hydrology-hydrogeology-and-water-resources/principles-snow-hydrology}, author = {A. Rango and D. DeWalle} } @article {50260, title = {Role of aerial photos in compiling a long-term remote sensing data set}, journal = {Journal of Applied Remote Sensing}, volume = {2}, year = {2008}, month = {10/2008}, pages = {023541}, abstract = {

Long-term data sets are important in the fields of ecology, hydrology, rangeland science, and geography. Remote sensing is an especially important component of such studies when spatial and temporal capabilities are important considerations. In many cases, satellite remote sensing is not adequate because of resolution or length of observation considerations. However, aerial photography, which extends back into the mid 1930s, is often overlooked. In order to find relevant imagery, considerable effort needs to be expended because the aerial photos over a particular study area can be scattered in a large number of archives across the country. Once the photos are assembled, digital scanning, proper documentation, storage, and a searchable data base are necessary to make easy and effective use of the aerial photos. The aerial photo data are of immense value to researchers, natural resource managers, students, and the general public.

}, keywords = {aerial photography, ecology, historic landscape legacies, rangelands, vegetation change}, doi = {10.1117/1.3009225}, url = {/files/bibliography/08-043.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Craig Winters} } @inbook {50264, title = {Snow Climatology and Snow Distribution}, booktitle = {Principles of Snow Hydrology}, year = {2008}, month = {July 2008}, pages = {20-47}, chapter = {2}, abstract = {

Processes controlling snowfall amounts and timing are reasonably well understood, but snow hydrologists still must rely on precipitation and snowpack measurements to obtain basic liquid inputs to models. However, it is becoming possible to predict the distribution of snow across landscapes due to effects of blowing snow and vegetation interception. Blowing snow adjustments are especially needed in cold locations with high wind speeds where entire slopes may be swept free of snow while others may be deeply drifted. Basins with a wide variety of land cover types and extensive dense tree and shrub vegetation will also require adjustment for canopy interception due to differences in types of vegetation as well as vegetation density. A simple reduction of snowfall for interception may suffice in some applications, but in others where time and space scales are expanded, accounting for storage of snow in the canopy and gradual sublimation losses and intermittent throughfall releases are needed. Much has been learned, but blowing snow and canopy interception remain two of the most important areas for future snow hydrology research.

}, keywords = {climatology, distribution, measurements, models, precipitation, snow, snowpack}, url = {http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/hydrology-hydrogeology-and-water-resources/principles-snow-hydrology}, author = {A. Rango and D. DeWalle} } @inbook {50258, title = {Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM)}, booktitle = {Principles of Snow Hydrology}, year = {2008}, month = {July 2008}, pages = {306-364}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, chapter = {11}, address = {Cambridge, NY}, abstract = {

The Snowmelt-Runoff Model (SRM) is designed to simulate and forecast daily streamflow in mountain basins where snowmelt is a major runoff factor. Most recently, it has also been applied to evaluate the effect of a changed climate on the seasonal snow cover and runoff. SRM was developed by Martinec (1975) in small European basins. Thanks to the progress of satellite remote sensing of snow cover, SRM has been applied to larger and larger basins. The Ganges River Basin in the Himalayas, the largest basin where SRM has been applied so far, is about 917,000 km2(Seidel et al., 2000). Runoff computations by SRM appear to be relatively easily understood. To date, the model has been applied by various agencies, institutes and universities in about 80 basins situated in 25 different countries. About 25\% of these applications have been performed by the model developers and 75 \% by independent users. SRM also successfully underwent tests by the World Meteorological Organization with regard to runoff simulations (WMO, 1986) and to partially simulated conditions of real time runoff forecasts (WMO, 1992). SRM is one of the few hydrological models developed that requires direct inputs derived from remote-sensing data.

}, url = {http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/hydrology-hydrogeology-and-water-resources/principles-snow-hydrology}, author = {A. Rango and D. DeWalle} } @inbook {50266, title = {Snowpack Management and Modification}, booktitle = {Principles of Snow Hydrology}, year = {2008}, month = {July 7, 2008}, pages = {365-391}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, organization = {Cambridge University Press}, chapter = {12}, address = {Cambridge, NY}, abstract = {

Snow in the global environment is altered by human activity in many ways, some intentional and others inadvertent. Among the deliberate changes made to snowpacks are blowing snow management to benefit agriculture and transportation, forest management to protect and enhance water yields from snowpacks, urban snow management to improve transportation and habitation in developed areas, albedo modification to enhance snowmelt rates, and ski area management for enhanced and safe recreational opportunities. The major inadvertent change that may impact snowpacks is the possibility of global warming being forecast for the next century. This final chapter generally discusses these human-snow interactions from the viewpoint of the snow hydrologist.

}, keywords = {agriculture, blowing, forest, management, modifications, snowpack}, url = {http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/hydrology-hydrogeology-and-water-resources/principles-snow-hydrology}, author = {A. Rango and D. DeWalle} } @conference {50375, title = {Development of a UAV rangeland remote sensing capability}, booktitle = {Proceedings Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. Third National Conference on Grazing Lands}, year = {2007}, note = {ProCite field[23]: December 10-13, 2006}, month = {May 1, 2007}, pages = {319}, address = {St. Louis, Missouri}, abstract = {Starting in 2000, experiments have been conducted at the Jornada Experimental Range near Las Cruces, NM to evaluate the utility of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for applications on arid rangelands. When compared to all types of remote sensing research ongoing at Jornada and other locations, UAVs have the following advantages: flexible timing of missions, high resolution images, repeat coverage for monitoring, lower cost and safer operation than piloted aircraft, and the system can be operated by one individual, if necessary. The UAVs fill a niche in remote sensing of rangeland between ground-based photography and piloted aircraft. The high resolution possible (less than 5 cm) allows observations of individual plants, patches, gaps, and patterns over the landscape not previously possible. This capability has immediate application for assessment of rangeland health and ecosystem change. The low operating cost and simple data products make the system logical for transfer to operational agencies for collection of data in specific locations in vast public land areas in a timely manner.}, keywords = {applications, remote sensing, UAV}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Jeffrey E. Herrick} } @proceedings {50374, title = {Future climate change impacts on New Mexico{\textquoteright}s mountain sources of water}, year = {2007}, month = {11/2007}, pages = {CDROM}, publisher = {Water Resources Research Institute}, edition = {2008}, address = {Santa Fe, New Mexico}, abstract = {The Rio Grande is one of the most important rivers in the western U.S. and is representative of mountain snowmelt basins in arid and semiarid regions around the world. As is true for many arid and semiarid rivers, the total available water supply is already exceeded by water demands. Dependable water supply comes from high elevation snowpacks that contribute 50-75\% of the annual streamflow. Summer rainfall, which is sporadic and frequently of high intensity, supplies the remaining streamflow. Rapid changes in many mountain regions of the world are being experienced due to global climate change and anthropogenic effects. New Mexico water managers and decision makers urgently need knowledge of the potential effects of climate change on the state{\textquoteright}s water resources. Research being done addresses this topic through the development of improved sensing and modeling infrastructure to estimate future changes in water supply from snow-dominated headwater basins. Existing climate change scenarios generated by general circulation and regional climate models are being utilized to develop reasonable forcing variables for basin hydrologic models which will be used as decision-making tools to evaluate the impact of climate changes in the basin. The hydrologic models being employed include the basin-wide Semi-distributed Land Use and Runoff Processes (SLURP) model that serves to integrate models operating on sub-catchments throughout the Rio Grande basin. The Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) is used to simulate and forecast flow in the mountainous snowmelt sub-basins and is directly linked to SLURP. SRM also has a formalized climate change algorithm useful in this study. Operating on smaller Rio Grande sub-basins, the TIN-based Real-Time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS) is a distributed hydrologic model for streamflow forecasting and better understanding of processes active in producing runoff. Finally, the RioGEM hydro-economics model is being used to evaluate the benefits from different management strategies in response to hydrologic changes generated by SLURP, SRM, and tRIBS. The results of this project will address the important problem of how global warming will reduce our already overcommitted water supply and what economic and societal impacts will result.}, keywords = {arid, climate, New Mexico, proceedings, Rio Grande, semiarid rivers, sources, water}, url = {/files/bibliography/08-054.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Enrique Vivoni and Gutzler, D. and Hurd, B. and Brandon T Bestelmeyer} } @article {JRN54980, title = {Global Warming Effects on Snowfields and Water Suppy Evaluated Using Snowmelt Modeling and Normalized Annual Data}, journal = {Western Snow Conference 2007}, year = {2007}, pages = {69-76}, chapter = {69}, abstract = {

The effect of global warming on the snow cover and runoff in mountain basins can be evaluated by comparing present and future conditions modeled for a climate scenario. Rather than use a single historical year to represent today{\textquoteright}s climate, an improved method is presented which consists of deriving a so-called normalized year. In the Rio Grande basin near Del Norte, Co (2414 km2, 2432-4215 m a.s.l.) the effect of a hypothetical temperature increase of +4{\textdegree}C on the snow cover and runoff as experienced in hydrological year 1979 was evaluated. Because 1979 has relatively frequent temperatures below -4{\textdegree}C, snowmelt as well as conversion of snowfall to rainfall was limited during winter. Consequently, the redistribution of runoff from summer to winter was not as significant as evaluated in other basins. The data set of 1979 was modified by applying the so-called normalized temperatures for the period 1957-1994. The predicted future snow conditions in the normalized year show a complete disappearance of snow in the lowest elevation zone (2432 {\textendash} 2929 m a.s.l.) on April 1, due to an increased snowmelt in the winter. The resulting winter runoff which increased from 7.6\% to 12.8\% of the annual total, in 1979, now increases from 11.7\% to 24.2\% of the normalized annual total. In evaluation of the impact of climate change in mountain basins, more realistic results can be expected if today{\textquoteright}s climate is represented by normalized data of several decades instead of one single year.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango2007-03.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec and R. T. Roberts} } @proceedings {50373, title = {Relative importance of glacier contributions to streamflow in a changing climate}, year = {2007}, month = {08/2007}, pages = {203-207}, address = {Honolulu, Hawaii}, abstract = {The role of glaciers and snow in climate change-affected runoff is evaluated by taking into account the carryover of runoff and of unmelted snow from one hydrological year to another. This water balance is computed for the present climate and for future climates with changed temperatures and precipitation. With this procedure, the contribution of glaciers to the total runoff and the yearly loss of glacier ice in a warmer climate can be more accurately determined than by just considering the overall increase of annual runoff volume. The Illecillewaet Basin in British Columbia, Canada (1155 km2, 509\–3150 m a.s.l.) was selected for this study because of a significant glacial melt component in the runoff. For a temperature increase of 4\°C, an additional 134.2\•106m3 of today\’s glaciers (in terms of water) in this basin would be melted in a year. This amount would be reduced as the glacier area gradually diminishes in the next decades.}, keywords = {changing climate, climate change effects, glacier, remote sensing, stramflow, water supply and sustainable use, watershed modelling}, url = {/files/bibliography/07-024.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec and R. T. Roberts} } @inbook {50492, title = {Applications of Remotely Sensed Data from the Jornada Basin}, booktitle = {Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem: The Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Site}, year = {2006}, month = {July 1, 2006}, pages = {305-320}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, chapter = {15}, address = {New York, NY}, abstract = {The JER and CDRRC have many similarities to other arid rangelands around the world. They are remote with few measurements possible over vast areas. However, like other rangelands, little application of remote sensing data for measurement and monitoring has taken place. Although remote sensing data in the form of aerial photographs were acquired as far back as 1935 over portions of the Jornada Basin, little reliance was placed on these data. With the launch of Earth resources satellites in 1972, a variety of sensors could be used to collect remote sensing data from different platforms, including ground-based towers and hand-held approaches, low-altitude aircraft, high-altitude aircraft and satellites with various resolutions (now as good as 0.61 m) and spectral capabilities. The multispectral, multispatial and multitemporal remote-sensing approach would be ideal for extrapolating ground-based point-and-plot knowledge to large areas or landscape units. The JORNada EXperiment (JORNEX) is designed to acquire a long-term remote-sensing dataset that can be used in concert with the more conventional Jornada Basin LTER long-term data to provide more comprehensive knowledge of rangeland conditions across the landscape.}, url = {/files/bibliography/06-066.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Jerry Ritchie and T. J. Schmugge and William P. Kustas and M. Chopping}, editor = {Kris Havstad and L. Huenneke and W. H. Schlesinger} } @article {50493, title = {Islands of hydrologically enhanced biotic productivity in natural and managed arid ecosystems}, journal = {Journal of Arid Environments}, volume = {65}, year = {2006}, month = {April 1, 2006}, pages = {235-252}, abstract = {

The objective of this paper is to examine the spatial variability of islands of enhanced hydrologic
activity and its application to remediation of degraded arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Factors
causing high spatial variability of water in arid regions include precipitation, soil, physiography, and
vegetation. Inherent heterogeneity of arid lands causes areas of runoff and run-on which lead to
development of islands of hydrologically enhanced biotic productivity. These hydrologic islands are
observed at the individual plant scale as well as in large area patterns of banded vegetation, playettes and playas, and beaded drainage networks where run-on and infiltration stimulate vegetation
growth. To remediate degraded rangeland, it may be prudent to mimic nature by diverting water to
target areas to create patterns similar to natural islands of hydrologically enhanced biotic
productivity. Installation of structures such as water ponding dikes can promote changes to natural
vegetation patterns at a landscape scale.

}, keywords = {enhanced biotic productivity, heterogeneity, rangeland, remediation, run-on, runoff, water ponding dikes}, doi = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2005.09.002}, url = {/files/bibliography/06-009.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and S. Tartowski and Andrea S. Laliberte and John Wainwright and A.J. Parsons} } @article {50495, title = {Snow: The Real Water Supply for the Rio Grande Basin}, journal = {New Mexico Journal of Science}, volume = {44}, year = {2006}, month = {August 2006}, pages = {99-118}, abstract = {The Rio Grande basin in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico is an important drainage in southwestern North America, vital for water consumption by a rapidly growing population, irrigated agriculture, economic development, preservation of endangered species, and energy generation. The most important source of water in the Rio Grande drainage results from snowmelt in the mountains of the upper basin. The gap between water supply and water demand is continually increasing as the population increases, and long term climate change further will affect the amount and timing of streamflow. The criticality of these problems will continue unabated through the 21st Century. Planning to cope with these water management problems needs to move now from relying on projections derived from current storage in reservoirs to additionally incorporating new technologies for measurements and hydrological modeling to allow the development of likely scenarios in both the short and long term. Models that can accept and integrate all types of measurements need to be utilized. Such models exist and are ready to be used operationally. Examples are given of both daily flow forecasts for an entire snowmelt season in the basin as well as predictions of future changes in streamflow to be expected under conditions of climate change. These types of data are vital in deciding among various future options which include the determination of the cost of water, controls on industrial and domestic development, new water distribution and storage systems, and the implementation of water conservation measures.}, keywords = {Rio Grande, southwestern North America, water supply}, url = {/files/bibliography/06-035.pdf}, author = {A. Rango} } @article {50494, title = {Using unmanned aerial vehicles for rangelands: Current applications and future potentials}, journal = {Environmental Practice}, volume = {8}, number = {(3)}, year = {2006}, month = {September 1, 200}, pages = {159-168}, abstract = {

High resolution aerial photographs have important rangeland applications such as monitoring vegetation change, developing grazing strategies, determining rangeland health, and assessing remediation treatment effectiveness. Acquisition of high resolution images by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has certain advantages over piloted aircraft missions including lower cost, improved safety, flexibility in mission planning, and closer proximity to the target. Different levels of remote sensing data can be combined to provide more comprehensive information: 15-30m resolution imaging from space-borne sensors for determining uniform landscape units; \<1m satellite or aircraft data to assess the pattern of ecological states in an area of interest; 5cm UAV images to measure gap and patch sizes as well as percent bare soil and vegetation ground cover; and \<1cm ground-based boom photography for ground truth or reference data. Two parallel tracks of investigation are necessary: one which emphasizes the utilization of the most technically advanced sensors for research and a second which emphasizes minimizing costs and maximizing simplicity for monitoring purposes. We envisage that in the future, resource management agencies, rangeland consultants, and private land managers should be able to use small, lightweight UAVs to satisfy their need for acquiring improved data at a reasonable cost and for making appropriate management decisions.

}, keywords = {high resoluiton, photographs, rangeland applications, remediation treatment, UAV}, doi = {10.1017/S1466046606060224}, url = {/files/bibliography/06-039.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and Caitriana Steele and Jeffrey E. Herrick and Brandon T Bestelmeyer and T. J. Schmugge and Roanhorse, A. and Jenkins, V.} } @proceedings {50592, title = {Natural (and Managed) Islands of Hydrologically Enhanced Biotic Productivity in Arid Zones}, volume = {86}, year = {2005}, month = {May 23-27, 2005}, pages = {CDROM A33A-02}, abstract = {Numerous physical characteristics influence runoff generation in arid regions such as the Jornada basin of southern New Mexico. Factors causing high spatial variations of water in deserts include precipitation, soil, physiography, and vegetation characteristics. The inherent heterogeneity of these characteristics in arid zones causes discontinuous areas of runoff and run-on which creates islands of hydrologically enhanced biotic productivity. These hydrologic islands are observed at the plant scale where they coincide with islands of fertility or resource islands. At the larger scale the islands of hydrologically enhanced biotic productivity can be observed as banded vegetation, beaded drainage networks, and playitas and playas. In the rehabilitation of degraded rangelands it is wise to mimic the natural processes which tend to slow down surface flow and allow time for infiltration, thus creating areas of high vegetation productivity. There have been several successful attempts in the Jornada basin to establish spatial discontinuities of water and vegetation similar to natural occurring patterns. The most successful treatments so far have been shallow, water ponding dikes and water spreaders.}, keywords = {biotic, hydrologically, managed, natural}, author = {A. Rango and S. Tartowski and Andrea S. Laliberte and A.J. Parsons and John Wainwright} } @article {50591, title = {Using historic data to assess effectiveness of shrub removal in southern New Mexico}, journal = {Journal of Arid Environments}, volume = {62}, number = {1}, year = {2005}, month = {July 1, 2005}, pages = {75-91}, abstract = {

In the late 1930{\textquoteright}s, the presence of a highly organized labor force, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), in the Jornada Basin of southern New Mexico provided the capability for rangeland scientists to conduct experiments to determine the effectiveness of various techniques for remediating or reversing the encroachment of shrubs into grasslands. Unfortunately, soon after the treatments were performed, the CCC disbanded and most records of the treatments were lost. Despite sketchy documentation, some rangeland treatments left legacies on the landscape, and effects on water retention, erosion, and vegetation dynamics remained long after the CCC work ended. The discovery of historical documents from long-closed files and aerial photography in widely scattered archives allowed some of the experiments to be located and reexamined. Two research areas established in the mid-1930s were of particular interest, namely a tarbush (Flourensia cernua) site where shrubs were grubbed and quadrats established and a creosote (Larrea tridentata) site where both creosote and tarbush shrubs were grubbed. Here we outline how these sites were rediscovered, how historical measurements were repeated for the first time since the late l930s, and conclusions drawn regarding specific rangeland remediation strategies and vegetation dynamics. Our results show that shrub populations recovered from a radical removal treatment in less than 65 years. Remediation of these sites so that grass will recover to pre-shrub-dominated amounts will require measures additional to just removal of shrubs in order to restore hydrologic function. The fact that we were able to relocate, revisit, and resample these treatment areas provided unique opportunities to understand the long-term vegetation dynamics of these arid ecosystems. It is evident that woody plant populations have a high degree of resilience, that density dependence or interference appears to limit plant size in arid shrub communities, and that shrub populations had not reached any stable equilibrium state at the time of treatment in the 1930s. These insights would have been impossible to gain from short-term studies and without long-term studies initiated in the 1930s combined with recent discoveries of original documentation and historical aerial photography. http://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0140196304002411

}, keywords = {aerial, grasslands, historical, photography, remediation, shrubs}, doi = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2004.11.001}, url = {/files/bibliography/05-002.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and L. Huenneke and M. Buonopane and Jeffrey E. Herrick and Kris Havstad} } @conference {50711, title = {Factors influencing the spatial variability of runoff at differing scales in the Jornada Basin}, booktitle = {Sixth Symposium on the Natural Resources of the Chihuahuan Desert Region}, year = {2004}, month = {October 15, 2004}, pages = {39}, address = {Alpine, TX}, abstract = {
Factors that cause high spatial variability of water in arid regions include precipitation, soil, physiographic, and vegetation characteristics. The inherent heterogeneity of arid lands causes areas of runoff and run-on at the individual plant scale as well as in large area patterns of banded vegetation and beaded drainage networks where run-on and infiltration spur vegetation growth. To rehabilitate degraded rangeland, it is wise to mimic nature by diverting water to target areas to create islands of hydrologically enhanced productivity or by installing structures, such as water ponding dikes, to promote a landscape change to resemble natural vegetation patterns
Note: This paper is an executive summary of the full length manuscript: Rango, A., S.L.
Tartowski, A. Laliberte, J. Wainwright, and A. Parsons. 2006. Islands of hydrologically enhanced
biotic productivity in natural and manged arid ecosystems. Journal of Arid Environments 65(2):235-252.
}, keywords = {arid climates, hydrologically enhanced productivity, Jornada Basin, physiographic, precipitation, runoff, soil, spatial variability}, author = {A. Rango and S. Tartowski and Andrea S. Laliberte and John Wainwright and A.J. Parsons} } @article {JRN54974, title = {Integrating two remote sensing-based hydrological models and MODIS data to improve water supply forecasts in the Rio Grande Basin}, journal = {Hydrology: Science \& Practice for the 21st Century}, volume = {1}, year = {2004}, pages = {453-457}, chapter = {453}, abstract = {

Remotely-sensed data can be used with modern hydrological models to provide effective water supply forecasts and to evaluate water resources management options.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango2004-01.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and E. Gomez-Landesa and M. Bleiweiss and D. DeWalle and G. Kite and J. Martinec and Kris Havstad} } @proceedings {50712, title = {Integrating two remote-sensing-based hydrological models and MODIS data to improve water supply forecasts in the Rio Grande Basin}, volume = {I}, year = {2004}, month = {July 12-16, 2004}, pages = {453-457}, address = {Imperial College, London, UK}, abstract = {Remotely sensed data can be used with modern hydrological models to provide effective water supply forecasts and to evaluate water resource management options. MODIS, on both NASA TERRA and AQUA satellites, is the likely optimum sensor for snow mapping because it has a best resolution of 250 m (two bands), it passes over daily, it is free for downloading, and it provides a logical transition from 1-km NOAA-AVHRR data. Its worth for snow mapping has been proven both in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. and the Pyrenees of Spain. Still, research to solve automation and operational problems is ongoing, including corrections for the {\textquoteright}bow-tie{\textquoteright} effect, mapping in shaded and heavily vegetated areas, and using bidirectional reflectance distribution functions to retrieve snow albedo. As the remote sensing improvements are made, the data are used in the upper Rio Grande basin for improvement of the snowmelt forecasting system. Remote snow water equivalent site data is acquired through the Natural Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL system employing meteor-burst relay. These data can be used for early season (November-December-January), volumetric forecasts that increase water management flexibility. The MODIS-derived snow cover data are input to the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) for generating daily streamflow forecasts over the entire melt season. Because snowmelt runoff is not significant throughout the entire basin, SRM outflow from snowmelt basins is linked to the Semi-Distributed, Land-Use-Based Runoff Process (SLURP) model as an input. SLURP is a comprehensive, distributed model now operating on the entire basin to assist in water management decision making today and to evaluate future scenarios for improving long-range planning. SLURP is also used for remote sensing inputs to establish current land cover throughout the basin and to derive the Leaf Area Index for use in evapotranspiration algorithms. Examples of forecasts for 2001-2004 in the upper Rio Grande basin are presented.}, keywords = {hydrological models, MODIS data, remote sensing, Rio Grande Basin, water supply forecasts}, url = {/files/bibliography/04-063Proc.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and E. Gomez-Landesa and M. Bleiweiss and D. DeWalle and G. Kite and J. Martinec and Kris Havstad} } @conference {50710, title = {Repetitive remote sensing over southwestern US rangeland undergoing vegetation change, JORNEX 1995-2004}, booktitle = {2004 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting}, series = {Eos Transactions, American Geophysical Union Supplement}, volume = {85(28)}, year = {2004}, month = {August 16, 2004}, pages = {Abstract No. H22A-03}, address = {Honolulu, Hawaii}, abstract = {Evaporation from soil surfaces is a major component of the surface water and energy budgets. The potential ability of estimating soil evaporation with remote sensing measurements has great significance in modeling land surface processes and assessing potential environmental stresses in natural ecosystems. The objective of this study was to explore possible algorithms of applying hyper-spectral and multi-temporal reflectance measurements for evaporation estimation. A 16-band hyper-spectral radiometer was used for the reflectance measurements during two-stage evaporation. The radiometer covered a band range of 400 to 1720 nm with band widths ranged from 7 to 13 nm. An infrared thermometer was also used for temperature measurement. To create simultaneous measurements of soil reflectance and the rate of evaporation, a large steel frame or balance was fabricated which contained a 0.5-m wide by 0.5-m long by 0.07-m deep soil tray placed directly on top of an electronic balance. The radiometer was mounted at a height of 0.5 to 1.0 -m above the tray during each measurement. The balance frame was needed to counter the excess or stationary weight from the tray and dry soils in the tray, yet sensitive enough to detect 0.01-g change of the tray. Micro-meteorological variables, including air temperature at different heights from the tray, solar radiation and net radiation, wind speed, and relative humidity, were also measured at the same time in order for an independent evaporation estimation. During each measurement, the tray was filled with one type of soil, saturated with water, then started the reflectance and weight-change measurements while evaporation was occurring. The experiments were carried out in clear, calm, sunny days, and repeated for different soil types. Each experimental run was maintained until at least 1-hr after the transition from atmosphere-limited to soil-limited evaporation (or the two-stage soil evaporation). To determine the most useful band combination, a spectral dependent soil line, instead of the traditional soil lines, was created based on the band index and maximum changes of soil surface spectral properties associated with water content decrease during evaporation. A spectral simple ratio was formulated, and in combination with the surface temperature measurement, to calculate the actual evaporation rate. The preliminary results served as a proof of concept, and it appeared to be promising. The simple statistical fit could be useful for other situations as well. However, more testing or validation is needed before using the technique in actual field applications with aircraft or satellite images.}, keywords = {JORNEX, remote sensing, repetitive, southwestern US, vegetation change}, author = {A. Rango and Jerry Ritchie and T. J. Schmugge and William P. Kustas and Kris Havstad and M. Chopping and Andrea S. Laliberte and Caitriana Steele} } @proceedings {50813, title = {A developing method for directional virtual fencing (DVF trademark) and real-time range management using remote sensing, GIS and GPS}, year = {2003}, month = {November 10-14, }, pages = {Paper No. TS-11.4}, address = {Honolulu, HI}, abstract = {New technologies have progressed in recent years to the point where capabilities exist to permit development of real-time, rangeland management systems. Various possibilities are available for estimating total forage production using multispectral remote sensing capabilities and spectral indices. Optimum utilization requires herbivores to be moved in a timely manner commensurate with the landscape{\textquoteright}s productivity and facilitated by a Directional Virtual Fencing (DVF) device. DVF combines Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and electromechanically produced directional cues in an innovative approach to control free-ranging animal location and direction of movement in a humane and reproducible manner in real time. A geographically referenced Virtual Boundary (VB) programmed into the unit{\textquoteright}s Geographic Information System (GIS) is combined with the GPS data to determine when a VB is approached and when to move the animal away from the VB. Development, testing, validation, and improvement of the total system is ongoing at the Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico.}, author = {A. Rango and D.M. Anderson and C.S. Hale and Kris Havstad} } @proceedings {50809, title = {Development of a remote-sensing snowmelt runoff forecasting system in the Rio Grande Basin}, year = {2003}, note = {As of 9 July, in press}, month = {04/2003}, address = {Scottsdale, AZ}, abstract = {

Large river basins in arid and semiarid regions such as the Rio Grande need forecasting systems that make use of data obtained from new technologies. For the Rio Grande Basin, we are developing a forecasting system comprised of two linked models designed to use remote sensing data, namely, SRM and SLURP. SLURP requires MODIS satellite data for land use and evapotranspiration determination, and SRM requires MODIS snow-covered area data plus snow water equivalent data from the meteor-burst data relay of SNOTEL. Working on some tributary basins, we have produced streamflow forecasts for 2001-2003. We are in the process of expanding the forecasting to all the snowmelt sub-basins, as well as basins where rainfall dominates. The final product should assist local, state, and federal agencies in making improved water management decisions in the complex and water-limited Rio Grande Basin.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango2003-01.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and E. Gomez-Landesa and Kris Havstad and M. Bleiweiss and Tanksley, K. and D. DeWalle and J. Martinec and G. Kite} } @proceedings {50807, title = {Historical and current hydrological research at the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico}, volume = {1}, year = {2003}, note = {http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/unit/ICRW.htm; http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/icrw/Proceedings/Rango.pdf}, month = {October 27-30, 2}, pages = {302-308}, address = {Benson, AZ}, abstract = {The USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range (JER)(738 km2) north of Las Cruces, NM, was established in 1912 to assess the impact of grazing in an arid land environment. The majority of rainfall occurs during June-September with an annual mean of 241 mm. Ecophysiological studies employing stable isotopes are underway to identify the sources of water uptake for shrubs and grasses and how the temporal and spatial variability affects the amount and sources of water used by various species. Infiltrometer and rainfall simulation studies are being used to quantify the role of soil biota in controlling soil surface hydrology in arid and semiarid environments and to define the resistance and resilience of different soils and plant communities to different disturbance regimes. Previous work at the Jornada quantified the interception of rainfall for different shrubs and infiltration rates in root-plowed areas. Runoff was measured with a 2.8 m3/s critical depth flume on a shrub-dominated, 7.4-ha watershed from 1977-1986. These flow measurements were reactivated in 2003. Runoff and sediment measurements were also made on plots, microwatersheds, and stock ponds. Because of the aridity of the Jornada, there have been numerous rangeland rehabilitation treatments with the goal of slowing or reversing the shrub encroachment into grasslands. The most effective treatments have revolved around redistribution of surface runoff and its effects on infiltration and soil moisture. Simple, low profile, water-ponding dikes seem to have had the best success in achieving a positive vegetation response.}, url = {/files/bibliography/04-064Proc.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and K. A. Snyder and Jeffrey E. Herrick and Kris Havstad and Gibbens, Robert P. and John Wainwright and Parsons, T.} } @article {50811, title = {Improved satellite snow mapping, snowmelt runoff forecasting, and climate change in simulations in the upper Rio Grande basin}, journal = {World Resource Review}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, year = {2003}, month = {April 1, 2003}, pages = {25-41}, abstract = {The knowledge of snow water resources is a major concern in high elevation basins where snowmelt streamflow can make a significant contribution to the total discharge. This information is especially useful for irrigation, hydropower and water supply management. In this paper, we present a system for snow water resources evaluation, based on satellite data, that generates three products; snow cover distribution with altitude, snowmelt runoff forecasts, and simulations of the expected future snowmelt seasons using the climate change scenarios indicated by international agencies. The new generation of satellites is providing scenes of the earth with increasing quality, more spectral bands, and better spatial resolution. To take advantage of these improvements, it has been necessary to solve new problems associated with the design of the new instruments, such as the so-called {\textquestiondown}Bowtie Effect{\textquestiondown} of the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument. The system developed is being currently applied to the upper Rio Grande Basin in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and to several basins in the Spanish Pyrenees. As an example, a 6-month, daily hydrograph was forecasted for the Upper Rio Grande at Del Norte, CO, for 2001 that was 14.4\% different from the observed flow and had an R2=0.768. Furthermore, hydrographs were produced under conditions of changing climate progressively through the 21st century.}, url = {/files/bibliography/03-002.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and E. Gomez-Landesa and M. Bleiweiss and Kris Havstad and Tanksley, K.} } @conference {50810, title = {The progression of shrub encroachment into a desert grassland in southern New Mexico from 1936-2003}, booktitle = {2003 Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union}, year = {2003}, month = {December 8-12, 2}, pages = {F335}, address = {San Francisco, CA}, abstract = {Woody plant encroachment into arid and semiarid grass-dominated landscapes has been noted in many parts of the Southwestern United States. This shrub advance has been observed on both the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range (JER) and the adjacent New Mexico State University Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) in southern New Mexico using varying ground survey techniques extending back to 1858. These two experimental ranges have also been imaged numerous times using aerial photography (and recently with high resolution commercial satellites) starting with USDA flights in the 1930{\textquoteright}s. Since 1936, 37 separate aerial photography missions have been flown over parts of JER/CDRRC. Because rangeland remediation treatments are common in the Jornada Basin, it is difficult to find areas where no treatments, especially herbicide applications, have been employed to arrest the shrub advance. Aerial photographs were analyzed over Pasture 2 on the CDRRC where no herbicides or other treatments had been applied. There are 22 separate overflight dates covering Pasture 2 from 1936 to 2003. The aerial photos were scanned and digitized to analyze the amount of grass cover and its change over 60+ years. Despite encountering numerous difficulties in analyzing a greatly varying aerial photo data set (including varying resolutions, spectral intervals, moisture conditions, time of year of observation, and appearance of grass cover), the aerial photos provide an invaluable historic record. The grass cover obtained from remote sensing data in Pasture 2 is compared with the less frequent conventional vegetation ground surveys. The changing amounts of grass cover with time are related to various outside factors, such as persistent drought periods. The rate of shrub advance across Pasture 2 has a direct influence on changes in the water, carbon, and energy cycles of these arid lands.}, author = {A. Rango and Andrea S. Laliberte and S. Tartowski and Kris Havstad and Gibbens, Robert P. and Joel R. Brown and Reldon F. Beck} } @article {50808, title = {Rime and graupel: Description and characterization as revealed by low temperature scanning electron microscopy}, journal = {Scanning}, volume = {25}, number = {3}, year = {2003}, month = {May 1, 2003}, pages = {121-131}, abstract = {

For nearly 100 years, investigators using light microscopy have vaguely alluded to unique types of snow crystals known as rime and graupel. However, the limited resolution and depth of field of the light microscope have prevented investigators from characterizing these crystals. In this study, a field emission scanning electron microscope equipped with a cold stage was used to document the structural features, physical associations and atmospheric metamorphosis of rime and graupel snow crystals. Rime and graupel form in clouds having both snow crystals and super cooled cloud droplets. This study shows that the frozen droplets range from 10-50um in diameter. With the low temperature scanning electron microscopy approach, it is possible to distinguish the original snow crystal types until the accretion of droplets become thick enough to obscure the original crystal and graupel is the result. With continued riming, lump graupel can reach a diameter of 1-3mm. This study confirms the light microscopy conclusion that the structure of graupel includes considerable air spaces. The low temperature electron microscope approach is the only method that allows measurement of the accreted cloud droplets on rimed crystals and graupel.

}, doi = {10.1002/sca.4950250304}, url = {/files/bibliography/03-025.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Foster and E. G. Josberger and E. R. Erbe and C.D. Pooley and W.P. Wergin} } @article {50812, title = {The utility of historical aerial photographs for detecting and judging the effectiveness of rangeland remediation treatments}, journal = {Environmental Practice}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, year = {2003}, month = {June 1, 2003}, pages = {107-118}, abstract = {

Aerial photos are a type of remote sensing data especially valuable for rangeland applications. This type of data has advantages that include relative ease of interpretation and acquisition, inexpensiveness, high resolution (1-2m), and providing a common reference for communication among those involved in rangeland management. Additionally, air photos are especially well suited for analysis of historical rangeland remediation treatments because acquisition of widespread aerial photographic coverage began during the 1930{\textquoteright}s. Several types of treatments are easily identified and monitored over time, including contour terraces, brush water spreaders, rootplow seeding, water ponding dikes, shrub removal by grubbing, and grazing restrictions. The use of aerial photos allows us the opportunity to recreate the management history of rangeland and to serve as a point of departure for involvement in more sophisticated satellite-based remote sensing systems.

}, keywords = {aerial photography, air photo archives, Civilian Conservation Corps, Jornada Basin, rangeland, remediation treatments, remote sensing}, doi = {10.1017/S1466046603031065}, url = {/files/bibliography/03-020.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Kris Havstad} } @proceedings {50933, title = {Comparative satellite capabilities for remote sensing of snow cover in the Rio Grande Basin}, year = {2002}, month = {May 20-23, 2002}, pages = {21-26}, address = {Granby, CO}, abstract = {From 1972 until near the end of the 20th century, the use of satellite data for snow cover mapping was a viable approach under certain conditions. The spatial resolution of Landsat and the temporal frequency of NOAA-AVHRR (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) were optimum or possibly better than required individually but seldom could they be exploited together. Now, with the launch of Terra, the forthcoming launch of Aqua and numerous private satellites, both adequate spatial resolution and temporal frequency is available for mapping most size basins. When these date are used in sub-pixel mapping algorithms, detailed snow cover representations in basins smaller than 10 km2 are possible. Probably the best snow cover mapping sensor for combining reasonably high resolution (250 m) and frequent coverage (daily) is MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), on board both Terra and Aqua platforms, but the choices of sensors or satellites are numerous with most of the data being readily available to users. Comparison of the spatial resolution, observational frequency, feature detection, suitability for snowmelt runoff models and cost will be illustrated using different size sub-basins of the Rio Grande.}, url = {/files/bibliography/02-080.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and E. Gomez-Landesa and M. Bleiweiss} } @conference {50931, title = {Implementation of a remote sensing-snowmelt runoff forecasting system in the Rio Grande Basin}, booktitle = {EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union}, volume = {83}, number = {47}, year = {2002}, month = {November 19, 200}, pages = {F540}, address = {San Francisco, CA}, abstract = {

Information on snow water resources is a major concern in river basins where the snowmelt runoff can be a significant contributor to total discharge, even in basins such as the Rio Grande where desert makes up much of the downstream area. Snow resource information is especially useful in the Rio Grande for irrigation, hydropower, and water supply management. The system, being developed for the high elevation portions of the Rio Grande Basin, makes use of satellite snow cover data as well as SNOTEL data from remote, ground-based instrumentation. Several problems in using the new MODIS satellite data have been addressed in order to input it into the modeling system in the basin, including the Bowtie Effect and topographic shadowing (see Gomez-Landesa and Rango, 2002). The snow distribution in March-May in snowmelt headwater basins of the Rio Grande is input into the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) to generate forecasts of daily flows. To allow forecasts earlier in the hydrologic year, the SNOTEL data are relied upon until the snowmelt is underway (see DeWalle et al., 2002) and the satellite data play a larger role. The outflow generated by SRM from the snowmelt basins is then used as input to the SLURP model which is used to provide discharge for the entire basin, as well as for tributaries only affected by rainfall. The utilization of SRM in the snow-fed basins also allows generation of climate-change-affected hydrographs for individual tributaries. The Jemez River Basin (New Mexico), a designated wild river, is being used for validation of both snow cover maps and discharge forecasts, whereas the upper Rio Grande Basin (Colorado) has been selected for evaluation of the climate change scenarios.

}, author = {A. Rango and E. Gomez-Landesa and Kris Havstad and M. Bleiweiss and Tanksley, K. and D. DeWalle and G. Kite} } @conference {50930, title = {Reconsideration of using water ponding dikes to reestablish native grasses in srub-invaded areas of the Southwest}, booktitle = {American Geophysical Union, Chapman Conference}, year = {2002}, month = {September 9-13, }, pages = {33}, address = {Taos, NM}, abstract = {Many rangeland treatments have been tested to cause a reversal in the process of shrub invasion into desert grasslands. It seems that, because of the harsh nature of the arid environment, just removing shrubs and even subsequent seeding with native or introduced grasses is not enough to reverse the trend. Several examples are illustrated with historic aerial photography. A more integrated approach seems to be necessary and particularly one that involves concentrating water to increase localized soil moisture. Increased soil moisture alone is not always enough as is evidenced by historic treatments where brush water spreaders and contour terraces were used, although the results of these treatments may have been different if the original treatments had been properly maintained. The relatively simple construction of water ponding dikes seems to produce the best result, and the success and persistence of the dikes appears to vary with soil type. Inexpensive to construct, these dikes require little maintenance but have produced significant results over a period of years. The vegetation response of the Jornada dikes is easily seen using air photos, and the vegetation pattern produced is very similar to naturally occurring "banded vegetation." Grass response has been positive in all water-ponding dike installations, and it appears that native species in the local seedbank respond better than introduced species. Well planned installation of these simple structures over a landscape unit may initiate changes that could lead to reestablishment of grass in the desert ecosystem. Study of banded vegetation systems may generate guidelines for dike spacing on soils with similar hydrologic properties. A series of research water ponding dikes will be established in New Mexico and Arizona to test this treatment over larger areas of the Southwest.}, author = {A. Rango and Jeffrey E. Herrick and Gibbens, Robert P. and S. Moran} } @article {50934, title = {Remote sensing documentation of historic rangeland remediation treatments in southern New Mexico}, journal = {Journal of Arid Environments}, volume = {50}, number = {4}, year = {2002}, note = {Entered in ARIS at Beltsville July 7, 2001}, month = {April 1, 2002}, pages = {549-572}, abstract = {

The Jornada Experimental Range and the New Mexico State University Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center are fruitful areas to study the long term effects of rangeland remediation treatments which started in the 1930s. A number of diverse manipulations were completed under the direction of federal agency and university scientist, and abundant remote sensing imagery is available to assist in relocating the treatments and evaluating their success. This is particularly important because few of the treatments were maintained following the loss of scientific personnel coinciding with the start of World War II, and most records of Civilian Conservation Corps scientific work were lost with the disbanding of the agency in 1942. Aerial photography, which was systematically used to image the United States beginning in the 1930s, can be used to identify types of treatments, measure area coverage, estimate longevity, and help contour terraces, brush hwater spreaders, strips grubbed free of shrubs (despite the fact that thes strips have remained visible for 65 years), and mechanical rootplowing and seeding. Distinct positive, long-term vegetation responses could be seen in aerial photos and existing conventional records that experimental manipulation of rangelands has often been ineffective on the landscape scale because treatments are not performed over large enough contiguous area and hydrological and ecological processes overwhelm the treatments. In addition, treatments are not maintained over time, treatment evaluation periods are sometimes too short, multipurpose treatments are not used to maximize effects, and treatments are often not located in appropriate sites.

}, keywords = {aerial photography, New Mexico, rangeland remediation, remote sensing, shrub removal, water spreading}, doi = {10.1006/jare.2001.0865}, url = {/files/bibliography/02-070.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Sarah Goslee and Jeffrey E. Herrick and M. Chopping and Kris Havstad and L. Huenneke and Gibbens, Robert P. and Reldon F. Beck and R.P. McNeely} } @conference {50932, title = {Utilization of historic aerial photography to track long-term vegetation response to rangeland treatments}, booktitle = {87th Annual Meeting, Ecological Society of America}, year = {2002}, month = {August 4-9, 2002}, pages = {243}, address = {Tucson, AZ}, abstract = {During the past 100 years, semiarid grasslands in the Southwest have been heavily invaded by shrubs. To combat shrub invasion, a variety of rangeland remediation treatments have been conducted at the Jornada Experimental Range and the New Mexico State University Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center since the early 1900s; a maximum number of treatments were applied between 1933 and 1942, corresponding to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) activities in southern New Mexico at that time. Despite the extensive nature of treatment application, very little detailed documentation remained on file after 1942 when the CCC was disbanded. We have had to rely on aerial photography missions started in the mid-1930s to document the extent, pattern, and persistence of the land cover treatments. The discovery of any remaining conventional file records of the treatments greatly increases our ability to interpret the aerial photography over the Jornada Basin. The persistence of visible treatments over time and changes in vegetation character in association with treatments allow assessment of treatment effectiveness. Supplemental vegetation measurements in these treatment (and control) areas today provide much information about ecosystem response and stability over time. Examples of aerial photography monitoring include: lagomorph, exclusion/shrub removal plots, cleared strips on creosote-dominated bajada slopes, snakeweed eradication plots, water ponding dikes for increasing forage growth, herbicide treatments in controlling mesquite, patterns of shrub invasion, and even discovery of totally undocumented remediation treatments in remote locations. The combination of aerial photography, historical data records, and current ground-based field measurements allows us to draw conclusions about long-term responses of vegetation communities which would not be possible with just one type of these data alone. The aerial photography interactive database for the Jornada Basin is under development and, currently, has over 3,000 images.}, author = {A. Rango and M. Buonopane and L. Huenneke and Kris Havstad and Connie J. Maxwell and Amy L. Gonzalez and Jeffrey E. Herrick} } @conference {51032, title = {Evaluation of water, energy, and ecosystems in southern New Mexico}, booktitle = {American Water Resources Association Annual Conference }, year = {2001}, month = {November 11, 200}, pages = {51}, address = {Albuquerque, NM}, abstract = {Large area, repetitive observations of surface characteristics in the Chihuahuan Desert, using multilevel remote sensing data, have been conducted at the Jornada Experimental Range (JER) near Las Cruces, New Mexico, since 1995. The Jornada Experiment (JORNEX) measurement campaigns are conducted twice a year, before and after the summer monsoon season. The basic data obtained during each campaign include ground-based hyperspectral and thermal observations in association with leaf-area index and line-intercept transect vegetation measurements. At the time of the ground observations, multispectral radiometer, multispectral video, and thermal infrared data are taken by low altitude aircraft flights. All measurements are coordinated with Landsat and Terra satellite passes. In addition to the basic data, various observations are made at selected times and include airborne bidirectional reflectance and hyperspectral (AVIRIS) data, airborne MASTER data and ground-based eddy correlation data. The JE (783 km2), bordering the Rio Grande about 37 km north of Las Cruces, has proven to be a fruitful experimental area because of several ongoing programs, including the Jornada Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project, designation as a NASA Earth Observation System (EOS) Core Site, and the fact ground measurements have been conducted at Jornada since 1912, thereby documenting long-term ecological change.}, author = {A. Rango and M. Chopping and Kris Havstad and Kris Havstad and Jerry Ritchie and William P. Kustas and T. J. Schmugge} } @article {51031, title = {Seeing with new eyes: Remote sensing yields insight into Jornada history}, volume = {7}, number = {2}, year = {2001}, note = {Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Program}, month = {November 2001}, pages = {1-2}, abstract = {Aerial photos of the Jornada Experimental Range from 1937, 1974 and 1986 indicate the land cover has changed greatly and there are unusual features that cannot be accounted for by grazing pattern and pasture boundaries. These features have been identified as rangeland remediation treatments. To confirm they are treatments and to monitor their change with time, additional aerial photography from air photo archiving facilities has yielded data for all or parts of the Jornada Basin for years 1935-1937, 1947-48, 1955, 1960, 1963, 1967, 1972-74, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 1998. Analysis of these data has permitted temporal viewing and assessment of the longevity of rangeland treatments. These include the parallel pattern of grubbed strips (removal of creosote and mesquite shrubs in 1936 by Civilian Conservation Corps labor) on the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center and clear identification of water-ponding dikes. These last may be the most effective rangeland treatment; that is, these dikes may result in greater and longer-lasting modification of vegetation than many of the more intensive remediation approaches. More data, including military air photos, are currently being acquired from archives and other sources. Approximately 3000 historical aerial photos will eventually be acquired for the Jornada Basin. These data are being digitized and indexed; in the future, researchers will be able to search an interactive database for aerial photography covering their current or proposed study sites.}, keywords = {aerial photos, Jornada Experimental Range, newsletter, remediation treatments, remote sensing}, url = {/files/bibliography/01-044.pdf}, author = {A. Rango} } @article {JRN54960, title = {Hydrological Effects of a Changed Climate in Humid and Arid Mountain Regions}, journal = {World Resource Review}, volume = {12}, year = {2000}, pages = {493508}, chapter = {493}, abstract = {

The effect of a hypothetical temperature increase of +4{\textdegree}C on snow cover and on year-round runoff is evaluated for the very humid basin Illecillewaet (1155 km2, 509-3150 m a.s.l., British Columbia, Canada), the semi-humid basin of Kings River (3999 km2, 171-4341 m a.s.l., California, USA), and the semi-arid basin of Rio Grande at Del Norte (3419 km2, 2432-4215 m a.s.l., Colorado, USA). In contrast to current methods of evaluating the climate effect, a realistic seasonal snow cover from satellite monitoring is used to represent the present climate, the non-calibrated SRM model is applied to transform this snow cover under conditions of a warmer climate to compute climate-affected runoff.

The winter snow accumulation is particularly reduced in the Kings River basin which has the greatest elevation range. In absolute terms, the smallest snowpack reduction occurred in the semi-arid basin of Rio Grande at Del Norte. The decline of snow covered area in the snowmelt season in accelerated by about one month in all basins. The runoff in the winter half year is about doubled at the expense of the summer half year in the basins Illecillewaet and Kings River. This effect is smaller in the basin Rio Grande at Del Norte. Because the climate change was limited to a temperature increase, there is no significant change in the yearly runoff volume in the basins Kings River and Rio Grande. There is a yearly runoff increase in the Illecillewaet basin due to enhanced glacier melt.

}, keywords = {climate change, glaciers, runoff, snow, water resources planning}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango2000-02.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec} } @article {51108, title = {Morphological characteristics of shrub-coppice dunes in desert grasslands of southern New Mexico derived from scanning LIDAR}, journal = {Remote Sensing of Environment}, volume = {74}, number = {1}, year = {2000}, month = {October 15, 2000}, pages = {26-44}, abstract = {

Since the 1880{\textquoteright}s, rangeland vegetation in southern New Mexico has changed dramatically over widespread areas, typically with shrubs displacing native grasslands. Coincident with these changes in vegetation dominance are increases in soil erosion, stream channel cutting, and shrub-coppice dune formation on sandy soils. Where marked differences in vegetation type from grassland to honey mesquite shrubland have occurred, the local topography has been transformed with previously flat mesa becoming rolling duneland. The size, distribution, and morphological characteristics of these dunes have an important impact on fluxes of energy and nutrients at the surface as well as rendering the land far less useful as grazingland for domestic livestock. These shrub-coppice dunes and the mesquite shrubs which grow on them may be considered roughness elements. Quantifying their morphology is important for the calculation of aerodynamic roughness length and displacement height. This article describes the application of active scanning laser remote sensing techniques in providing accurate estimates of the three-dimensional shapes and areal distributions of dune and interdune areas. It shows that coarse scanning laser can be used to measure the morphological characteristics of shrub-coppice dunes in the desert grasslands of southern New Mexico with acceptable accuracy and precision for a range of uses including important geomorphological and hydrological applications. The use of scanning laser systems, together with optical multispectral data, is shown to be highly synergistic providing information which is not easy to obtain via other survey methods.

}, keywords = {morphological characteristics, multispectral data, scanning laser systems, shrub-coppice dunes}, doi = {10.1016/S0034-4257(00)00084-5}, url = {/files/bibliography/00-019.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and M. Chopping and Jerry Ritchie and Kris Havstad and William P. Kustas and T. J. Schmugge} } @article {JRN54977, title = {Snow crystal imaging using scanning electron microscopy: III. Glacier ice, snow and biota}, journal = {Hydrological Sciences}, volume = {45}, year = {2000}, month = {06/2000}, pages = {357-375}, chapter = {357}, abstract = {

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe metamorphosed snow, glacial firn, and glacial ice obtained from South Cascade Glacier in Washington State, USA. Biotic samples consisting of algae (Chlamydomonas nivalis) and ice worms (a species of oligochaetes) were also collected and imaged. In the field, the snow and biological samples were mounted on copper plates, cooled in liquid nitrogen, and stored in dry shipping containers which maintain a temperature of-196{\textdegree}C. The firn and glacier ice samples were obtained by extracting horizontal ice cores, 8 mm in diameter, at different levels from larger standard glaciological (vertical) ice cores 7.5 cm in diameter. These samples were cooled in liquid nitrogen and placed in cryotubes, were stored in the same dry shipping container, and sent to the SEM facility. In the laboratory, the samples were sputter coated with platinum and imaged by a low-temperature SEM. To image the firn and glacier ice samples, the cores were fractured in liquid nitrogen, attached to a specimen holder, and then imaged. While light microscope images of snow and ice are difficult to interpret because of internal reflection and refraction, the SEM images provide a clear and unique view of the surface of the samples because they are generated from electrons emitted or reflected only from the surface of the sample. In addition, the SEM has a great depth of field with a wide range of magnifying capabilities. The resulting images clearly show the individual grains of the seasonal snowpack and the bonding between the snow grains. Images of firn show individual ice crystals, the bonding between the crystals, and connected air spaces. Images of glacier ice show a crystal structure on a scale of 1-2 mm which is considerably smaller than the expected crystal size. Microscopic air bubbles, less than 15 firn in diameter, clearly marked the boundaries between these crystal-like features. The life forms associated with the glacier were easily imaged and studied. The lowtemperature SEM sample collecting and handling methods proved to be operable in the field; the SEM analysis is applicable to glaciological studies and reveals details unattainable by conventional light microscopic methods.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango2000-03.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and W.P. Wergin and E. R. Erbe and E. G. Josberger} } @article {JRN54959, title = {Modeling Snow Cover and Runoff Response to Global Warming for Varying Hydrological Years}, journal = {World Resource Review}, volume = {11}, year = {1999}, pages = {76-91}, chapter = {76}, abstract = {

The effect of future global warming on the seasonal snow cover and runoff is evaluated in the Rio Grande basin at Del Norte, Colorado for average (1976), low (1977), and high (1979) runoff years. Precipitation data are extrapolated to the respective elevations of the basin by taking into account the snow accumulation obtained from snow cover mapping by satellites. Snow covered areas are used as one of the input variable for the Snowmelt Runoff Model. In order to derive the climate-affected snow covered areas of the future, the decrease of the areal snow water equivalent on 1 April is computed and used to derive new snow cover depletion curves indicative of the accelerated snowmelt in the warmer climate. Day-by-day runoff computations using present temperatures and temperatures increased by +4{\textdegree}C reveal a short-term and seasonal redistribution of runoff which differs according to the character of the selected hydrological years. Winter runoff approximately doubles in 1976 (+ 107\%), considerably increases in 1976 (+ 60\%), and slightly rises in 1977 (+ 22\%). The summer runoff consequently declines in all years, but the seasonal runoff peaks are shifted to earlier in the spring as a result of an earlier beginning of the snowmelt season in the warmer climate.

}, keywords = {climate change, remote sensing, snow and ice hydrology, water resources planning}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1999-01.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Martinrc, Jaroslav} } @article {JRN54963, title = {Effects of global warming on runoff in mountain basins representing different climate zones}, journal = {Hydrology in a Changing Environment }, volume = {1}, year = {1998}, pages = {133-139}, chapter = {133}, abstract = {

The redistribution of runoff in response to global warming may vary in hydrological years of different character as reported by Rango and Martinec (1998). In the present paper, effects of global warming on snow accumulation, snowmelt and runoff are studied in three North American mountain basins with widely varying climate conditions. Although snowmelt is a result of a complex energy balance in mountain basins, the degree-day approach is used as an effective index of this snowmelt so that the Snowmelt RunoffModel (SRM) can be used to assess the effects of global warming. In order to get a clear picture of the effect of increased temperatures, the total precipitation is left unchanged except for conversion from snow to rain when the warmer temperatures dictate.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1998-05.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec} } @proceedings {51245, title = {JORNEX: A multidisciplinary remote sensing campaign to quantify plant community/atmospheric interactions in the northern Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico}, year = {1998}, month = {1998}, pages = {63-66}, address = {Washington, D.C.}, abstract = {

The Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico provides a unique opportunity to integrate hydrologic-atmospheric fluxes and surface states, vegetation types. cover, and distribution. and vegetation response to changes in hydrologic states and atmospheric driving forces. As a National Science Foundation (NSF) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site and a United Nations (UN) Man and the Biosphere (MAB) site, the Jornada Experimental Range has been recognized as a valuable location for long term ecological research programs to investigate the processes related to desertification. The ongoing investigations within the LTER have yielded a wealth of ground data about the basin vegetation characteristics. ecosystem dynamics, and vegetation response to hydrologic-atmospheric inputs. Measurements and studies at Jornada date back to 1912 (Ares, 1974).

}, url = {/files/bibliography/633.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Jerry Ritchie and William P. Kustas and T. J. Schmugge and K. S. Humes and Lawrence E. Hipps and J.H. Prueger and Kris Havstad} } @inbook {51246, title = {JORNEX: Remote sensing to quantify long-term vegetation change and hydrological fluxes in an arid rangeland environment}, series = {Hydrology in a Changing Environment}, year = {1998}, month = {1998}, pages = {585-590}, publisher = {John Wiley}, organization = {John Wiley}, address = {London}, abstract = {

The Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico provides a unique opportunity to integrate hydrologic-atmospheric fluxes and surface states, vegetation types, cover, and distribution, and vegetation response to changes in hydrologic and atmospheric driving forces. As a National Science Foundation (NSF) Long-Term Ecological Research (L TER) site and a United Nations (UN) Man and the Biosphere (MAB) site, the Jornada Experimental Range has been recognized as a valuable location for long-term ecological research programs to investigate the processes related to desertification. The ongoing investigations within the L TER have yielded a wealth of ground data about the basin vegetation characteristics. ecosystem dynamics. and vegetation response to hydrologic-atmospheric inputs. Measurements and studies at Jornada date back to 1912 (Ares, 1974).

}, url = {/files/bibliography/632.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Jerry Ritchie and William P. Kustas and T. J. Schmugge and Kris Havstad}, editor = {Wheater, H. and Kirby, C.} } @article {JRN54976, title = {Operational applications of remote sensing in hydrology: success, prospects and problems }, journal = {Hydrological Sciences}, volume = {43}, year = {1998}, month = {12/1998}, pages = {947-968}, chapter = {947}, abstract = {

The use of remote sensing information in operational hydrology is relatively limited, but specific examples can be cited for determining precipitation, soil moisture, groundwater, snow, surface water and basin characteristics. The application of remote sensing in hydrology can be termed operational if at least one of two conditions are met: (a) the application produces an output on a regular basis,
or (b) the remote sensing data are used regularly on a continuing basis as part of a procedure to solve a problem or make decisions. When surveying the various operational applications, simple approaches and simple remote sensing data sets are the most successful. In the data-sparse developing countries, many operational remote sensing approaches exist (out of necessity) that may not be needed in developed countries because of existing data networks. To increase the use of remote sensing in operational hydrology in developed countries, pilot projects need to be increased and information services must be improved. Increased utilization of GIS to combine remote sensing with other information will promote new products and applications. End user training must be improved by focusing on satellite data processing and manipulation. In developing countries the same improvements are needed plus some more basic ones. There is a need for international monetary assistance to establish long-term remote sensing data, improved database systems
and image processing capabilities. There is also the need to set up innovative regional training centres throughout the developing world.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1998-07.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and Shalaby, Ahlam I.} } @article {JRN54982, title = {The response of areal snow cover to climate change in a snowmelt-runoff model}, journal = {Annals of Glaciology}, volume = {25}, year = {1997}, pages = {232-236}, chapter = {232}, abstract = {

The cryosphere is represented in some hydrological models by the areal extent of snow cover, a variable that has been operationally available in recent years through remote sensing. In particular, the snowmelt-runoff model (SRM) requires the remotely sensed snow-cover extent as a major input variable. The SRM is well-suited for simulating the hydrological response of a basin to hypothetical climate change because it is a non-calibrated model. In order to run the SRM in a climate-change mode, the response of the areal snow cover to a change in climate is a critical, and must be calculated as a function of elevation, precipitation, temperature, and snow-water equivalent. For the snowmelt-runoff season, the effect of climate change on conditions in the winter months has a major influence. In a warmer climate, winter may experience more rain vs snow events, and more periods of winter snowmelt that reduce the snow water equivalent present in the basin at the beginning of spring snowmelt. As a result, the spring snowmelt runoff under conditions of climate warming will be affected not only by different temperatures and precipitations, but also by a different snow cover with a changed depletion rate. A new radiation-based version of the SRM is under development that will also take changes in cloudiness and humidity into account, making climate-change studies of the cryosphere even more physically based. \ 

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1997-03.pdf}, author = {A. Rango} } @article {JRN54968, title = {Water storage in mountain basins from satellite snow cover monitoring }, journal = {Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems for Design and Operation of Water Resources Systems}, year = {1997}, month = {04/1997}, pages = {83-91}, chapter = {83}, abstract = {

The average areal water equivalent of the seasonal snow cover on 1 April in the basin of the Rio Grande at Del Norte, Colorado (3419 km3, 2432-4215 m a.s.l.) is evaluated from periodical snow cover mapping by Landsat. A dry, near-average and wet hydrological year are examined. Snow reserves in terms of water storage volumes are computed in three elevation zones for actual temperatures and for a projected climate change of +4{\textdegree}C. The decrease of snow accumulation in a warmer climate results in a significant increase of the winter runoff and a corresponding decrease of the summer runoff. The computed winter/summer proportions change from 24/76\% to 29/71\% in dry year 1977, from 13/87\% to 28/72\% in the average year 1976, and from 7.5/92.5\% to 12/88\% the wet year 1979. An assessment of the seasonal recession from winter to summer reveals that the actual climate effect is even greater.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1997-02.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec} } @article {JRN54969, title = {Snow crystal imaging using scanning electron microscopy: I. Precipitated snow}, journal = {Hydrological Sciences}, volume = {41}, year = {1996}, month = {04/1996}, pages = {219-233}, chapter = {219}, abstract = {

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe precipitated snow crystals. The newly-fallen snow
crystals were obtained in storms at Beltsville, Maryland, and at Bearden Mountain near Davis, West Virginia, USA. The snow samples were mounted on modified SEM stubs, frozen in liquid nitrogen, sputter coated with platinum, and imaged with an electron beam. Many types of precipitated snow crystals were observed including hexagonal plates, columns, needles, stellar dendrites, bullets, graupel, and rimed crystals. The SEM techniques that were developed can be used for quantitative measurements of size, shape and structure of crystals. SEM of precipitated snow appears to have direct application for the inference of atmospheric and cloud conditions where the snow crystals formed and travelled to the ground and for the development of a relationship between snow crystal type and snowfall intensity and amount. The SEM technique provides a new procedure to record permanently snow crystal conditions during winter storms.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1996-03.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and W.P. Wergin and E. R. Erbe} } @article {JRN54981, title = {Snow crystal imaging using scanning electron microscopy: II. Metamorphosed snow}, journal = {Hydrological Sciences}, volume = {41}, year = {1996}, month = {10/1996}, pages = {235-250}, chapter = {235}, abstract = {

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe metamorphosed snow crystals and grains obtained in the
field. Metamorphosed snow was obtained from seasonal snowpacks in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and in Alaska. The snow samples obtained in snowpits were mounted on modified SEM stubs, frozen in liquid nitrogen, transported in Dewar flasks to the SEM facility, sputter coated with platinum, and imaged with an electron beam. Analysis of a representative set of snow samples revealed examples of metamorphosed stellar crystals, fine snow grains with sintering, rounded and faceted crystals, several types of depth hoar, rounded grains of melt metamorphism, and an ice lens. Some of the crystals exhibiting both rounding and facets indicated that both
equitemperature and temperature gradient metamorphism influenced the snowpack. The SEM methods developed are operable in the field and can be used to quantify three-dimensionally size, shape and bonding characteristics of crystals. SEM appears to have direct application for better understanding of snow crystal metamorphism and snowpack processes, increasing knowledge of conditions leading to avalanche formation, and improving modelling of the transfer of microwave energy from the ground surface through the snowpack for eventual estimation of snow water equivalent.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1996-05.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and W.P. Wergin and E. R. Erbe} } @article {JRN54985, title = {Spaceborne remote sensing for snow hydrology applications}, journal = {Hydrological Sciences}, volume = {41}, year = {1996}, month = {08/1996}, pages = {477-494}, chapter = {477}, abstract = {

Certain satellite-based remote sensing for snow hydrology applications has been very positive, namely, snow areal extent mapping
using visible and near-infrared sensors and snow water equivalent using passive microwave techniques. Although certain problems are yet to be solved, very specific applications have become operational. Data from the NOAA-AVHRR sensor are used to produce snow extent maps for about 4000 basins in North America and the data are distributed electronically by the NWS National Operational Hydrologie Remote Sensing Center. At the Canadian Climate Centre, a method has been developed for real time estimation of areal snow water equivalent over the Canadian prairies using microwave brightness temperatures, and the snow water equivalent maps are distributed to operational hydrological forecasters. Current research may also prove fruitful for estimates of snow wetness or active melting, snow albedo and snow grain size. It appears that forthcoming improvements in passive microwave spatial resolution should
increase the applicability of the data for snow hydrology. The spectral and spatial resolution of the visible/near-infrared data will also be
improved with the launch of EOS/MODIS. Combinations of sensors and integration with other types of data will further improve the suitability of spacebome data.

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1996-07.pdf}, author = {A. Rango} } @article {JRN54958, title = {Revisiting the Degree-Day Methood for Snowmelt Computations}, journal = {Water Resources Bulletin}, volume = {31}, year = {1995}, month = {08/1995}, pages = {657-669}, chapter = {657}, abstract = {

The simple, empirical degree-day approach for calculating snowmelt and runoff from mountain basins has been in use for more than 60 years. It is frequently suggested that the degree-day method be replaced by the more physically-based energy balance approach. The degree-day approach, however, maintains its popularity, applicability, and effectiveness. It is shown that the degree-day method is reliable for computing total snowmelt depths for periods of a week to the entire snowmelt season. It can also be used for daily snowmelt depths when utilized in connection with an adequate snowmelt runoff model for computing the basin runoff. The degree-day ratio is shown to vary seasonally as opposed to being constant as is often assumed. Additionally, in order to evaluate the degree-day ratio correctly; the changing snow cover extent in a basin during the snowmelt season must be taken into account. It is possible to combine the degree-day approach with a radiation component so that short time interval (\<24 hours) computations of snowmelt depth can be made. When snowmelt input is transformed to basin output (runoff) by a snowmelt runoff model, there is little difference between the degree-day approach and a radiation based approach. This is fortuitous because the physically-based energy balance models will not soon displace the degree-day methods because of their excessive data requirements. \ \ 

}, url = {files/bibliography/Rango1995-02.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec} } @article {JRN54651, title = {Areal extent of seasonal snow cover in a changed climate}, journal = {Nordic Hydrology}, volume = {25}, year = {1994}, month = {August 1994}, pages = {233-246}, abstract = {

In mountain snow basins, a change in climate will likely cause a change in the basin snow cover extent. A procedure for evaluating whether a given climate change scenario will speed up or slow down the seasonal decrease of snow covered area is outlined with hypothetical examples for a simple basin. This procedure has two main purposes. First, it can be used to generate snow covered area data in a new climate for input to runoff models such as the Snowmelt-Runoff Model (SRM). Second, it could potentially be used to provide input to climate models that require knowledge of the land area covered by snow at a given time. A computer program is now operational for use on real basins and is demonstrated on the Rio Grande basin in Colorado and the Illecillewaet River basin in British Columbia.

}, url = {/files/bibliography/94-001.pdf}, author = {A. Rango and J. Martinec} }