Age calibration of carbonate rind thickness in late pleistocene soils for surficial deposit age estimation, Southwest USA

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Amoroso
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Western Colorado ◽  
Soil Age ◽  
Surficial Deposit ◽  
Southwest Usa

AbstractCarbonate rinds have been used for cross-correlation of landforms as well as a quantitative indicator of soil age. Using the measured rind thickness of clasts found within a deposit, whose age has been independently determined, allows the construction of a calibrated surface-age proxy. Measurements were taken at sites within the Mojave Desert, the northwestern Sonoran Desert, the southern Great Basin, and the western Colorado Plateau. These sites are all within about 300 km of the intersection of the borders of the states of California, Arizona, and Nevada. In the study area, elevation varied from 200 to 1200 m, MAP was from 95 to 195 mm, and MAT was from 18.4° to 23.3°C. The calibrated proxy, while not accounting for the effects of parent material or climate on rind development, does show a strong correlation (R2 = 0.74, P < 0.05) between carbonate rind thickness and surface age for deposits of late to middle Pleistocene age. The calibrated chronosequence, rind thickness = 0.0889 + 0.0079 [surface age]), is in general valid over a large region of southwestern United States. This statistical relation suggests that parent material, climate, and elevation may not be as strong a control on carbonate accumulation as is age for younger soils.

Distinguishing soil age and parent material effects on an Ultisol of north-central Wisconsin, USA

Geoderma ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 61 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 165-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Mason ◽  
C.J. Milfred ◽  
E.A. Nater
Keyword(s):  
Parent Material ◽  
North Central ◽  
Soil Age

Impacts on ecosystems, corrective restoration practices, and prospects for recovery: nine case studies in the continental United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. Jones
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Elwha River

Ecological restoration in the United States is growing in terms of the number, size, and diversity of projects. Such efforts are intended to ameliorate past environmental damage and to restore functioning ecosystems that deliver desired levels of ecosystem services. In nine current restoration case studies from across the continental United States, this paper details (1) the impacts of the original disturbance and compounding secondary issues that compel restoration, (2) the corrective practices applied to advance restoration goals, and (3) the prospects for recovery of ecosystem services, including those involving associated animal populations. Ecosystem-altering impacts include flood control (Kissimmee River), flood control and navigation (Atchafalaya Basin), damming for irrigation-water storage (Colorado River) and hydroelectric power (Elwha River), logging and fire suppression (longleaf pine forest), plant invasions that decrease fire-return intervals (Great Basin shrublands, Mojave Desert), nutrient and sediment loading of watersheds (Chesapeake Bay, Mississippi River delta), and conversion of natural lands to agriculture (tallgrass prairie). Animal species targeted for recovery include the greater sage-grouse (Great Basin shrublands), the red-cockaded woodpecker (longleaf pine forest), the south-western willow flycatcher (Colorado River and its tributaries), the desert tortoise (Mojave Desert), eight salmonid fish (Elwha River), and the blue crab and eastern oyster (Chesapeake Bay).

scholarly journals Natural resource mitigation, adaptation and research needs related to climate change in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert

2011 ◽  
pp. i-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra L. Hughson ◽  
David E. Busch ◽  
Scott Davis ◽  
Sean P. Finn ◽  
Steve Caicco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Research Needs

Paleomagnetic Investigation of Lake Lahontan Sediments and Its Application for Dating Pluvial Events in the Northwestern Great Basin

1997 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph C. Liddicoat ◽  
Robert S. Coe
Keyword(s):  
Lake Sediment ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Secular Variation ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Truckee River ◽  
Pyramid Lake ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Paleomagnetic Secular Variation

AbstractA comparison of paleomagnetic secular variation in sediment of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan in the northwestern Great Basin with secular variation in lake sediment in the Mono Basin, California, indicates that Lake Lahontan was in the valley of the Truckee River between Pyramid Lake and Wadsworth, Nevada, from about 19,000 to 13,000 yr B.P. The secular variation in older Lake Lahontan sediment in the Truckee River valley has the general features of secular variation in middle Pleistocene lacustrine sediments near Rye Patch Dam, Nevada, 125 km to the east. On the basis of field mapping and tephrochronology, the sections of older lacustrine sediments are not coeval. The apparent, but erroneous, correlation of those sediments emphasizes the need for multiple dating methods when paleomagnetic secular variation is used to date stratigraphy.

scholarly journals Highest Pluvial-Lake Shorelines and Pleistocene Climate of the Western Great Basin

1999 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marith Reheis
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Effective Moisture ◽  
Pleistocene Climate ◽  
Pluvial Lakes ◽  
Hydrologic Index

Shoreline altitudes of several pluvial lakes in the western Great Basin of North America record successively smaller lakes from the early to the late Pleistocene. This decrease in lake size indicates a long-term drying trend in the regional climate that is not seen in global marine oxygen-isotope records. At +70 m above its late Pleistocene shoreline, Lake Lahontan in the early middle Pleistocene submerged some basins previously thought to have been isolated. Other basins known to contain records of older pluvial lakes that exceeded late Pleistocene levels include Columbus-Fish Lake (Lake Columbus-Rennie), Kobeh-Diamond (Lakes Jonathan and Diamond), Newark, Long (Lake Hubbs), and Clover. Very high stands of some of these lakes probably triggered overflows of previously internally drained basins, adding to the size of Lake Lahontan. Simple calculations based on differences in lake area suggest that the highest levels of these pluvial lakes required a regional increase in effective moisture by a factor of 1.2 to 3 relative to late Pleistocene pluvial amounts (assuming that effective moisture is directly proportional to the hydrologic index, or lake area/tributary basin area). These previously unknown lake levels reflect significant changes in climate, tectonics, and (or) drainage-basin configurations, and could have facilitated migration of aquatic species in the Great Basin.

scholarly journals Quantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 167-184
Author(s):  
SK Carter ◽  
KE Nussear ◽  
TC Esque ◽  
IIF Leinwand ◽  
E Masters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
American Southwest ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Desert Tortoise ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Development Levels

Two tortoise species native to the American southwest have experienced significant habitat loss from development and are vulnerable to ongoing threats associated with continued development. Mojave desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, and Sonoran desert tortoises G. morafkai are protected in Arizona (USA) and Mexico. Substantial habitat for both species occurs on multiple-use public lands, where development associated with traditional and renewable energy production, recreation, and other activities is likely to continue. Our goal was to quantify development to inform and evaluate actions implemented to protect and manage desert tortoise habitat. We quantified a landscape-level index of development across the Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise ranges using models of potential habitat for each species (152485 total observations). We used 13 years of Mojave desert tortoise monitoring data (4732 observations) to inform the levels and spatial scales at which tortoises may be affected by development. Most (66-70%) desert tortoise habitat has some development within 1 km. Development levels on desert tortoise habitat are lower inside versus outside areas protected by actions at national, state, and local levels, suggesting that protection efforts may be having the desired effects and providing a needed baseline for future effectiveness evaluations. Of the relatively undeveloped desert tortoise habitat, 43% (74030 km2) occurs outside of existing protections. These lands are managed by multiple federal, state, and local entities and private landowners, and may provide opportunities for future land acquisition or protection, including as mitigation for energy development on public lands.

THE REGIONAL RESPONSE OF DESERT WETLANDS TO ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE MOJAVE DESERT AND SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen B. Springer ◽  
◽  
Jeffrey S. Pigati ◽  
Jeffrey S. Pigati ◽  
Craig R. Manker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Abrupt Climate Change ◽  
Desert Wetlands

Enhancing and Restoring Habitat for the Desert Tortoise

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott R. Abella ◽  
Kristin H. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Forage Quality ◽  
Desert Tortoise ◽  
Forage Plants ◽  
Nonnative Grasses

AbstractHabitat has changed unfavorably during the past 150 y for the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii, a federally threatened species with declining populations in the Mojave Desert and western Sonoran Desert. To support recovery efforts, we synthesized published information on relationships of desert tortoises with three habitat features (cover sites, forage, and soil) and candidate management practices for improving these features for tortoises. In addition to their role in soil health and facilitating recruitment of annual forage plants, shrubs are used by desert tortoises for cover and as sites for burrows. Outplanting greenhouse-grown seedlings, protected from herbivory, has successfully restored (&gt;50% survival) a variety of shrubs on disturbed desert soils. Additionally, salvaging and reapplying topsoil using effective techniques is among the more ecologically beneficial ways to initiate plant recovery after severe disturbance. Through differences in biochemical composition and digestibility, some plant species provide better-quality forage than others. Desert tortoises selectively forage on particular annual and herbaceous perennial species (e.g., legumes), and forage selection shifts during the year as different plants grow or mature. Nonnative grasses provide low-quality forage and contribute fuel to spreading wildfires, which damage or kill shrubs that tortoises use for cover. Maintaining a diverse “menu” of native annual forbs and decreasing nonnative grasses are priorities for restoring most desert tortoise habitats. Reducing herbivory by nonnative animals, carefully timing herbicide applications, and strategically augmenting annual forage plants via seeding show promise for improving tortoise forage quality. Roads, another disturbance, negatively affect habitat in numerous ways (e.g., compacting soil, altering hydrology). Techniques such as recontouring road berms to reestablish drainage patterns, vertical mulching (“planting” dead plant material), and creating barriers to prevent trespasses can assist natural recovery on decommissioned backcountry roads. Most habitat enhancement efforts to date have focused on only one factor at a time (e.g., providing fencing) and have not included proactive restoration activities (e.g., planting native species on disturbed soils). A research and management priority in recovering desert tortoise habitats is implementing an integrated set of restorative habitat enhancements (e.g., reducing nonnative plants, improving forage quality, augmenting native perennial plants, and ameliorating altered hydrology) and monitoring short- and long-term indicators of habitat condition and the responses of desert tortoises to habitat restoration.

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