Southwest Watershed Research : SWRC Bulletin (Summer 2006)

The SWRC Quarterly

Sound Science for Watershed Decisions

Summer 2006

http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/

Latest Science Results (not yet published)

(click on title for more information)

Mapping surface roughness and soil moisture using multi-angle imagery without ancillary data

Spatial and temporal variability in evapotranspiration estimates from AVIRIS at the SMEX04 site

A new sensitivity analysis framework for model evaluation and improvement using a case study of the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model

Effects of rock fragments incorporated in the soil matrix on concentrated flow hydraulics and erosion

Effects of precipitation pulse sequencing on plant and soil response to pulse size in the Sonoran Desert

Papers Published This Quarter:

(click on title to download a reprint)

Gazal, R.M., Scott, R.L., Goodrich, D.C., Williams, D.G. 2006. Controls on transpiration in a desert riparian cottonwood forest. Ag. & Forest Meteorology. 137(56-67).

Moran, M.S., McElroy, S, Watts, J.M., Peters, L.C.D. 2006. Radar remote sensing for estimation of surface soil moisture at the watershed scale. Proc. ARS/INIFAP Binational Sym. on Modeling and Remote Sensing in Agriculture, June 2-6, 2003, Aquascalientes, Mexico.

Hernandez, M., Semmens, D., Miller, S., Goodrich, D.C., Kepner, W. 2006. Development and application of the automated geospatial watershed assessment tool. Modeling and Remote Sensing Applied to Agriculture (U.S. and Mexico). USDA-INIFAP.

Kimoto, A., Nearing, M.A., Zhang, X.J., Powell, D.M. 2006. Applicability of rare earth element oxides as sediment tracers for coarse-textured soils. Catena 65:24.-221.

Heilman, P., Stone, J.J., Sanchez-Cohen, I., Rodriquez, H., Mann, R. 2006. Working smarter: Research and decision support systems in Mexican agriculture. Proc. ARS/INIFAP Binational Sym. on Modeling and Remote Sensing in Agriculture, June 2-6, 2003, Aquascalientes, Mexico.

Nearing, M.A. 2006. Can soil erosion be predicted?. Chpt. In: Soil Erosion and Sediment Redistribution in River Catchments, P. Owens (ed.), CABI Publishing. p. 145-152.

Our full publication list is available at
http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/unit/Publications/search.html .

Future Science Events:
SWRC is hosting two meetings in Tucson : Techniques for Sediment Source Identification and Research Insights in Semi-arid Environments (RISE). Click here for more information.

Rainfall Report:

WGEW and SRER data can be downloaded from the web site at http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/dap

Geographic locations of the three precipitation records can be found at http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/53424500/images/sw_az3.jpg

Awards:

Congratulations to Dr. Ray Jackson who was selected for the ARS Hall of Fame. Click here for details.

Staff News:
Click here for news from SWRC Scientists Mark Nearing, Russ Scott, Ken Renard and Susan Moran.

SWRC is seeking a new permanent full-time research scientist with expertise in plant physiology, soil science and hydrology. Click here for details and application directions.

SWRC Quarterly:

Contact the SWRC Research Leader, Dr. Mark Nearing at 670-6380 x152 or mnearing@tucson.ars.ag.gov. Mailing address is USDA ARS SWRC, 2000 E. Allen Rd., Tucson, AZ 85719 and web address is http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/ . The SWRC Quarterly is on—line at http://ars.usda.gov/News/News.htm?modecode=53-42-45-00.

SWRC Mission:

The Southwest Watershed Research Center conducts long-term research of soil, water and climate processes to better understand interactions with plants, animals and humans as a basis for management of semiarid watersheds. SWRC develops new technologies for land managers, including remote sensing, computer-aided decision tools, and ecosystem models.