ABSTRACT:

The hydrology, chemistry, and biology of a stream are strongly interconnected, and must all be considered when assessing the overall state of a water body. In this investigation, we seek to answer the following Research Question:

What are the differences in water quality and quantity between a rural headwater stream and an urban main-stem river?

For our investigation, we measured, analyzed, and compared water quality and quantity characteristics in a rural headwater stream (Las Huertas Creek, abbreviated as LH) and an urban main-stem river (The Rio Grande, abbreviated as RG) located near and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At each of our two locations, we measured water quality and quantity at a downstream site (abbreviated as D), a midstream site (abbreviated as M), and an upstream site (abbreviated as U) for a total of six sites in our study. We defined these areas as the location abbreviation followed by the site abbreviation; for example, the Las Huertas Downstream site was defined as LH_D while the Rio Grande Upstream site was defined as RG_U.

To answer our research question, we measured hydrologic, chemical, and biological parameters at each of our six sites. For hydrology, we measured discharge and soil hydraulic conductivity; for chemistry, we measured temperature, specific conductivity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, anions, and cations; for biology, we measured chlorophyll a, benthic macroinvertebrates, organic matter, and riparian vegetation. Below is a description of our study locations and our parameter methods followed by parameter results and a discussion.

ABSTRACT:

The hydrology, chemistry, and biology of a stream are strongly interconnected, and must all be considered when assessing the overall state of a water body. In this investigation, we seek to answer the following research question:

What are the differences in water quality and quantity between a rural headwater stream and an urban main-stem river?

For our investigation, we measured, analyzed, and compared water quality and quantity characteristics in a rural headwater stream (Las Huertas Creek, abbreviated as LH) and an urban main-stem river (The Rio Grande, abbreviated as RG) located near and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At each of our two locations, we measured water quality and quantity at a downstream site (abbreviated as D), a midstream site (abbreviated as M), and an upstream site (abbreviated as U) for a total of six sites in our study. We defined these areas as the location abbreviation followed by the site abbreviation; for example, the Las Huertas Downstream site was defined as LH_D while the Rio Grande Upstream site was defined as RG_U.

To answer our research question, we measured hydrologic, chemical, and biological parameters at each of our six sites. For hydrology, we measured discharge and soil hydraulic conductivity; for chemistry, we measured temperature, specific conductivity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, anions, and cations; for biology, we measured chlorophyll a, benthic macroinvertebrates, organic matter, and riparian vegetation. Below is a description of our study locations and our parameter methods followed by parameter results and a discussion.

ABSTRACT:

The hydrology, chemistry, and biology of a stream are strongly interconnected, and must all be considered when assessing the overall state of a water body. In this investigation, we seek to answer the following research question:

What are the differences in water quality and quantity between a rural headwater stream and an urban main-stem river?

For our investigation, we measured, analyzed, and compared water quality and quantity characteristics in a rural headwater stream (Las Huertas Creek, abbreviated as LH) and an urban main-stem river (The Rio Grande, abbreviated as RG) located near and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At each of our two locations, we measured water quality and quantity at a downstream site (abbreviated as D), a midstream site (abbreviated as M), and an upstream site (abbreviated as U) for a total of six sites in our study. We defined these areas as the location abbreviation followed by the site abbreviation; for example, the Las Huertas Downstream site was defined as LH_D while the Rio Grande Upstream site was defined as RG_U.

To answer our research question, we measured hydrologic, chemical, and biological parameters at each of our six sites. For hydrology, we measured discharge and soil hydraulic conductivity; for chemistry, we measured temperature, specific conductivity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, anions, and cations; for biology, we measured chlorophyll a, benthic macroinvertebrates, organic matter, and riparian vegetation. Below is a description of our study locations and our parameter methods followed by parameter results and a discussion.

ABSTRACT:

Collins Lake Ranch is a private ranch located in Mora County, northern New Mexico. In 2022, part of the ranch was impacted by the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon (HPCC) wildfire. New Mexico Highlands University commonly uses this ranch as a research site for forestry management and have treated multiple areas on the ranch, saving it from more extreme burning from the HPCC fire. This study area has three study locations, each with two plots, totaling six plots. Each plot has a Wingscapes TimelapseCam Pro camera, a two and a half meter by one-inch diameter snow pole attached to a U-post, and temperature loggers distributed on the ground surface. The time-lapse camera takes a picture twice a day of the snow pole which is painted in five-centimeter increments.

ABSTRACT:

Collins Lake Ranch is a private ranch located in Mora County, northern New Mexico. In 2022, part of the ranch was impacted by the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon (HPCC) wildfire. New Mexico Highlands University commonly uses this ranch as a research site for forestry management and have treated multiple areas on the ranch, saving it from more extreme burning from the HPCC fire. This study area has three study locations, each with two plots, totaling six plots. Each plot has a Wingscapes TimelapseCam Pro camera, a two and a half meter by one-inch diameter snow pole attached to a U-post, and temperature loggers distributed on the ground surface. The time-lapse camera takes a picture twice a day of the snow pole which is painted in five-centimeter increments.

ABSTRACT:

Collins Lake Ranch is a private ranch located in Mora County, northern New Mexico. In 2022, part of the ranch was impacted by the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon (HPCC) wildfire. New Mexico Highlands University commonly uses this ranch as a research site for forestry management and have treated multiple areas on the ranch, saving it from more extreme burning from the HPCC fire. This study area has three study locations, each with two plots, totaling six plots. Each plot has a Wingscapes TimelapseCam Pro camera, a two and a half meter by one-inch diameter snow pole attached to a U-post, and temperature loggers distributed on the ground surface. The time-lapse camera takes a picture twice a day of the snow pole which is painted in five-centimeter increments. Daily snow depth was recorded from the pictures by a minimum of two people and vetted by a third. SWE was calculated using methodology from Hill et al (2019).

ABSTRACT:

Collins Lake Ranch is a private ranch located in Mora County, northern New Mexico. In 2022, part of the ranch was impacted by the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon (HPCC) wildfire. New Mexico Highlands University commonly uses this ranch as a research site for forestry management and have treated multiple areas on the ranch, saving it from more extreme burning from the HPCC fire. This study area has three study locations, each with two plots, totaling six plots. Each plot has a Wingscapes TimelapseCam Pro camera, a two and a half meter by one-inch diameter snow pole attached to a U-post, and temperature loggers distributed on the ground surface. The time-lapse camera takes a picture twice a day of the snow pole which is painted in five-centimeter increments. Daily snow depth was recorded from the pictures by a minimum of two people and vetted by a third. SWE was calculated using methodology from Hill et al (2019).

ABSTRACT:

Climate change and a long history of fire suppression have contributed to an increase in the frequency and extent of high-severity wildfires across the western United Sates. Forest treatments such as mechanical thinning and prescribed burning are commonly used strategies to reduce wildfire severity and improve forest resilience. Because of the importance of vegetation cover on the timing and quantity of snow accumulation and melt, both forest treatment and wildfire can affect snowpack behavior in important ways. Here, we develop SNOW-17(VEG), an adaptation of the widely used and validated SNOW-17 temperature index model that incorporates vegetation structure. Statistical evaluation of SNOW-17(VEG) indicated strong agreement between simulated and observed snowpack conditions in a seasonal snowpack when comparing dense forest to a high severity burn scar in Colorado (NSE: 0.95, 0.94; Pbias: 3.4, -2.6; R: 0.97, 0.94). In an ephemeral snowpack in New Mexico, while performance was weaker in terms of absolute magnitude, the model reproduced key differences in snow accumulation and melt timing among dense forest, thinned forest, and high severity burn scar conditions (NSE: 0.84, 0.86, 0.92; Pbias: 56.3, 57.7, 26.7; R: 0.91, 0.90, 0.95). SNOW-17(VEG) provides a low-data framework for evaluating the influence of forest management and wildfire disturbance on snow accumulation and melt in mountain watersheds with available temperature and precipitation observations. The model may support scenario analysis for forest management, water resources planning, and wildfire-related risk assessment.

ABSTRACT:

Collins Lake Ranch is a private ranch located in Mora County, northern New Mexico. It specializes in residential living and education for adults with disabilities. In 2022, part of the ranch was impacted by the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon (HPCC) wildfire. New Mexico Highlands University commonly uses this ranch as a research site for forestry management and have treated multiple areas on the ranch, saving it from more extreme burning from the HPCC fire. This study area has three study locations, totaling six plots. Due to active thinning on this ranch, we moved our dense location for the 2024-2025 snow season, however, we tried to maintain as similar a forest structure and elevation as possible. Collins Lake Ranch represents lower elevation mid latitude locations that receive substantial snowfall, however, the snowpack is not seasonally persistent and is therefore classified as ephemeral. There were three shielded temperature loggers placed on the ranch to obtain hourly air temperatures. There was one logger placed at approximately 5ft off the ground on the northern side of a tree at each study location (dense forest, thinned forest, and high severity burn scar).