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Erosion and Invasive Saltcedar

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By Fort Collins Science Center December 2, 2016

Formation of arroyos in the late 1800s greatly increased erosion across the southwestern United States. Since the 1930s, however, this erosion has decreased, partly because of bank stabilization by introduced saltcedar. With Isleta Pueblo Indian Nation, the Aquatic Systems Branch developed a new sediment dating method using saltcedar tree rings. We applied the method in a landmark study of arroyo filling along the Rio Puerco, New Mexico. We then showed how aerial application of herbicide to control saltcedar accidentally renewed erosion. This erosion may now be amplified by a beetle introduced for saltcedar control. 

Extreme erosion occurred in the herbicide spray zone, but not upstream or downstream (Vincent et al. 2009, Griffin and Friedman
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Channel change and saltcedar introduction along the Rio Puerco, NM. Flooding from 1880-1930 caused erosion of an arroyo, an incised channel in fine sediments (clay to sand) over 200 km long, 100 m wide and 10m deep. Channel narrowing and arroyo filling after the 1930s was associated with spread of saltcedar, planted to control erosion in 1926 (Friedman et al. 2015). Public domain.
A chart showing the erosion of the Rio Puerco arroyo
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Erosion of the Rio Puerco arroyo caused siltation downstream in Elephant Butte Reservoir. After arrival of saltcedar, the loss of storage capacity in Elephant Butte Reservoir slowed by about a factor of 5. Removal of saltcedar could accelerate reservoir sedimentation again. Public domain.
Herbicide was applied by helicopter to control saltcedar in a 12-km reach of the Rio Puerco in 2003.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Herbicide was applied by helicopter to control saltcedar in a 12-km reach of the Rio Puerco in 2003. A flood in 2006 caused substantial erosion in the spray zone. This photo was taken in October 2006 by Kirk Vincent, USGS. Gray stems left of the channel are dead saltcedar. Public domain.
Extreme erosion occurred in the herbicide spray zone, but not upstream or downstream (Vincent et al. 2009, Griffin and Friedman
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Extreme erosion occurred in the herbicide spray zone, but not upstream or downstream (Vincent et al. 2009, Griffin and Friedman 2016). Public domain.
A beetle introduced to the US to control saltcedar has dispersed to the Middle Rio Grande.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
A beetle introduced to the US to control saltcedar has dispersed to the Middle Rio Grande. This natural-color image by DigitalGlobe, Inc. on July 18, 2016 shows saltcedar defoliated by the beetle (purple) at the confluence of the Rio Puerco and the Rio Grande. If the beetle kills large areas of saltcedar, subsequent floods could accelerate erosion in tributaries, leading to siltation along the Rio Grande and in Elephant Butte Reservoir. Public domain.
Anatomical changes in rings of buried stems can be used to date stratigraphy.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Anatomical changes in rings of buried stems can be used to date stratigraphy. Saltcedar stem cross-section cut 2.8 m below the ground surface.  Following initial burial of 68 cm in 1969, ring-width decreased, vessel size increased, and annual transitions became less distinct. After a second burial by 41 cm in 1972, annual transitions became indistinguishable. (Friedman and others 2005, 2015). Public domain.
Trench stratigraphy dated using tree rings of buried saltcedar, Rio Puerco near Highway 6, New Mexico
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Trench stratigraphy dated using tree rings of buried saltcedar, Rio Puerco near Highway 6, New Mexico (Friedman et al. 2005, 2015) Public domain.
Buried cottonwood along the Rio Puerco, NM.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Buried cottonwood along the Rio Puerco, NM. Public domain.

Lower Rio Puerco geospatial data, 1935 - 2014

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link
Vegetation along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

Riparian Ecology

Riparian ecologists at the Fort Collins Science Center study interactions among flow, channel change, and vegetation along rivers across the western United States and worldwide. Our work focuses on issues relevant to the management of water and public lands, including dam operation, climate change, invasive species, and ecological restoration. Investigations take place on a range of scales. For...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
link

Riparian Ecology

Riparian ecologists at the Fort Collins Science Center study interactions among flow, channel change, and vegetation along rivers across the western United States and worldwide. Our work focuses on issues relevant to the management of water and public lands, including dam operation, climate change, invasive species, and ecological restoration. Investigations take place on a range of scales. For...
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Processes of arroyo filling in northern New Mexico, USA

We documented arroyo evolution at the tree, trench, and arroyo scales along the lower Rio Puerco and Chaco Wash in northern New Mexico, USA. We excavated 29 buried living woody plants and used burial signatures in their annual rings to date stratigraphy in four trenches across the arroyos. Then, we reconstructed the history of arroyo evolution by combining trench data with arroyo-scale...
Authors
Jonathan M. Friedman, Kirk R. Vincent, Eleanor R. Griffin, Michael L. Scott, Patrick B. Shafroth, Gregor T. Auble
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Effects of woody vegetation on overbank sand transport during a large flood, Rio Puerco, New Mexico

Distributions of woody vegetation on floodplain surfaces affect flood-flow erosion and deposition processes. A large flood along the lower Rio Puerco, New Mexico, in August 2006 caused extensive erosion in a reach that had been sprayed with herbicide in September 2003 for the purpose of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) control. Large volumes of sediment, including a substantial fraction of sand...
Authors
Eleanor R. Griffin, Mariela C. Perignon, Jonathan M. Friedman, Gregory E. Tucker

Effects of riparian vegetation on topographic change during a large flood event, Rio Puerco, New Mexico, USA

The spatial distribution of riparian vegetation can strongly influence the geomorphic evolution of dryland rivers during large floods. We present the results of an airborne lidar differencing study that quantifies the topographic change that occurred along a 12 km reach of the Lower Rio Puerco, New Mexico, during an extreme event in 2006. Extensive erosion of the channel banks took place...
Authors
M. C. Perignon, G.E. Tucker, Eleanor R. Griffin, Jonathan M. Friedman

Erosional consequence of saltcedar control

Removal of nonnative riparian trees is accelerating to conserve water and improve habitat for native species. Widespread control of dominant species, however, can lead to unintended erosion. Helicopter herbicide application in 2003 along a 12-km reach of the Rio Puerco, New Mexico, eliminated the target invasive species saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), which dominated the floodplain, as well as...
Authors
K.R. Vincent, J. M. Friedman, E.R. Griffin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Dating floodplain sediments using tree-ring response to burial

Floodplain sediments can be dated precisely based on the change in anatomy of tree rings upon burial. When a stem of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) or sandbar willow (Salix exigua) is buried, subsequent annual rings in the buried section resemble the rings of roots: rings become narrower, vessels within the rings become larger, and transitions between rings become less distinct. We...
Authors
J. M. Friedman, K.R. Vincent, P.B. Shafroth
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Modeling effects of bank friction and woody bank vegetation on channel flow and boundary shear stress in the Rio Puerco, New Mexico

[1] We have applied a physically based model for steady, horizontally uniform flow to calculate reach-averaged velocity and boundary shear-stress distributions in a natural stream with woody vegetation on the channel banks. The model calculates explicitly the form drag on woody plant stems and includes the effects of vegetation on the boundary shear stress, velocity, and turbulence...
Authors
E.R. Griffin, J. W. Kean, K.R. Vincent, J.D. Smith, J. M. Friedman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Below are partners associated with this project.

Pueblo of Isleta

University of Colorado, Boulder

Formation of arroyos in the late 1800s greatly increased erosion across the southwestern United States. Since the 1930s, however, this erosion has decreased, partly because of bank stabilization by introduced saltcedar. With Isleta Pueblo Indian Nation, the Aquatic Systems Branch developed a new sediment dating method using saltcedar tree rings. We applied the method in a landmark study of arroyo filling along the Rio Puerco, New Mexico. We then showed how aerial application of herbicide to control saltcedar accidentally renewed erosion. This erosion may now be amplified by a beetle introduced for saltcedar control. 

Extreme erosion occurred in the herbicide spray zone, but not upstream or downstream (Vincent et al. 2009, Griffin and Friedman
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Channel change and saltcedar introduction along the Rio Puerco, NM. Flooding from 1880-1930 caused erosion of an arroyo, an incised channel in fine sediments (clay to sand) over 200 km long, 100 m wide and 10m deep. Channel narrowing and arroyo filling after the 1930s was associated with spread of saltcedar, planted to control erosion in 1926 (Friedman et al. 2015). Public domain.
A chart showing the erosion of the Rio Puerco arroyo
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Erosion of the Rio Puerco arroyo caused siltation downstream in Elephant Butte Reservoir. After arrival of saltcedar, the loss of storage capacity in Elephant Butte Reservoir slowed by about a factor of 5. Removal of saltcedar could accelerate reservoir sedimentation again. Public domain.
Herbicide was applied by helicopter to control saltcedar in a 12-km reach of the Rio Puerco in 2003.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Herbicide was applied by helicopter to control saltcedar in a 12-km reach of the Rio Puerco in 2003. A flood in 2006 caused substantial erosion in the spray zone. This photo was taken in October 2006 by Kirk Vincent, USGS. Gray stems left of the channel are dead saltcedar. Public domain.
Extreme erosion occurred in the herbicide spray zone, but not upstream or downstream (Vincent et al. 2009, Griffin and Friedman
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Extreme erosion occurred in the herbicide spray zone, but not upstream or downstream (Vincent et al. 2009, Griffin and Friedman 2016). Public domain.
A beetle introduced to the US to control saltcedar has dispersed to the Middle Rio Grande.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
A beetle introduced to the US to control saltcedar has dispersed to the Middle Rio Grande. This natural-color image by DigitalGlobe, Inc. on July 18, 2016 shows saltcedar defoliated by the beetle (purple) at the confluence of the Rio Puerco and the Rio Grande. If the beetle kills large areas of saltcedar, subsequent floods could accelerate erosion in tributaries, leading to siltation along the Rio Grande and in Elephant Butte Reservoir. Public domain.
Anatomical changes in rings of buried stems can be used to date stratigraphy.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Anatomical changes in rings of buried stems can be used to date stratigraphy. Saltcedar stem cross-section cut 2.8 m below the ground surface.  Following initial burial of 68 cm in 1969, ring-width decreased, vessel size increased, and annual transitions became less distinct. After a second burial by 41 cm in 1972, annual transitions became indistinguishable. (Friedman and others 2005, 2015). Public domain.
Trench stratigraphy dated using tree rings of buried saltcedar, Rio Puerco near Highway 6, New Mexico
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Trench stratigraphy dated using tree rings of buried saltcedar, Rio Puerco near Highway 6, New Mexico (Friedman et al. 2005, 2015) Public domain.
Buried cottonwood along the Rio Puerco, NM.
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. View Media Details
Buried cottonwood along the Rio Puerco, NM. Public domain.

Lower Rio Puerco geospatial data, 1935 - 2014

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link
Vegetation along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

Riparian Ecology

Riparian ecologists at the Fort Collins Science Center study interactions among flow, channel change, and vegetation along rivers across the western United States and worldwide. Our work focuses on issues relevant to the management of water and public lands, including dam operation, climate change, invasive species, and ecological restoration. Investigations take place on a range of scales. For...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
link

Riparian Ecology

Riparian ecologists at the Fort Collins Science Center study interactions among flow, channel change, and vegetation along rivers across the western United States and worldwide. Our work focuses on issues relevant to the management of water and public lands, including dam operation, climate change, invasive species, and ecological restoration. Investigations take place on a range of scales. For...
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Processes of arroyo filling in northern New Mexico, USA

We documented arroyo evolution at the tree, trench, and arroyo scales along the lower Rio Puerco and Chaco Wash in northern New Mexico, USA. We excavated 29 buried living woody plants and used burial signatures in their annual rings to date stratigraphy in four trenches across the arroyos. Then, we reconstructed the history of arroyo evolution by combining trench data with arroyo-scale...
Authors
Jonathan M. Friedman, Kirk R. Vincent, Eleanor R. Griffin, Michael L. Scott, Patrick B. Shafroth, Gregor T. Auble
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Effects of woody vegetation on overbank sand transport during a large flood, Rio Puerco, New Mexico

Distributions of woody vegetation on floodplain surfaces affect flood-flow erosion and deposition processes. A large flood along the lower Rio Puerco, New Mexico, in August 2006 caused extensive erosion in a reach that had been sprayed with herbicide in September 2003 for the purpose of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) control. Large volumes of sediment, including a substantial fraction of sand...
Authors
Eleanor R. Griffin, Mariela C. Perignon, Jonathan M. Friedman, Gregory E. Tucker

Effects of riparian vegetation on topographic change during a large flood event, Rio Puerco, New Mexico, USA

The spatial distribution of riparian vegetation can strongly influence the geomorphic evolution of dryland rivers during large floods. We present the results of an airborne lidar differencing study that quantifies the topographic change that occurred along a 12 km reach of the Lower Rio Puerco, New Mexico, during an extreme event in 2006. Extensive erosion of the channel banks took place...
Authors
M. C. Perignon, G.E. Tucker, Eleanor R. Griffin, Jonathan M. Friedman

Erosional consequence of saltcedar control

Removal of nonnative riparian trees is accelerating to conserve water and improve habitat for native species. Widespread control of dominant species, however, can lead to unintended erosion. Helicopter herbicide application in 2003 along a 12-km reach of the Rio Puerco, New Mexico, eliminated the target invasive species saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), which dominated the floodplain, as well as...
Authors
K.R. Vincent, J. M. Friedman, E.R. Griffin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Dating floodplain sediments using tree-ring response to burial

Floodplain sediments can be dated precisely based on the change in anatomy of tree rings upon burial. When a stem of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) or sandbar willow (Salix exigua) is buried, subsequent annual rings in the buried section resemble the rings of roots: rings become narrower, vessels within the rings become larger, and transitions between rings become less distinct. We...
Authors
J. M. Friedman, K.R. Vincent, P.B. Shafroth
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Modeling effects of bank friction and woody bank vegetation on channel flow and boundary shear stress in the Rio Puerco, New Mexico

[1] We have applied a physically based model for steady, horizontally uniform flow to calculate reach-averaged velocity and boundary shear-stress distributions in a natural stream with woody vegetation on the channel banks. The model calculates explicitly the form drag on woody plant stems and includes the effects of vegetation on the boundary shear stress, velocity, and turbulence...
Authors
E.R. Griffin, J. W. Kean, K.R. Vincent, J.D. Smith, J. M. Friedman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Below are partners associated with this project.

Pueblo of Isleta

University of Colorado, Boulder

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