Mike Duniway, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael (Mike) Duniway is a soil scientist focused on soils and soil processes in dryland environments. His work provides crucial information for stakeholders, agencies and the public to assess and manage lands across the Colorado Plateau and southwest US.
In his research and outreach activities, Dr. Duniway seeks to provide information for land managers and owners to facilitate sustainable land-use activities. He works closely with federal and state agency partners and others in designing research studies, conducting technology transfer, and outreach activities. His research focuses include understanding the impacts of drought on Colorado Plateau rangelands, evaluating the recovery of oil and gas pads and seeking opportunities for improved reclamation practices, and developing new maps and tools for land management. In his work, he is interested in maintaining and balancing the important ecosystem services these landscapes provide, including clean water and air, food and fiber, tourism and cultural values, and energy.
Professional Experience
2011-Present: Research Ecologist, USGS Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT
2010-2011: Research Soil Scientist, US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Jornada, Las Cruces, NM
2006-2010: Research Soil Scientist (post doc), US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Jornada, Las Cruces, NM
2012-Present: Adjunct Faculty, Utah State University, Logan, UT
2007-Present: Adjunct Faculty, NM State University, Las Cruces, NM
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2006 — Agronomy (Soil Science), New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
B.S., 1994 — Environmental Resource Science, University of California, Davis, CA
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 23
Filter Total Items: 40
Meteorological measurements from five locations within the Badger Wash study area near Mack, Colorado (ver. 3.0, September 2024) Meteorological measurements from five locations within the Badger Wash study area near Mack, Colorado (ver. 3.0, September 2024)
These data are records collected from an automated weather station and four stand-alone tipping bucket rain gauges each with their own data logger that were in operation between February 2005 and December 2019 in the Badger Wash Study Area near Mack, Colorado as part of a larger project funded by the Bureau of Land Management. These files are hourly-interval data from the automated...
Long-term precipitation reduction experiment in the Colorado Plateau - Survival and mortality data from 2010 to 2018 Long-term precipitation reduction experiment in the Colorado Plateau - Survival and mortality data from 2010 to 2018
From 2011-2018 USGS biologists recorded vegetation and biological soil crust (BSC) cover by species and tracked survival of tagged individual plants (388 in total) across 40 locations where paired experimental plots had been installed in 2010. Plant cover was visually estimated using four 75 x 100 cm survey frames. Each site contained a two plots measuring 1.5 by 2.0 meteres: a control...
Predictive maps of 2D and 3D surface soil properties and associated uncertainty for the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA Predictive maps of 2D and 3D surface soil properties and associated uncertainty for the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
The raster datasets in this data release are maps of soil surface properties that were used in analyzing different approaches for digital soil mapping. They include maps of soil pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, and soil summed fine and very fine sand contents that were created using both 2D and 3D modeling strategies. For each property a map was created using both 2D and...
Vegetation and Soils Data from Grazed and Ungrazed Watersheds in the Badger Wash Study Area, Colorado, USA Vegetation and Soils Data from Grazed and Ungrazed Watersheds in the Badger Wash Study Area, Colorado, USA
In 2004 U.S. Geological Survey biologists recorded vegetation and biological soil crust (BSC) cover by species as well as measured soil stability and compaction data along 85 transects at the Badger Wash study area in western Colorado. Soil samples were collected and processed for chemistry and texture. Using analysis of variance and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) we assessed...
5-year Relative Fractional Vegetation Cover at Abandoned Energy Development Sites on the Colorado Plateau 5-year Relative Fractional Vegetation Cover at Abandoned Energy Development Sites on the Colorado Plateau
This data release contains a single vector shapefile and two text documents with code used to generate the data product. This vector shapefile contains the locations of 365 "plugged and abandoned" well sites from across the Colorado Plateau with their respective relative fractional vegetation cover (RFVC) values. Oil and gas pads are often developed for production, and then capped...
Potential Land-use Intensity, Aridification Trends, Overlap, and Impact Scenarios, Geospatial Data, Colorado Plateau, USA Potential Land-use Intensity, Aridification Trends, Overlap, and Impact Scenarios, Geospatial Data, Colorado Plateau, USA
These geospatial data characterize the potential for geographic overlap among areas likely to experience climate drying (aridification) and high intensity land-use with population growth, recreation tourism, agriculture, energy development, and mining on the Colorado Plateau. Spatial overlap between areas of high land-use intensity and aridification were used to create scenarios and...
Filter Total Items: 127
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2022 Report) Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2022 Report)
A primary focus of the Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program (CPNPP) is to identify and develop appropriate native plant materials (NPMs) for current and future restoration projects. Multiple efforts have characterized the myriad challenges inherent in providing appropriate seed resources to enable effective, widespread restoration and have identified a broad suite of research activities...
Authors
Robert Massatti, Daniel Winkler, Sasha C. Reed, Michael Duniway, Seth Munson, John B. Bradford
Establishing big sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau Establishing big sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau
Factors such as soil type and precipitation vary across rangeland landscapes, and these factors affect restoration outcomes and ultimately mean that “one size fits all” management strategies are not effective across large, complex landscapes. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a foundational rangeland species that is important to wildlife habitat across the western U.S. On the...
Authors
Kari Veblen, Eric Thacker, Mark Larese-Casanova, Kyle Nehring, Michael Duniway, Colby Brungard
Synergistic soil, land use, and climate influences on wind erosion on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for management Synergistic soil, land use, and climate influences on wind erosion on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for management
Two decades of drought in the southwestern USA are spurring concerns about increases in wind erosion, dust emissions, and associated impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, human health, and water supply. Different avenues of investigation into primary drivers of wind erosion and dust have yielded mixed results depending on the spatial and temporal sensitivity of the evidence. We monitored...
Authors
Travis W. Nauman, Seth Munson, Saroj Dhital, Nicholas Webb, Michael Duniway
Foraging behavior of Raramuri Criollo vs. Angus cattle grazing California Chaparral and Colorado Plateau shrublands Foraging behavior of Raramuri Criollo vs. Angus cattle grazing California Chaparral and Colorado Plateau shrublands
Selecting livestock genetics adapted to arid environments, such as Criollo cattle, is one of several strategies recommended for decreasing the vulnerability to climate change of ranching in the southwestern USA. Our objective was to determine whether desirable foraging traits of Criollo cattle previously documented in the Chihuahuan Desert, held true in two of the most climate-vulnerable
Authors
Danielle Duni, Matthew McIntosh, Shelemia Nyamuryekung’e, Andres Cibils, Michael Duniway, Richard Estell, Sheri Spiegal, Alfredo Gonzalez, Melakeneh Gedefaw, Matthew Redd, Robert Paulin, Caitriana Steele, Santiago Utsumi, Andres Perea
Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau
Global dryland vegetation communities will likely change as ongoing drought conditions shift regional climates towards a more arid future. Additional aridification of drylands can impact plant and ground cover, biogeochemical cycles, and plant-soil feedbacks, yet how and when these crucial ecosystem components will respond to drought intensification requires further investigation. Using...
Authors
Rebecca Finger-Higgens, Tara Bishop, Jayne Belnap, Erika Geiger, Edmund Grote, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Michael Duniway
Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges
Aims Livestock production is the most widespread land use globally and occurs across a diverse set of ecosystems. Variability in long-term livestock grazing impacts across ecosystems is poorly characterized, particularly at larger spatial scales, despite strong relationships with various ecosystem services related to soil fertility and stabilization and vegetation productivity. Here we...
Authors
Stella M. Copeland, David Hoover, David Augustine, Jonathan Bates, Chad Boyd, Kirk Davies, Justin D. Derner, Michael Duniway, Lauren M. Porensky, Lance Vermeire
Non-USGS Publications**
Browning, D.M., Duniway, M.C., Laliberte, A., and Rango, A., 2012, Hierarchical analysis of vegetation dynamics over 71 years: Soil-rainfall interactions in a Chihuahuan desert ecosystem: Ecological Applications, v. 22, p.909-926.
Duniway, M., Karl, J., Schrader, S., Baquera, N., and Herrick, J., 2012, Rangeland and pasture monitoring: an approach to interpretation of high-resolution imagery focused on observer calibration for repeatability: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, v. 184, p. 3789-3804.
Karl, J., Duniway, M.C., Nusser, S.M., Opsomer, J.D., and Unnasch, R.S., 2012, Using Very-Large-Scale Aerial Imagery for Rangeland Monitoring and Assessment: Some Statistical Considerations: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 330-339.
Karl, J.W., Duniway, M.C., and Schrader, T.S., 2012, A Technique for Estimating Rangeland Canopy-Gap Size Distributions From High-Resolution Digital Imagery: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 196-207.
Browning, D.M., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Digital soil mapping in the absence of field training data: a case study using terrain attributes and semiautomated soil signature derivation to distinguish ecological potential: Applied and Environmental Soil Science.
Duniway, M.C., and Herrick, J.E., 2011, Disentangling road network impacts: the need for a holistic approach: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, v. 66, p. 31A-36A.
Peters, D.P.C., Lugo, A.E., Chapin, F.S., Pickett, S.T.A., Duniway, M.C., Rocha, A.V., Swanson, F.J., Laney, C., and Jones, J., 2011, Cross-system comparisons elucidate disturbance complexities and generalities: Ecosphere, v. 2, art. 81.
Schrader, T.S., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Image Interpreter Tool: An ArcGIS tool for estimating vegetation cover from high-resolution imagery: Rangelands, v. 33, p. 35-40.
Duniway, M., Herrick, J., and Monger, H., 2010, Spatial and temporal variability of plant-available water in calcium carbonate-cemented soils and consequences for arid ecosystem resilience: Oecologia, v. 163, p. 215-226.
Duniway, M.C., Bestelmeyer, B.T., and Tugel, A., 2010, Soil processes and properties that distinguish ecological sites and states: Rangelands, v. 32, p. 9-15.
Duniway, M.C., Snyder, K.A., and Herrick, J.E., 2010, Spatial and temporal patterns of water availability in a grass–shrub ecotone and implications for grassland recovery in arid environments: Ecohydrology, v. 3, p. 55-67.
Duniway, M.C., Herrick, J.E., and Monger, H.C., 2007, The high water-holding capacity of petrocalcic horizons: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 71, p. 812-819.
Duniway, M.C., 2006, The functional role of petrocalcic horizons in desert ecosystems: spatial and temporal dynamics of plant water availability [Ph.D. Dissertation]: New Mexico State Univeristy, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 23
Filter Total Items: 40
Meteorological measurements from five locations within the Badger Wash study area near Mack, Colorado (ver. 3.0, September 2024) Meteorological measurements from five locations within the Badger Wash study area near Mack, Colorado (ver. 3.0, September 2024)
These data are records collected from an automated weather station and four stand-alone tipping bucket rain gauges each with their own data logger that were in operation between February 2005 and December 2019 in the Badger Wash Study Area near Mack, Colorado as part of a larger project funded by the Bureau of Land Management. These files are hourly-interval data from the automated...
Long-term precipitation reduction experiment in the Colorado Plateau - Survival and mortality data from 2010 to 2018 Long-term precipitation reduction experiment in the Colorado Plateau - Survival and mortality data from 2010 to 2018
From 2011-2018 USGS biologists recorded vegetation and biological soil crust (BSC) cover by species and tracked survival of tagged individual plants (388 in total) across 40 locations where paired experimental plots had been installed in 2010. Plant cover was visually estimated using four 75 x 100 cm survey frames. Each site contained a two plots measuring 1.5 by 2.0 meteres: a control...
Predictive maps of 2D and 3D surface soil properties and associated uncertainty for the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA Predictive maps of 2D and 3D surface soil properties and associated uncertainty for the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
The raster datasets in this data release are maps of soil surface properties that were used in analyzing different approaches for digital soil mapping. They include maps of soil pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, and soil summed fine and very fine sand contents that were created using both 2D and 3D modeling strategies. For each property a map was created using both 2D and...
Vegetation and Soils Data from Grazed and Ungrazed Watersheds in the Badger Wash Study Area, Colorado, USA Vegetation and Soils Data from Grazed and Ungrazed Watersheds in the Badger Wash Study Area, Colorado, USA
In 2004 U.S. Geological Survey biologists recorded vegetation and biological soil crust (BSC) cover by species as well as measured soil stability and compaction data along 85 transects at the Badger Wash study area in western Colorado. Soil samples were collected and processed for chemistry and texture. Using analysis of variance and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) we assessed...
5-year Relative Fractional Vegetation Cover at Abandoned Energy Development Sites on the Colorado Plateau 5-year Relative Fractional Vegetation Cover at Abandoned Energy Development Sites on the Colorado Plateau
This data release contains a single vector shapefile and two text documents with code used to generate the data product. This vector shapefile contains the locations of 365 "plugged and abandoned" well sites from across the Colorado Plateau with their respective relative fractional vegetation cover (RFVC) values. Oil and gas pads are often developed for production, and then capped...
Potential Land-use Intensity, Aridification Trends, Overlap, and Impact Scenarios, Geospatial Data, Colorado Plateau, USA Potential Land-use Intensity, Aridification Trends, Overlap, and Impact Scenarios, Geospatial Data, Colorado Plateau, USA
These geospatial data characterize the potential for geographic overlap among areas likely to experience climate drying (aridification) and high intensity land-use with population growth, recreation tourism, agriculture, energy development, and mining on the Colorado Plateau. Spatial overlap between areas of high land-use intensity and aridification were used to create scenarios and...
Filter Total Items: 127
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2022 Report) Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2022 Report)
A primary focus of the Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program (CPNPP) is to identify and develop appropriate native plant materials (NPMs) for current and future restoration projects. Multiple efforts have characterized the myriad challenges inherent in providing appropriate seed resources to enable effective, widespread restoration and have identified a broad suite of research activities...
Authors
Robert Massatti, Daniel Winkler, Sasha C. Reed, Michael Duniway, Seth Munson, John B. Bradford
Establishing big sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau Establishing big sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau
Factors such as soil type and precipitation vary across rangeland landscapes, and these factors affect restoration outcomes and ultimately mean that “one size fits all” management strategies are not effective across large, complex landscapes. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a foundational rangeland species that is important to wildlife habitat across the western U.S. On the...
Authors
Kari Veblen, Eric Thacker, Mark Larese-Casanova, Kyle Nehring, Michael Duniway, Colby Brungard
Synergistic soil, land use, and climate influences on wind erosion on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for management Synergistic soil, land use, and climate influences on wind erosion on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for management
Two decades of drought in the southwestern USA are spurring concerns about increases in wind erosion, dust emissions, and associated impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, human health, and water supply. Different avenues of investigation into primary drivers of wind erosion and dust have yielded mixed results depending on the spatial and temporal sensitivity of the evidence. We monitored...
Authors
Travis W. Nauman, Seth Munson, Saroj Dhital, Nicholas Webb, Michael Duniway
Foraging behavior of Raramuri Criollo vs. Angus cattle grazing California Chaparral and Colorado Plateau shrublands Foraging behavior of Raramuri Criollo vs. Angus cattle grazing California Chaparral and Colorado Plateau shrublands
Selecting livestock genetics adapted to arid environments, such as Criollo cattle, is one of several strategies recommended for decreasing the vulnerability to climate change of ranching in the southwestern USA. Our objective was to determine whether desirable foraging traits of Criollo cattle previously documented in the Chihuahuan Desert, held true in two of the most climate-vulnerable
Authors
Danielle Duni, Matthew McIntosh, Shelemia Nyamuryekung’e, Andres Cibils, Michael Duniway, Richard Estell, Sheri Spiegal, Alfredo Gonzalez, Melakeneh Gedefaw, Matthew Redd, Robert Paulin, Caitriana Steele, Santiago Utsumi, Andres Perea
Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau
Global dryland vegetation communities will likely change as ongoing drought conditions shift regional climates towards a more arid future. Additional aridification of drylands can impact plant and ground cover, biogeochemical cycles, and plant-soil feedbacks, yet how and when these crucial ecosystem components will respond to drought intensification requires further investigation. Using...
Authors
Rebecca Finger-Higgens, Tara Bishop, Jayne Belnap, Erika Geiger, Edmund Grote, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Michael Duniway
Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges
Aims Livestock production is the most widespread land use globally and occurs across a diverse set of ecosystems. Variability in long-term livestock grazing impacts across ecosystems is poorly characterized, particularly at larger spatial scales, despite strong relationships with various ecosystem services related to soil fertility and stabilization and vegetation productivity. Here we...
Authors
Stella M. Copeland, David Hoover, David Augustine, Jonathan Bates, Chad Boyd, Kirk Davies, Justin D. Derner, Michael Duniway, Lauren M. Porensky, Lance Vermeire
Non-USGS Publications**
Browning, D.M., Duniway, M.C., Laliberte, A., and Rango, A., 2012, Hierarchical analysis of vegetation dynamics over 71 years: Soil-rainfall interactions in a Chihuahuan desert ecosystem: Ecological Applications, v. 22, p.909-926.
Duniway, M., Karl, J., Schrader, S., Baquera, N., and Herrick, J., 2012, Rangeland and pasture monitoring: an approach to interpretation of high-resolution imagery focused on observer calibration for repeatability: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, v. 184, p. 3789-3804.
Karl, J., Duniway, M.C., Nusser, S.M., Opsomer, J.D., and Unnasch, R.S., 2012, Using Very-Large-Scale Aerial Imagery for Rangeland Monitoring and Assessment: Some Statistical Considerations: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 330-339.
Karl, J.W., Duniway, M.C., and Schrader, T.S., 2012, A Technique for Estimating Rangeland Canopy-Gap Size Distributions From High-Resolution Digital Imagery: Rangeland Ecology & Management, v. 65, p. 196-207.
Browning, D.M., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Digital soil mapping in the absence of field training data: a case study using terrain attributes and semiautomated soil signature derivation to distinguish ecological potential: Applied and Environmental Soil Science.
Duniway, M.C., and Herrick, J.E., 2011, Disentangling road network impacts: the need for a holistic approach: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, v. 66, p. 31A-36A.
Peters, D.P.C., Lugo, A.E., Chapin, F.S., Pickett, S.T.A., Duniway, M.C., Rocha, A.V., Swanson, F.J., Laney, C., and Jones, J., 2011, Cross-system comparisons elucidate disturbance complexities and generalities: Ecosphere, v. 2, art. 81.
Schrader, T.S., and Duniway, M.C., 2011, Image Interpreter Tool: An ArcGIS tool for estimating vegetation cover from high-resolution imagery: Rangelands, v. 33, p. 35-40.
Duniway, M., Herrick, J., and Monger, H., 2010, Spatial and temporal variability of plant-available water in calcium carbonate-cemented soils and consequences for arid ecosystem resilience: Oecologia, v. 163, p. 215-226.
Duniway, M.C., Bestelmeyer, B.T., and Tugel, A., 2010, Soil processes and properties that distinguish ecological sites and states: Rangelands, v. 32, p. 9-15.
Duniway, M.C., Snyder, K.A., and Herrick, J.E., 2010, Spatial and temporal patterns of water availability in a grass–shrub ecotone and implications for grassland recovery in arid environments: Ecohydrology, v. 3, p. 55-67.
Duniway, M.C., Herrick, J.E., and Monger, H.C., 2007, The high water-holding capacity of petrocalcic horizons: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 71, p. 812-819.
Duniway, M.C., 2006, The functional role of petrocalcic horizons in desert ecosystems: spatial and temporal dynamics of plant water availability [Ph.D. Dissertation]: New Mexico State Univeristy, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.