Unified Interior Regions
Arizona
The Southwest Region includes California, Nevada, and Arizona. The Regional Office, headquartered in Sacramento, provides Center oversight and support, facilitates internal and external collaborations, and works to further USGS strategic science directions.
States L2 Landing Page Tabs
Erosion and Invasive Saltcedar
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...
Riparian Ecology
Riparian ecologists in the AS Branch 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 example,...
Science to Inform Riparian Ecosystem Restoration and Management
Throughout the world, riparian habitats have been dramatically modified from their natural condition. Dams, non-native species and climate change are often principal drivers of these changes, via their alteration of water and sediment regimes that determine key resources for riparian plants.
Large-scale streamflow experiments
Because the underlying cause of riparian system alteration is often attributed to the effects of dams on flow regime, managing flow releases, particularly high flows, from dams is an often-advocated approach to river and riparian restoration. Our work has focused on understanding effects of managed high flow releases (a.k.a., pulse flows, controlled floods) from dams along rivers in the lower...
Biological Invasions of Riparian Ecosystems
Beginning in the early twentieth century, non-native trees and shrubs, including tamarisk (also commonly known as saltcedar) and Russian-olive, were introduced to the United States for use as ornamental plants and in erosion-control plantings. These plants spread extensively, becoming the third and fourth most frequently occurring woody riparian plants in the American West.
Streamflow-fluvial Geomorphology-riparian Vegetation Interactions
The foundation for applying science to river and riparian restoration contexts lies in a basic understanding of the factors that drive riparian vegetation dynamics. Much of our research is focused on clarifying relationships between streamflow, fluvial geomorphology, and riparian vegetation, including various feedbacks.
Status and Breeding Ecology of the Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow
The Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus) is a disjunct race that breeds in desert grasslands of southeastern Arizona, extreme southwestern New Mexico, and adjacent parts of northern Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico.
The New Mexico Landscapes Field Station
The New Mexico Landscapes Field Station is a place-based, globally-connected, ecological research group that studies and interprets ecosystem and wildlife dynamics, working with land managers and community leaders to deliver solutions that foster the linked health of human and natural systems.
Our partnerships, and co-location, with land management agencies provide us with opportunities...
External Microbiota of Bats as Potential Bio-control Against Wildlife Diseases
White-nose syndrome (WNS) and/or Pseudogymnoascus destructans (P.d.), the causal agent, has spread westward across 26 states and 5 provinces within the eastern United States and Canada, respectively, over a short period of time. Since its discovery there has been a search to stop the spread of this disease that has killed millions of hibernating bats in its wake. Recent collaborative work by...
Post-fire Recovery Patterns in Southwestern Forests
High-severity crown fires in Southwestern dry-conifer forests — resulting from fire suppression, fuel buildups, and drought — are creating large treeless areas that are historically unprecedented in size. These recent stand-replacing fires have reset extensive portions of Southwest forest landscapes, fostering post-fire successional vegetation that can alter ecological recovery trajectories...
New Mexico Dendroecology Lab
Using tree ring analysis as a primary research tool, we conduct landscape-scale ecological research that focuses on the effects of climate variability on forest ecology, fire ecology, and ecohydrology.
We are the only tree-ring lab in New Mexico, working in close collaboration with Bandelier National Monument and Emeritus Regents’ Professor Dr. Thomas Swetnam. However, we were not the...
Study Reveals Processes that Control Uranium Bioavailability in a Freshwater Snail—Relevance to Aquatic Biota in the Grand Canyon Area
Scientists refined an existing speciation model to identify key biogeochemical processes controlling dissolved uranium bioavailability to a freshwater snail. This information is important to advance current understanding and prediction of the ecological risk posed by uranium mining to freshwater ecosystems, including federally managed lands such as in the Grand Canyon area.
Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona, spring 1977 to spring 1978
The withdrawal of ground water was about 5.5 million acre-feet in Arizona in 1977. About 4.7 million acre-feet of ground water was used for the irrigation of crops in 1977. The Salt River Valley and the lower Santa Cruz basin are the largest agricultural areas in the State. For 1973-77, ground-water withdrawal in the two areas was about 8.1 and 5....
Progress report on Black Mesa monitoring program; 1977
Monitoring of coal mine operations on Black Mesa, Ariz., was started in 1971 to determine the effects of strip mining on water resources in the area. Monitoring on and near the mesa includes measurements of ground-water levels and quality and quantity, sediment concentration, and chemical quality of surface water. The surface-water monitoring...
Analog simulation of the ground-water system, Yuma, Arizona
Patten, E.P.
Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona, spring 1975 to spring 1976
Two small-scale maps of Arizona show (1) pumpage of ground water by areas and (2) the status of the ground-water inventory in the State. A larger map of the State at a scale of 1:500,000 shows potential well production, depth to water in selected wells in spring 1976, and change in water level in selected wells from 1971 to 1976. The brief text...
Babcock, H.M.
Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona, spring 1976 to spring 1977
Two small-scale maps of Arizona show (1) pumpage of ground water by areas and (2) the status of the ground-water inventory in the State. The main map, which is at a scale of 1:500,000, shows potential well production, depth of water in selected wells in spring 1977, and change in water level in selected wells from 1972 to 1977. The brief text that...
Babcock, H.M. Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona
Babcock, H.M.
Water resources of lower Colorado River-Salton Sea area as of 1971; summary report
McDonald, C. C.; Loeltz, Omar J.
Geohydrology of the Needles area, Arizona, California, and Nevada
Metzger, D.G.; Loeltz, Omar J.
Geohydrology of the Parker-Blythe-Cibola area, Arizona and California
Metzger, D.G.; Loeltz, Omar J.; Irelan, Burdge
Geohydrology of the Yuma area, Arizona and California
Olmsted, F.H.; Loeltz, Omar J.; Irelan, Burdge
Sandbar in Grand Canyon
Picture showing the size of the sandbar before the November 2012 controlled flood from the Glen Canyon Dam. This location is 65 miles downstream from Lees Ferry and the view is looking downstream. These and additional photographs depicting the results of the recent controlled floods can be viewed online.
USGS Fun
Working at the USGS can be fun. These student employees were given wonderful opportunities and made lasting friendships while working at the USGS.
Continuous Slope Area Method: Sycamore Creek, AZ
A video depicting the installation & operation of Continuous Slope Area gage and radar sensor, installed after the Sunflower Wild Fire on Sycamore Creek to measure streamflow from the Sunflower burned area. The streamflow data is used to provide flood warning to communities affected by runoff from the burned areas and for collecting streamflow data from areas that have
2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire
USGS installed six early-flood-warning units—rain and stream gages—in the burned areas resulting from New Mexico's 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire. The gages transmit data via satellite to provide warnings to communities that may be affected by flooding.
map of historic and current sage-grouse range in 2000
Map of historic and current sage-grouse range in 2000, provided as a download from the old USGS Sagemap website.
Nat'l Comparison of USGS Compiled Irrigation Water Use Data
Highlights of the Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5166 which documents methods of irrigation and inventories irrigation data collected for the 2000 and 2005 U.S Geological Survey.
Valles Marineris on Mars
Mosaic of the Valles Marineris hemisphere of Mars projected into point perspective, a view similar to that which one would see from a spacecraft. The distance is 2500 kilometers from the surface of the planet, with the scale being .6km/pixel. The mosaic is composed of 102 Viking Orbiter images of Mars. The center of the scene (lat -8, long 78) shows the entire Valles
...
Post-fire Flash Flood in Coronado National Memorial, Arizona
Video footage begins with dry streambed, and within the first 10 seconds a very dark, roiling, flow comes downstream toward the viewer. The rest of the video is footage of the flow going past, and into a culvert under a bridge. The video was recorded at the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage site near the Coronado National Memorial visitor center, in southern Arizona. The
Landsat Photo: Wallow Fire, Arizona
This Landsat imagery was taken on June 7, 2011. Path/Row: 35/36 and 37 Lat/Long: 33.820/-109.330
Drilling in Cinder Lake, Arizona
Boreholes being drilled at Cinder Lake as part of a U.S. Geological Survey study to determine the feature's floodwater storage capacity. Cinder Lake, which is located on the Coconino National Forest, has been used to store runoff from areas affected by the 2010 Schultz Fire outside of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Electronic Tape Calibration Procedure
A training video discussing how to calibrate the electronic tape.
Microgravity Measurement for Groundwater Analysis
A video discussing the Gravity Meters used at the USGS Arizona Water Science Center.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Climate change and growing human demands for water are leaving an indelible mark on rivers and streams, shortening food chains and eliminating some top predators like large-bodied fish, according to a new study led by Arizona State University and co-authored by a U.S. Geological Survey scientist.
Flagstaff, Ariz. — As part of the Department of the Interior’s evaluation of whether to segregate nearly 1 million acres of federal lands near the Grand Canyon from new uranium claims, the United States Geological Survey today released a report on uranium resources and uranium mining impacts in the area.
Flagstaff, Ariz. —Resources along the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park generally benefited from a high-flow experiment conducted in March 2008 from Glen Canyon Dam, near Page, Ariz., according to research findings released today by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Greater sage-grouse populations have declined substantially in many areas in the West, though populations in some locations remain relatively stable, according to a comprehensive publication written by federal, state, and non-governmental organizations. The population assessment is one of numerous sage-grouse topics covered in the 24 chapters released today.
Intersex in smallmouth and largemouth basses is widespread in numerous river basins throughout the United States is the major finding of the most comprehensive and large-scale evaluation of the condition, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research published online in Aquatic Toxicology.
A report on long-term glacier measurements released today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar shows that glaciers are dramatically changing in mass, length and thickness as a result of climate change.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists and cartographers played an important but relatively unknown role during the Apollo 11 moon landing 40 years ago this week. USGS astrogeologists trained the Apollo astronauts in the science and strategy of field geology.
Critical science support for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched today from Cape Canaveral, Florida, will help pave the way for further human and robotic exploration of the Moon. U.S. Geological Survey scientists are providing unique knowledge and skills as members of the science teams operating instruments on LRO.
The U.S. Geological Survey will conduct scientific overflights at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, during Memorial Day weekend to document the status of natural and cultural resources along the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. Aerial photographs will be taken using two fixed-wing aircraft flying at an elevation about 7,000 feet above ground level.
Adult endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha) in Grand Canyon, Arizona, increased by about 50 percent between 2001 and 2008, according to analysis recently conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. The upward trend reverses population declines from 1989 to 2001.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists will brief reporters by phone at 3:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time/12:00 pm Mountain Standard Time. Monday, April 27, on the latest population numbers for the humpback chub (Gila cypha) in Grand Canyon, Arizona.
Volunteers across the nation are being recruited to get outdoors and help track the effects of climate on seasonal changes in plant and animal behavior.
The USA-National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), a consortium of government, academic and citizen-scientists, is launching a new national program built on volunteer observations of flowering, fruiting and other seasonal events.
Social Media
Locations
Astrogeology Science Center
Phone: 928-556-7000
Fax: 928-556-7014
Southwest Biological Science Center - Flagstaff, AZ, Headquarters
Phone: 928-556-7094
Fax: 928-556-7092
Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Western Geographic Science Center - Tucson Project Office
Western Geographic Science Center - Flagstaff Project Office
Arizona Water Science Center, Tucson Office
Phone: (520) 670-6671
Fax: (520) 670-5592
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
yvowebteam@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8906
Southwest Biological Science Center - Tucson, AZ, Research Station
Phone: (520) 670-6671
Fax: (520) 670-5592
Arizona Water Science Center, Flagstaff Office
Phone: (928) 556-7136
Fax: (928) 556-7112
Arizona Water Science Center, Tempe Office
Phone: (480) 736-1093
Fax: (480) 736-1356
Arizona Water Science Center, Yuma Office
Phone: (928) 782-6024
Fax: (928) 782-0268