Climate Change and the Fate of Desert Springs: Innovation Working Group on the Response of Springs to the Effects of Climate Change; Jemez Springs, New Mexico, 1–3 October 2102. (9th April 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Frisbee, Marty D.; Wilson, John L.; Sada, Donald W.
• Is Part Of: Eos. Volume 94:Number 15(2013)
• Page Start: 144
• Page End: 144
• Publication Date: 2013-04-09
• Subjects: springs -- hydrology -- ecology -- climate change; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 551
• DOI: 10.1002/2013EO150009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0096-3941

Abstract

Abstract : Springs are integral components of the unique web of life in desert ecosystems of the western United States. Many desert springs would not exist without local mountains to intercept and store water from rainfall and snowmelt, and many desert aquatic ecosystems would not exist without the springs, illustrating the connectivity between landscape processes (the realm of geoscientists) and ecosystem functioning (the realm of ecologists). On a human scale, early exploration, inhabitation, and survival in the arid and semiarid western United States would not have been feasible without springs. People living there today continue to value springs as dependable sources of water for irrigation, livestock, drinking, and recreational and economic uses (e.g., hot springs). Unfortunately, some desert springs may be less resistant to the effects of climate change than others. How can this resistance be quantified?