By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the … http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161021. Results of this study may help inform conservation of groundwater-dependent biodiversity by illuminating the extensive distribution of GDEs throughout the state. Conceived and designed the experiments: JKH. The poster map was exported from ESRI ArcGIS Desktop as … https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0011249.g004. However, groundwater plays an integral role in sustaining certain types of aquatic, terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, and their associated landscapes. Ecosystems provide goods including food, fiber, and fuel, as well as services such as pollination and flood control, all necessary for human survival. Legal. Groundwater dependent wetlands are distributed in 76% (n = 3,526 of HUC12 units in California. This broad-scale analysis provides a depiction of the distribution of GDEs in California and is not meant to describe groundwater processes or mechanics. No, Is the Subject Area "Surface water" applicable to this article? See Table 2 for definition of scores. We believe this step provided a filter by which surface water dependent wetlands could be removed from the database. HUCs were ranked as follows based on quartile distribution: 1 = (.001–0.247 springs/1,000ha); 2 = (0.21–0.44 springs/1,000ha); 3 = (0.441–0.94 springs/1,000ha); 4 = 0.942–11.8 springs/1,000 ha). Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0011249.s001. There are many special climatic zones within Southern California, actually the most of any comparable size in the country. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0011249.g005. There are 4,621 of these units in the study area with a mean size of 9,570 hectares (Figure 2). Analyzed the data: JKH. Because we are considering springs in this study as habitat rather than discharge (water supply), we believe density of springs is sufficient in illuminating springs as a groundwater dependent variable. Only ∼1% of freshwater resources on the Earth's surface are contained within surface waters – such as rivers, lakes, and swamps. For planning purposes, California has been divided by the DWR into 10 hydrologic regions which correspond to the state's major drainage areas (Figure 1). However, in this region 20 percent of the land area is ranked as 4 for baseflow index – meaning that between 66–100% of stream discharge on 20% of the land area, comes from groundwater, making groundwater an important component of the stream ecosystem. No, Is the Subject Area "Water resources" applicable to this article? The California Current Regional Ecosystem runs from the southern-most point of California, up through Washington. Percent of HUC12 units ranking 1–4 for springs per hydrologic region. The Deserts of California have unique ecosystems and habitats, a sociocultural and historical "Old West" collection of legends, districts, and communities, and they also form a popular tourism region of dramatic natural features and recreational development. California is a give leave to enter in the Pacific Region of the united States. The greatest percentage of HUCs ranking high is found in the North Lahontan (38 percent) and Sacramento River (34 percent)(Figures 9 and 10). 2016-1021. The North Coast hydrologic region has the greatest occurrence of springs (n = 3,604) occurring in 61% (n = 459) of the 752 HUC12 units in that region. In this way an index of groundwater dependency was developed that ranged from 0 to 12. Fire’s dynamic nature and great complexity are amplified by the state’s diverse topography, climate, and vegetation. LockA locked padlock Overdraft can also result in saltwater intrusion into the groundwater aquifer as occurred in the Oxnard basin in the 1950s (Ventura County). To protect groundwater resources, it is critical that we begin to manage water in a way that is more inclusive of all users, including ecosystems and species. density of springs and seeps at the HUC12 scale; density of groundwater dependent wetlands and associated vegetation alliances (hereafter referred to as wetlands) at the HUC12 scale; and. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. As can be seen in Figure 5, the greatest density of groundwater dependent wetlands is found in the North Lahontan region where groundwater dependent wetlands average 80 hectares per 1,000 hectares of HUC12 units. This has resulted in the state lacking a cohesive, dedicated monitoring network to evaluate the health of its groundwater resources. We assigned BFI values to each HUC12 unit using the following logic: Using these methods all HUC12 units were assigned the best estimate of baseflow for streams within the HUC boundaries and thus dependency on groundwater. The intent of the analysis is to provide a visualization of the biodiversity nexus of groundwater across the landscape– to better understand what biological targets are most dependent on groundwater and how they are distributed across the state. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the Ecosystems of California (edited by Erika Zavaleta and Harold Mooney) and published by UC Press is an award winning comprehensive reference guide for the Golden State. The percentage of the land area without springs is found in the Colorado region where 70% of the land area have no springs; in the San Joaquin where 53% have no springs, South Lahontan 63% and Tulare (62%). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Although different types of GDEs are clustered more densely in certain areas of the state, watersheds with multiple types of GDEs are found in both humid (e.g. An overview will provide context on the recent 2012-2016 drought relative to historic droughts in California, … Reviews "Ecosystems of California provides students, resource managers, and policy practitioners a much-needed reference for learning and guidance and will be especially useful for regional library collections. California Department of Fish and Game; 2011. California Department of Fish and Game; 11/23/2010. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS PDF documents opened from your Since 2006 the water levels of the aquifer in the San Joaquin basin (Tulare County) have dropped 50 feet resulting in some existing pumps no longer reaching far enough to bring water to the surface. These hydrologic regions exhibit similar precipitation, runoff, geologic and tectonic conditions [11]. We developed an index of groundwater dependency by analyzing geospatial data for three ecosystem types that depend on groundwater: (1) springs and seeps; (2) wetlands and associated vegetation alliances; and (3) stream discharge from groundwater sources (baseflow index). California Fish and Game 97(4). Level II divides the continent into 50 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997, map revised 2006). The highest yearly rainfall totals in California fall in the North Coast hydrologic region with areas near the Oregon border receiving ∼5,100 mm [11]. Here, we report on the application of this method to the U.S. state of California to help illuminate the connection between groundwater and surface ecosystems. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JKH MM. Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. Ecosystems Ecosystem-Based Management on the West Coast. The North Coast region has the greatest number of springs per area with a mean of 0.91 per 1,000 ha; the Colorado River hydrologic region has the lowest with a mean value of 0.44 per 1,000 ha. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. Discover a faster, simpler path to publishing in a high-quality journal. Data and applications on the GIS Open Data Site do not purport to show the precise location of boundaries. Because groundwater-dependent ecosystems can be affected by offsite activities that alter the hydrologic cycle [28], [29], [30], a better understanding is also needed of threats – including the threat of incremental flow reductions that might result from groundwater pumping. These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across Federal agencies, State agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources in the same geographical areas (Omernik and others, 2000). Get directions, maps, and traffic for California. 0 = no springs. coastal) and more arid regions. Springs are most densely concentrated (high percentage of land area ranking 4) at the HUC12 scale in the North Coast and North Lahontan, whereas groundwater dependent wetlands and associated vegetation alliances are concentrated in the North and South Lahontan and Sacramento River hydrologic regions. (PDF). The number of springs per 1,000 hectares is variable at the state and regional scale. Because none of these mapping efforts are complete for the entire state, we developed a composite dataset using the best available data. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. This region is divided by the WWF into three California chaparral and woodlands ecoregions, plus the Central Valley grasslands. The greatest cluster of HUC12 units with a presence of groundwater dependent wetlands is found in the San Francisco Bay hydrologic region where 88% of the HUC12 units in the region contain this groundwater dependent variable (Figure 5). Offered by University of California, Santa Cruz. the documents to your computer and open them with Adobe Reader. 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