Climate and Water Monitoring at White Sands National Park: Water Year 2022

White Sands National Park

NPS

Overview

Together, climate and hydrology shape ecosystems and the services they provide, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Understanding changes in climate, groundwater, and surface water is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources—and often, cultural resources.

At White Sands National Park (Figure 1), Chihuahuan Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network scientists study how ecosystems may be changing by taking measurements of key resources, or “vital signs,” year after year—much as a doctor keeps track of a patient’s vital signs. This long-term ecological monitoring provides early warning of potential problems, allowing managers to mitigate them before they become worse. At White Sands National Park, we monitor climate, groundwater, and springs, among other vital signs.

Reporting is by water year (WY), which begins in October of the previous calendar year and goes through September of the water year (e.g., WY2022 runs from October 2021 through September 2022). Surface-water and groundwater conditions are closely related to climate conditions. Because they are better understood together, we will report on climate in conjunction with water resources. However, climate and groundwater data were not available in WY2022. Therefore, this article only reports the results of springs monitoring at White Sands National Park in WY2022.

Springs

Background

Springs, seeps, and tinajas (small pools in a rock basin or impoundments in bedrock) are small, relatively rare biodiversity hotspots in arid lands. They are the primary connection between groundwater and surface water and are important water sources for plants and animals. For springs, the most important questions we ask are about persistence (How long was there water in the spring?) and water quantity (How much water was in the spring?). Springs reporting is by water year (WY), which begins in October of the previous calendar year and goes through September of the current calendar year (e.g., WY2022 runs from October 2021 through September 2022). Springs sampling for WY2022 at White Sands National Park occurred on 11 May 2022, except for water persistence, which is monitored continuously throughout the water year.

Springs Monitoring Methods (click this tab to open the methods)

Methods

Chihuahuan Desert Network springs monitoring is organized into four modules, described below.

Site Characterization

This module, which includes recording GPS locations and drawing a site diagram, provides context for interpreting change in the other modules. We also describe the spring type (e.g., helocrene, limnocrene, rheocrene, or tinaja) and its associated vegetation in this module. Helocrene springs emerge as low-gradient wetlands, limnocrene springs emerge as pools, and rheocrene springs emerge as flowing streams. This module is completed once every five years or after significant hydrologic events.

Site Condition

We estimate natural and anthropogenic disturbances and the level of stress on vegetation and soils on a scale of 1–4, where 1 = undisturbed, 2 = slightly disturbed, 3 = moderately disturbed, and 4 = highly disturbed. Types of natural disturbances can include flooding, drying, fire, wildlife impacts, windthrow of trees and shrubs, beaver activity, and insect infestations. Anthropogenic disturbances can include roads, off-highway vehicle trails, hiking trails, livestock and feral animal impacts, removal of invasive non-native plants, flow modification, and other evidence of human use of the spring. We take repeat photographs from monumented locations showing the spring and its landscape context. We note the presence of certain obligate wetland plants (plants that almost always occur only in wetlands), facultative wetland plants (plants that usually occur in wetlands, but also occur in other habitats), and the non-native American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) and crayfish, and we record the density of invasive, non-native plants.

Water Quantity

We measure the persistence of surface water, amount of spring discharge, and wetted extent (area that contained water). To estimate persistence, we analyze the variance of temperature measurements taken by logging thermometers placed at or near the orifice (spring opening). Because water mediates variation in diurnal temperatures, data from a submerged sensor will show less daily variation than data from an exposed, open-air sensor; this tells us when the spring was wet or dry. Surface discharge is measured with a timed sample of water volume. Wetted extent is a systematic measurement of the physical length (up to 100 m), width, and depth of surface water. It is assessed using a technique for either standing water (e.g., limnocrene and helocrene springs) or flowing water (e.g., rheocrene springs).

Water Quality

We measure core water quality and water chemistry parameters. Core parameters include water temperature, pH, specific conductivity (a measure of dissolved compounds and contaminants), dissolved oxygen (how much oxygen is present in the water), and total dissolved solids (an indicator of potentially undesirable compounds). Discrete samples of these parameters are collected with a multiparameter meter. If the meter fails calibration checks, we do not present the data. Water chemistry is assessed by collecting surface water samples and estimating the concentration of major ions with a photometer in the field. These parameters are collected at one or more sampling locations within a spring, but data are presented only for the primary sampling location. Each perennial spring is somewhat unique, and New Mexico has not adopted water quality standards that would apply across the diversity of springs described here. Ongoing data collection at each spring will improve our understanding of the natural range in water quality and water chemistry parameters for a given site. 

List of Springs

Scroll down or click on a spring below to view monitoring results.

EC-30 Spring ǀ Garton Pond

Figure 1. EC-30 Spring at White Sands National Park, May 2022.

NPS

WY2022 Findings at EC-30

EC-30 Spring (Figure 1 above) cannot be characterized by a single spring type so we categorize it as “other,” although it is closest to a helocrene spring (low-gradient wetland) or limnocrene spring (spring that emerges as a pool). The spring is in a flat, open area near the northeast corner of White Sands National Park and emerges from multiple orifices across the landscape. These orifices form distinct potholes less than 30 cm in diameter and of varying depths (0.0–0.5 m). When the water table is high, the surrounding area is submerged under shallow, standing water, and when it is low, the potholes are the only wetted areas. The WY2022 visit occurred on 11 May 2022, and the spring was wetted (contained water).

Site Condition

In WY2022, the site condition module (rating disturbance, taking landscape photographs, and looking for invasive wildlife, invasive plants, and obligate/facultative wetland plants) was not completed for this site due to time constraints.

Water Quantity

Temperature sensors indicated that EC-30 Spring was wetted (contained water) for 223 of 223 days (100%) measured up to the WY2022 visit (Figure 2). In prior water years, the spring was wetted 52.6–100% of the days measured.

Figure 2. Water persistence in EC-30 Spring, White Sands National Park.

NPS

As in past years, there was no measurable discharge at EC-30 Spring because there was no surface flow. Wetted extent was also not measured, as our standard methods for standing water are not realistic for the site. We are exploring alternate methods to measure wetted extent at the site in the future.

Water Quality

Core water quality and core water chemistry were collected at the primary sampling location at Orifice B (the deepest of the potholes). Dissolved oxygen was within the range of its prior measurements, while pH, specific conductivity, total dissolved solids, and water temperature were higher than previousl values (Table 1). A syringe and calibration cup were used to collect water samples. Sampled water was murky, values took longer than normal to stabilize, and the probe was hot from sun which may have affected the water temperature value.

The water chemistry sample was sent to a laboratory for analysis. Water chemistry values for alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, and potassium were within the ranges of previous values, while chloride and sulphate were higher (Table 2). The results are presented in the following tables along with ranges of prior values.

EC-30 Spring Data Tables

Table 1. Core Water Quality Data (click this tab to open table)

Table 1. Core water quality data for EC-30 Spring in water year (WY) 2022 and a range of values from prior years. 

Sampling Location	Measurement Location (width, depth)	Parameter	WY2022 Value (range of prior values)	Prior Years Measured (# of measurements)
002	Center	Dissolved oxygen (mg/L)	5.66 (3.32–6.78)	2017–2019 (3)
002	Center	pH	8.54 (7.55–7.82)	2017–2019 (3)
002	Center	Specific conductivity (µS/cm)	5,030 (4,780–4,905)	2018–2019 (2)
002	Center	Temperature (°C)	16.2 (12.7–15.4)	2017–2019 (3)
002	Center	Total dissolved solids (mg/L)	3,276.0 (3,009.5–3,191.5)	2017–2019 (3)

Table 2. Core Water Chemistry Data (click this tab to open table)

Table 2. Water chemistry data (mg/L) for EC-30 Spring in water year (WY) 2022 and a range of values from prior years. 

Sampling Location	Measurement Location (width, depth)	Parameter	WY2022 Value (range of prior values)	Prior Years Measured (# of measurements)
002	Center	Alkalinity (CaCO3)	62 (51–67)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Calcium (Ca)	580 (510–600)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Chloride (Cl)	480 (410–470)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Magnesium (Mg)	270 (180–270)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Potassium (K)	15 (14–15)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Sulphate (SO4)	2,500 (2,300–2,400)	2017–2019 (4)

---

Back to List of Springs

---

Figure 3. Garton Pond at White Sands National Park, May 2022.

NPS

WY2022 Findings at Garton Pond

Garton Pond (Figure 3 above) is a helocrene spring (a spring that emerges in a diffuse fashion; marshy, wet meadow settings) that is about 20 m long, between 5 and 10 m wide, and 0.2–0.8 m deep. A dense stand of bulrush (Schoenoplectus sp.) populates the pool. The WY2022 visit occurred on 11 May 2022 and the spring was wetted (contained water).

Site Condition

In WY2022, the site condition module (rating disturbance, taking landscape photographs, and looking for invasive wildlife, invasive plants, and obligate/facultative wetland plants) was not completed for this site due to time constraints.

Water Quantity

Temperature sensors indicated that Garton Pond was wetted (contained water) for 223 of 223 days (100%) measured up to the WY2022 visit (Figure 4). In prior water years, the spring was wetted 42.5–100% of the days measured.

Figure 4. Water persistence in Garton Pond, White Sands National Park.

NPS

As in past years, there was no measurable discharge because there was no surface flow. The standing water method for wetted extent is normally used at Garton Pond but was not completed in WY2022 due to time constraints. Prior year measurements are included in Table 3.

Water Quality

Core water quality and water chemistry data were collected at the primary sampling location in the deepest part of the pool. Compared to prior years, dissolved oxygen was within the range of prior values, water temperature, specific conductivity, and total dissolved solids were somewhat higher, and pH was slightly lower (Table 4). The water chemistry sample was sent to a laboratory for analysis. Values for alkalinity and chloride were within range of previous values, while calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulphate were higher (Table 5). The results are presented in the following tables along with ranges of prior values.

Garton Pond Data Tables

Table 3. Wetted Extent Data (click this tab to open table)

Table 3. Average (± SD) width, depth, and length of Garton Pond in prior years. In WY2022, we could not sample (c.n.s.) wetted extent due to time constraints.

Measurement	WY2022 Value (range of prior values)	Prior Years Measured (# of measurements)
Width (cm)	c.n.s. (85.2–772.8)	2017–2021 (4)
Depth (cm)	c.n.s. (2.2–5.8)	2017–2021 (4)
Length (cm)	c.n.s. (137.7–1,950.0)	2017–2021 (4)

Table 4. Core Water Quality Data (click this tab to open table)

Table 4. Core water quality data for Garton Pond in water year (WY) 2022 and a range of values from prior years. 

Sampling Location	Measurement Location (width, depth)	Parameter	WY2022 Value (range of prior values)	Prior Years Measured (# of measurements)
002	Center	Dissolved oxygen (mg/L)	6.01  (4.00–8.30)	2018, 2021 (2)
002	Center	pH	6.96  (6.99–7.09)	2018, 2021 (2)
002	Center	Specific conductivity (µS/cm)	12,730  (12,219–12,278)	2018, 2021 (2)
002	Center	Temperature (°C)	17.6  (11.6–15.3)	2018, 2021 (2)
002	Center	Total dissolved solids (mg/L)	8,274  (7,943–7,980)	2018, 2021 (2)

Table 5. Water Chemistry Data (click this tab to open table)

Table 5. Water chemistry data (mg/L) for Garton Pond in water year (WY) 2022 and a range of values from prior years. 

Sampling Location	Measurement Location (width, depth)	Parameter	WY2022 Value (range of prior values)	Prior Years Measured (# of measurements)
002	Center	Alkalinity (CaCO3)	93 (90–100)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Calcium (Ca)	710 (640–700)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Chloride (Cl)	2,900 (2,800–2,900)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Magnesium (Mg)	200 (170–190)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Potassium (K)	40 (35–38)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)
002	Center	Sulphate (SO4)	3,400 (3,100–3,300)	2017–2019, 2021 (4)

---

Go to List of Springs
Back to Top

---

Report Citation

Authors: Andy Hubbard, Susan Singley

Hubbard, A., and S. Singley. 2024. Climate and Water Monitoring at White Sands National Park: Water Year 2022. Chihuahuan Desert Network, National Park Service, Las Cruces, New Mexico.