Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

This report describes three years (FY18-FY20) of a research effort that began in 2013. The research included the collection of hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment flux data at the newly constructed Arroyo de los Pinos Research Station and the preliminary analysis of this data. The research focused on physical measurements of sediment flux and surrogate techniques in order to establish a relationship between the two in an ephemeral stream environment. This relationship is necessary because: standard methods for estimating sediment yield are derived from perennial systems and are inapplicable to ephemeral systems; the nature of ephemeral streams (infrequent and short-lived) means that standard data collection methods are insufficient; and 30% of the world’s inhabited land surface is made up of desert climates and is home to approximately 2 billion people and this research will help fill the gap in scientific knowledge such that management of desert channel networks (including the semi-arid southwestern United States) will be improved.