Potential Long Term Monitoring Sites

Site Name and General Location

Site Name: Central Arizona Phoenix (CAP)

State, Country, ETC: Arizona, USA

USGS Quad Name (if applicable): see appended list

Site Point of Contact (POC) Information

POC Name: William L. Stefanov (primary); Peter H. McCartney (secondary)

POC Address: Center for Environmental Studies, Arizona State University (both)

POC Phone: 480-965-5507 (primary); 480-965-6971 (secondary)

POC FAX: 480-965-1787 (primary); 480-965-7112 (secondary)

POC E-mail: will.stefanov@asu.edu (primary); peter.mccartney@asu.edu (secondary)

NSF Note: This POC will only be relevant for the LTER sites. The others would likely be listed under a generic NSF POC.

Site Shape and Location

For a Circular Site or Point: (note: a site with a nine nautical mile diameter is considered a point)

Diameter of Circular Site in Nautical Miles:

Center Coordinates:

Latitude in deg/min/sec:

Longitude in deg/min/sec:

For a non-circular site:

NE Corner

Latitude in deg/min/sec: 34d 19m 48s

Longitude in deg/min/sec: -110d 27m 00s

SE Corner

Latitude in deg/min/sec: 32d 28m 48s

Longitude in deg/min/sec: -110d 27m 00s

SW Corner

Latitude in deg/min/sec: 32d 28m 48s

Longitude in deg/min/sec: -113d 31m 48s

NW Corner

Latitude in deg/min/sec: 34d 19m 48s

Longitude in deg/min/sec: -113d 31m 48s

Elevation of Center Point in Meters:

Imagery Goals

Frequency of Collection: Four times per year (with a six-week window) to cover major seasonal variations (January, March, June, September).

When (time of day or season or whatever) should data be collected? Data should be collected

between 10:00 am and 1:00pm to minimize shadow effects, and typically should only be collected

following 5-10 days with no precipitation (this could change dependant on specific research

objectives).

Resolution needed from data (or scale needed): Varies with research objective; generally our

research requires moderate (15-90 m/pixel) to high (1-10 m/pixel) resolution. Spectral resolution

required also varies with research objective and ranges from multispectral to hyperspectral.

What is the impact of not collecting the data when requested? The major impacts would be to

lessen comparability between annual and monthly datasets as well as with other LTER sites;

decrease the robustness of ecological models due to lack of data; increase the possibility of

acquiring data of lesser quality (i.e cloudy or hazy images) and hence lesser research utility.

Other Info Needed

Describe the things or phenomena to be monitored and the purpose of the monitoring. Include

information about the duration needed for monitoring to be effective.

Land cover/land use: interactions of ecological and socio-economic systems in an urban

environment, influence of land use change on ecological patterns and processes (monitored by

remotely-sensed data collected on seasonal and yearly scales); Soil, water, air

biogeochemistry: movement of nutrients through highly manipulated, urban flowpaths (done on a

seasonal basis and also on an event-specific basis, multiple years- >20- needed to capture high

interannual variability of flow in the region); Species type, density, biomass: interactions of

introduced and native species in urban environment (monitored using 200 survey data points and

more intensive experiments, frequency once every 5 years, duration ca. 20-30 years);

Sediment transport, soil development, mass movement: millenium- and century-scale

geomorphic change in landforms and interaction with engineered landscapes (timescale of

monitoring dependant on research question, can range from duration of rainstorm to decadal

monitoring of survey monuments).

What ecosystems are present at the site?

Urban, Sonoran desert scrub (Creosote-saltbush association), riparian, suburban, agricultural

(various types), dune, palo verde-mesquite-cactus abundant at higher elevations.

Are there management issues associated with the site?

Certainly; many. Overarching issue is how to make the city a habitable, “sustainable” place.

Various portions of the study area are actively managed by many federal, state, county, and

municipal entities.

Is the site designated for special management or use (e.g. long term studies, specially reserved regions)?

Portions of the site are designated as parks, both intensively managed and desert remnant (or

“mountain” ) parks. A portion of the Tonto National Forest is included in the study area. In addition,

there are millions of private property owners within the site. We are actively designating

permanent plots within the site for long-term study.

Have previous monitoring activities been done at this site? If so, are data available in digital form?

Yes, an extensive survey of 204 points in a 6400 km2 area has been performed. In additional, more intensive data collection efforts have been performed in specific sites within the region. This includes available data from monitoring activities of federal and state agencies. All data is available in

digital form.

Describe any special characteristics of the site or the things or phenomena that are to be monitored (information that might help determine how it might be useful to monitor the things or phenomena at the site).

The major physical phenomena of interest are urbanization and change in land cover/land use over time. Other physical and social observables include ground and air temperature, impervious surface

coverage, human movement and demography, transportation patterns, vegetation density and health,

surficial sediment mineralogy/chemistry, and surfacewater/groundwater biogeochemistry.

USGS 7.5 Minute Topographic Map coverage of CAP site

VULTURE MINE

WICKENBURG

WITTMANN

HIEROGLYPHIC MOUNTAINS SW

BALDY MOUNTAIN

BISCUIT FLAT

NEW RIVER SE

CAVE CREEK

WILDCAT HILL

BARTLETT DAM

MAVERICK MOUNTAIN

STAR WELL

DAGGS TANK

WHITE TANK MOUNTAINS NE

MCMICKEN DAM

CALDERWOOD BUTTE

HEDGPETH HILLS

UNION HILLS

CURRYS CORNER

MCDOWELL PEAK

FORT MCDOWELL

ADAMS MESA

FLATIRON MOUNTAIN

WAGNER WASH WELL

WHITE TANK MOUNTAINS

WADDELL

EL MIRAGE

GLENDALE

SUNNYSLOPE

PARADISE VALLEY

SAWIK MOUNTAIN

GRANITE REEF DAM

STEWART MOUNTAIN

WINTERSBURG

BUCKEYE NW

VALENCIA

PERRYVILLE

TOLLESON

FOWLER

PHOENIX

TEMPE

MESA

BUCKHORN

APACHE JUNCTION

ARLINGTON

HASSAYAMPA

BUCKEYE

AVONDALE SW

LAVEEN

LONE BUTTE

GUADALUPE

CHANDLER

HIGLEY

DESERT WELL

GILA BUTTE NW

GILA BUTTE

CHANDLER HEIGHTS

SACATON NE