In this episode of Outstanding in the Field, we are talking about beaches in a place that most people probably would not think of—the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Projects
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center currently functions under a Triennial Work Plan (TWP) which is thoroughly reviewed and vetted both internally within the Center and through the GCDAMP Technical Work Group (TWG) and the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG). These advisory panels have been a part of the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management process since the inception of the GCDAMP. For more information on the adaptive management process, please see the GCDAMP Page.
Select the 'Science' tab to explore GCMRC's projects.
Physical Resources
GCMRC has on-going monitoring and research focused on river sediment dynamics, long-term monitoring of sediment resources in the Colorado River corridor, and understanding the connectivity of sand resources throughout the system.
Biological Resources
Several GCMRC projects focus on understanding the biological processes of the Colorado River, the effect of dam operations on both native and nonnative species, population dynamics of important species, and the terrestrial-biological interactions.
Socio-Economic and Cultural
GCMRC is also concerned with understanding the socio-economic values of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, the unique recreational opportunites this environment offers and the cultural significance observed by the Tribal people of this the region.
The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
In 1996, the Secretary of the Interior signed a formal decision altering the historical flows from Glen Canyon Dam and establishing the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP). In the context of the management of Glen Canyon Dam, adaptive management was selected to create a process whereby “the effects of dam operations on downstream resources would be assessed and the results of those assessments would form the basis of future modifications of dam operations.”
The Southwest Biological Science Center's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) is responsible for the scientific monitoring and research efforts of the program. Science in the adaptive management process is the “compass” used to evaluate the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on resources of concern and to inform changes in course when necessary.
One of the goals of the (GCDAMP) is the maintenance of a high-quality monitoring, research, and adaptive management program. To achieve this goal, GCMRC continues to refine a comprehensive ecosystem science program that is responsive to the needs of the program’s participants and the U.S. Department of Interior.
Administrative History and Guidance That Informs GCMRC Projects
GCMRC'S work plan and science projects align with the needs of the GCDAMP stakeholders. Each project described is organized around monitoring and research themes that are associated with the eleven resource goals identified in the LTEMP ROD: archaeological and cultural resources, natural processes, humpback chub, hydropower and energy, other native fish, recreational experience, sediment, tribal resources, rainbow trout fishery, nonnative invasive species, and riparian vegetation (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016a; Attachment A).
The monitoring and research projects are responsive to guidance provided in the LTEMP ROD, which, in addition to identifying the priority resources, also identifies flow and non-flow experimental actions and compliance obligations for Glen Canyon Dam operations for the 20 years of the LTEMP. Additional guidance comes from the Science Plan developed by GCMRC (VanderKooi and others, 2017) in support of the LTEMP ROD which describes a general strategy for monitoring and research needed in support of implementation of operations and experimental actions.
Projects in the current TWP have been informed by and build upon previous research and monitoring projects that were responsive to guidance vetted through the GCDAMP and the Secretary of Interior’s office. While the LTEMP ROD defines broad resource goals and identifies new experimental actions and compliance requirements, some of the older guidance continues to have relevance for certain aspects of the current science program and continues to influence current research and monitoring directions in a general sense. Among this older guidance, the following documents describe the history of GCDAMP decisions and direction and help maintain continuity with GCDAMP goals as LTEMP is implemented:
- 2001 Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program draft strategic plan (Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, 2001),
- 2007 Strategic Science Plan and Strategic Science Questions (SSQs) (U. S. Geological Survey, 2007),
- 2011 draft Core Monitoring Plan (U. S. Geological Survey, 2011), and
- 2012 AMWG Desired Future Conditions.
Monitoring and research themes described in these and other GCDAMP administrative documents have persisted throughout the life of the GCDAMP and are carried forward into the LTEMP. They include:
- Recovery of the endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha) and maintenance of populations of other native fish;
- Maintenance or improvement of the physical template, especially regarding fine sediment;
- Maintenance of culturally important sites, especially those that are of archaeological and historical significance under the National Historic Preservation Act
- Maintenance of the food base on which the native fish community depends;
- Maintenance of a high-quality sport fishery in the Lees Ferry reach; and
- Maintenance of the native riparian vegetation community.
The various goals, questions, information needs, and desired future conditions developed by GCDAMP committees also recognize the importance of maintaining high quality opportunities and conditions for recreational boaters and campers, and the role played by nonnative riparian vegetation in providing habitat for some desired fauna such as the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher.
Below are science projects associated with GCMRC work plans.
River Geomorphology, Sediment Storage, Sandbar and Campsite Monitoring in Grand Canyon
Partners in Science
Rainbow Trout in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon
GCMRC modeling used in decision-making process for new Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statements
Smallmouth bass expansion downstream of Glen Canyon Dam
Bat foraging ecology along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Population Dynamics of Threatened Humpback Chub in Grand Canyon
Community Science in Grand Canyon
High-Flow Experiments on the Colorado River
Bug Flows: Improving Food Web Health on the Colorado River
Uncovering the Base of the Food Web: Primary Production Dynamics in the Colorado River
Airborne Remote Sensing in Grand Canyon
In this episode of Outstanding in the Field, we are talking about beaches in a place that most people probably would not think of—the Grand Canyon.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them. In this episode we describe some of the one-of-a-kind native fish species that call the Grand Canyon segment of the Colorado River home.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them. In this episode we describe some of the one-of-a-kind native fish species that call the Grand Canyon segment of the Colorado River home.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
Below are publications associated with research and projects by the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC). Note that not all of the publications listed here are funded under the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP).
To access all of SBSC's publications, click the link below.
Combining terrestrial lidar with single line transects to investigate geomorphic change: A case study on the Upper Verde River, Arizona
Modeling the impacts of Glen Canyon Dam operations on Colorado River resources
Fishes move to transient local refuges, not persistent landscape refuges during river drying experiment
Estimating migration timing and abundance in partial migratory systems by integrating continuous antenna detections with physical captures
Multiple stressors mediate the effects of warming on leaf decomposition in a large regulated river
Rising water temperature in rivers: Ecological impacts and future resilience
Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020
U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
Macroscale controls determine the recovery of river ecosystem productivity following flood disturbances
Resurvey of cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers in Lily and Deerlodge Parks, Colorado
Opportunities for improved consideration of cultural benefits in environmental decision-making
Divergent physiological responses of hydric and mesic riparian plant species to a Colorado River experimental flow
Predicted Shorelines for High Flows on the Colorado River Application
This application highlights modeled flows of the Colorado River for a discharge of 41,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) that is approximate to recent (2012 - 2018) and future anticipated water releases associated with a High Flow Experiments conducted from Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. These data are to help visualize the water levels during High Flow Events in relation to othe
APPLICATION - Discharge, Sediment, and Water Quality Monitoring Application
This link launches the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center’s discharge, sediment and water quality monitoring application gateway. Sediment and water quality information can be accessed from here for our on-going monitoring taking place across the Southwest U.S.
APPLICATION - Grand Canyon Sandbar Monitoring
Several applications related to the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center’s long-term sandbar monitoring project can be accessed here, including the sandbar area and volume tool and applications highlighting changes to sandbars as a result of High-Flow Events (HFEs) conducted by Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona.
APPLICATION - Grand Canyon Aquatic Ecology Web Application
This application allows for the exploration of a select set of insect emergence data collected as part of a citizen science project initiated by the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC). Data present in this application relate to a recent BioScience publication from USGS scientists and collaborators that investigated the effects of dam operations on downstream aquatic insects.
Below are news items about GCMRC's science.
Below are the partners that the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center works with in our role as a science provider for the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program.
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center currently functions under a Triennial Work Plan (TWP) which is thoroughly reviewed and vetted both internally within the Center and through the GCDAMP Technical Work Group (TWG) and the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG). These advisory panels have been a part of the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management process since the inception of the GCDAMP. For more information on the adaptive management process, please see the GCDAMP Page.
Select the 'Science' tab to explore GCMRC's projects.
Physical Resources
GCMRC has on-going monitoring and research focused on river sediment dynamics, long-term monitoring of sediment resources in the Colorado River corridor, and understanding the connectivity of sand resources throughout the system.
Biological Resources
Several GCMRC projects focus on understanding the biological processes of the Colorado River, the effect of dam operations on both native and nonnative species, population dynamics of important species, and the terrestrial-biological interactions.
Socio-Economic and Cultural
GCMRC is also concerned with understanding the socio-economic values of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, the unique recreational opportunites this environment offers and the cultural significance observed by the Tribal people of this the region.
The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
In 1996, the Secretary of the Interior signed a formal decision altering the historical flows from Glen Canyon Dam and establishing the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP). In the context of the management of Glen Canyon Dam, adaptive management was selected to create a process whereby “the effects of dam operations on downstream resources would be assessed and the results of those assessments would form the basis of future modifications of dam operations.”
The Southwest Biological Science Center's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) is responsible for the scientific monitoring and research efforts of the program. Science in the adaptive management process is the “compass” used to evaluate the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on resources of concern and to inform changes in course when necessary.
One of the goals of the (GCDAMP) is the maintenance of a high-quality monitoring, research, and adaptive management program. To achieve this goal, GCMRC continues to refine a comprehensive ecosystem science program that is responsive to the needs of the program’s participants and the U.S. Department of Interior.
Administrative History and Guidance That Informs GCMRC Projects
GCMRC'S work plan and science projects align with the needs of the GCDAMP stakeholders. Each project described is organized around monitoring and research themes that are associated with the eleven resource goals identified in the LTEMP ROD: archaeological and cultural resources, natural processes, humpback chub, hydropower and energy, other native fish, recreational experience, sediment, tribal resources, rainbow trout fishery, nonnative invasive species, and riparian vegetation (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016a; Attachment A).
The monitoring and research projects are responsive to guidance provided in the LTEMP ROD, which, in addition to identifying the priority resources, also identifies flow and non-flow experimental actions and compliance obligations for Glen Canyon Dam operations for the 20 years of the LTEMP. Additional guidance comes from the Science Plan developed by GCMRC (VanderKooi and others, 2017) in support of the LTEMP ROD which describes a general strategy for monitoring and research needed in support of implementation of operations and experimental actions.
Projects in the current TWP have been informed by and build upon previous research and monitoring projects that were responsive to guidance vetted through the GCDAMP and the Secretary of Interior’s office. While the LTEMP ROD defines broad resource goals and identifies new experimental actions and compliance requirements, some of the older guidance continues to have relevance for certain aspects of the current science program and continues to influence current research and monitoring directions in a general sense. Among this older guidance, the following documents describe the history of GCDAMP decisions and direction and help maintain continuity with GCDAMP goals as LTEMP is implemented:
- 2001 Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program draft strategic plan (Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, 2001),
- 2007 Strategic Science Plan and Strategic Science Questions (SSQs) (U. S. Geological Survey, 2007),
- 2011 draft Core Monitoring Plan (U. S. Geological Survey, 2011), and
- 2012 AMWG Desired Future Conditions.
Monitoring and research themes described in these and other GCDAMP administrative documents have persisted throughout the life of the GCDAMP and are carried forward into the LTEMP. They include:
- Recovery of the endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha) and maintenance of populations of other native fish;
- Maintenance or improvement of the physical template, especially regarding fine sediment;
- Maintenance of culturally important sites, especially those that are of archaeological and historical significance under the National Historic Preservation Act
- Maintenance of the food base on which the native fish community depends;
- Maintenance of a high-quality sport fishery in the Lees Ferry reach; and
- Maintenance of the native riparian vegetation community.
The various goals, questions, information needs, and desired future conditions developed by GCDAMP committees also recognize the importance of maintaining high quality opportunities and conditions for recreational boaters and campers, and the role played by nonnative riparian vegetation in providing habitat for some desired fauna such as the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher.
Below are science projects associated with GCMRC work plans.
River Geomorphology, Sediment Storage, Sandbar and Campsite Monitoring in Grand Canyon
Partners in Science
Rainbow Trout in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon
GCMRC modeling used in decision-making process for new Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statements
Smallmouth bass expansion downstream of Glen Canyon Dam
Bat foraging ecology along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Population Dynamics of Threatened Humpback Chub in Grand Canyon
Community Science in Grand Canyon
High-Flow Experiments on the Colorado River
Bug Flows: Improving Food Web Health on the Colorado River
Uncovering the Base of the Food Web: Primary Production Dynamics in the Colorado River
Airborne Remote Sensing in Grand Canyon
In this episode of Outstanding in the Field, we are talking about beaches in a place that most people probably would not think of—the Grand Canyon.
In this episode of Outstanding in the Field, we are talking about beaches in a place that most people probably would not think of—the Grand Canyon.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them. In this episode we describe some of the one-of-a-kind native fish species that call the Grand Canyon segment of the Colorado River home.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them. In this episode we describe some of the one-of-a-kind native fish species that call the Grand Canyon segment of the Colorado River home.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them.
Below are publications associated with research and projects by the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC). Note that not all of the publications listed here are funded under the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP).
To access all of SBSC's publications, click the link below.
Combining terrestrial lidar with single line transects to investigate geomorphic change: A case study on the Upper Verde River, Arizona
Modeling the impacts of Glen Canyon Dam operations on Colorado River resources
Fishes move to transient local refuges, not persistent landscape refuges during river drying experiment
Estimating migration timing and abundance in partial migratory systems by integrating continuous antenna detections with physical captures
Multiple stressors mediate the effects of warming on leaf decomposition in a large regulated river
Rising water temperature in rivers: Ecological impacts and future resilience
Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020
U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
Macroscale controls determine the recovery of river ecosystem productivity following flood disturbances
Resurvey of cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers in Lily and Deerlodge Parks, Colorado
Opportunities for improved consideration of cultural benefits in environmental decision-making
Divergent physiological responses of hydric and mesic riparian plant species to a Colorado River experimental flow
Predicted Shorelines for High Flows on the Colorado River Application
This application highlights modeled flows of the Colorado River for a discharge of 41,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) that is approximate to recent (2012 - 2018) and future anticipated water releases associated with a High Flow Experiments conducted from Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. These data are to help visualize the water levels during High Flow Events in relation to othe
APPLICATION - Discharge, Sediment, and Water Quality Monitoring Application
This link launches the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center’s discharge, sediment and water quality monitoring application gateway. Sediment and water quality information can be accessed from here for our on-going monitoring taking place across the Southwest U.S.
APPLICATION - Grand Canyon Sandbar Monitoring
Several applications related to the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center’s long-term sandbar monitoring project can be accessed here, including the sandbar area and volume tool and applications highlighting changes to sandbars as a result of High-Flow Events (HFEs) conducted by Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona.
APPLICATION - Grand Canyon Aquatic Ecology Web Application
This application allows for the exploration of a select set of insect emergence data collected as part of a citizen science project initiated by the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC). Data present in this application relate to a recent BioScience publication from USGS scientists and collaborators that investigated the effects of dam operations on downstream aquatic insects.
Below are news items about GCMRC's science.
Below are the partners that the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center works with in our role as a science provider for the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program.