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Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment

Increased water use, coupled with long-term drought conditions and a warming climate, have resulted in historic low water levels in saline lakes ecosystems across the Great Basin in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. The Saline Lake Ecosystems IWAA is using an integrated scientific approach to monitor and assess water availability, migratory birds, and other wildlife dependent on saline lakes.

News

New Monitoring Station at Lake Abert

New Monitoring Station at Lake Abert

Saline Lake Ecosystems IWAA Stakeholder Workshop Meeting Materials

Saline Lake Ecosystems IWAA Stakeholder Workshop Meeting Materials

New one-stop shop webpage for all things Great Salt Lake

New one-stop shop webpage for all things Great Salt Lake

Publications

Integrated science strategy for assessing and monitoring water availability and migratory birds for terminal lakes across the Great Basin, United States

Executive SummaryIn 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established the Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment (IWAAs) to monitor and assess the hydrology of terminal lakes in the Great Basin and the migratory birds and other wildlife dependent on those habitats. Scientists from across the USGS (with specialties in water quantity, water quality, limnology, avian biolog
Authors
Rebecca J. Frus, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael L. Casazza, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Garth Herring, Scott A. Hynek, Daniel K. Jones, Susan K Kemp, Thomas M. Marston, Christopher M. Morris, Ramon C. Naranjo, Cee Nell, David R. O'Leary, Cory T. Overton, Bryce A. Pulver, Brian E. Reichert, Christine A. Rumsey, Rudy Schuster, Cassandra D. Smith

Nesting ecology of White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) in Great Salt Lake, Utah

We studied the nesting ecology of White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) at 3 sites within the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Ibises built nests in small mounds (mean height = 14.4 ± 4.3 cm) above shallow water (mean depth = 12.0 ± 6.6 cm) located within patchy vegetation (mean percent vegetative cover = 17.2 ± 17.8% vegetative cover) with mean vegetation height of 31.7 ±
Authors
Mark P. Herzog, Josh T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Howard Browers

Increased drought severity tracks warming in the United States’ largest river basin

Across the Upper Missouri River Basin, the recent drought of 2000 to 2010, known as the “turn-of-the-century drought,” was likely more severe than any in the instrumental record including the Dust Bowl drought. However, until now, adequate proxy records needed to better understand this event with regard to long-term variability have been lacking. Here we examine 1,200 y of streamflow from a networ
Authors
Justin Martin, Gregory T. Pederson, Connie A. Woodhouse, Edward R. Cook, Gregory J. McCabe, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Erika K. Wise, Patrick Erger, Larry S. Dolan, Marketa McGuire, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, Katherine J. Chase, Jeremy Littell, Stephen Gray, Scott St. George, Jonathan M. Friedman, David J. Sauchyn, Jeannine-Marie St. Jacques, John C. King

Science

Waterbird Ecology and Movement in the Saline Lakes

How do changing conditions in the terminal lakes of the Great Basin effect the migratory birds that depend on them? USGS scientists investigate bird movement and habitat use to find out.
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Waterbird Ecology and Movement in the Saline Lakes

How do changing conditions in the terminal lakes of the Great Basin effect the migratory birds that depend on them? USGS scientists investigate bird movement and habitat use to find out.
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