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Title: AN OVERVIEW OF THE 1997 ACTIVITIES OF THE SEMI-ARID LAND-SURFACE-ATMOSPHERE(SALSA) PROGRAM 1195

Author
item Goodrich, David - Dave
item MORAN, S. - 5344-20-00
item CLARKE, T. - 5344-20-00
item DAVIS, M. - 6204-05-20
item EVERITT, J. - 6204-05-20
item HELFERT, M. - 5344-20-00
item Keefer, Timothy
item MARSETT, R. - 5342-45-00 (U. OF ARIZ.)
item QI, J. - 5344-20-00
item Unkrich, Carl

Submitted to: American Meteorological Society
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/21/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Water is the key to life in arid and semi-arid regions. In order to manage both agriculture and municipal development, as well as minimize our impacts on the environment in these regions we must have better knowledge of the quantities and pathways of water. This requires coordinated efforts from scientists in a variety of disciplines including hydrologists, meteorologists, and plant sciences. A multi-disciplinary group of over 70 scientist carried out a series of experimental field activities in 1997 in the Upper San Pedro River basin to understand, model and predict the consequences of natural and human-induced change on the basin-wide water balance and ecological diversity of semiarid regions. The study basin originates in northern Sonora, Mexico and flows north into southeastern Arizona. A variety of studies ranging from riparian vegetation water use in the United States portion of the basin to upland grass water use in the Mexican portion of the basin were conducted. This paper is an introductio to the overall 1997 experimental objectives and over 30 additional papers from the scientists involved in the project.

Technical Abstract: The primary objective of the SALSA Program is to understand, model and predict the consequences of natural and human-induced change on the basin-wide water balance and ecological diversity of semiarid regions at event, seasonal, interannual, and decadal time scales. This is a long term program whose current research and integrated measurement efforts are focused on the San Pedro River basin which originates in northern Sonora, Mexico and flows north into southeastern Arizona. This paper will provide an overview of the 1997 SALSA Program elements and data that are presented in more detail in this special session "Integrated Observations of Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Interactions" of the 1988 American Meteorological Society Meeting.