Saltcedar is an invasive shrub that has moved into western United States riparian areas and is continuing to spread. Saltcedar is a phreatophyte that can utilize a saturated water table for moisture once established and is also highly tolerant of saline soil and water conditions. Literature has indicated that depth to the water table and salinity have a significant effect on growth and water use by saltcedar. Several studies were initiated to help develop a simulation model of saltcedar growth and water use based on the EPIC9200 simulation model. A study was initiated at the USDA-ARS Blackland Research Center Temple, Texas in the summer of 2002 to better understand the effects of water table depth and salinity on (1) saltcedar above and below ground biomass, root distribution, leaf area and (2) water use. Five different salinity levels (ranging from 0 ppm to 7500 ppm) and three different water table depths (0.5m, 1.0m, and 1.75m) were studied. Results indicated that increasing depth to the water table decreased saltcedar water use and growth. For the 0.5m water table depth, saltcedar water use during the 2002 growing season averaged 92.7 ml d-1 while the 1.75m depth averaged 56.6 ml d-1. Both root and shoot growth were depressed by increasing water table depth. Salinity had no effect on saltcedar growth or water use except at the 1250 ppm level, which used 110 ml of H2O d-1. This salinity had the highest water use indicating that this may be near the ecological optimum level of salinity for saltcedar. A predictive equation was developed for saltcedar water use using climatic data for that day, the previous day's climatic data, water table depth and salinity that included: previous day total amount of solar radiation, water table depth, previous day average wind speed, salinity, previous day total precipitation, previous day average vapor pressure, minimum relative humidity, previous day average wind direction, and maximum air temperature. Data from the field study and a potential growth study were integrated into the model. The model was parameterized for the Pecos River near Mentone, Texas. Predicted saltcedar water use was slightly lower than results reported by White et al. 2003.

To close the water use budget of irrigated agricultural fields in floodplains with substantial riparian corridors, it is necessary to understand groundwater usage by dominant phreatophytic vegetation, particularly when the primary source of water for irrigation comes from groundwater abstraction. We report here results of estimated evapotranspiration (ET) of a riparian forest, which were based on measurements of sap flow in phreatophytic vegetation within a riparian corridor. The riparian corridor was within a study area 75 to 140 meters wide in the lower portion of the Scotts Creek watershed, which is bounded to the west by the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz County, California. Canopy coverage in the study area often approaches 100% during the growing season, with dominant trees being red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.), arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis Benth.), and pacific willow (Salix lasiandra Benth. var. lasiandra). Other trees include boxelder (Acer negundo L.), bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum Pursh.), California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica (Hook. & Arn.) Nutt.), and coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.). Common understory vegetation includes California blackberry (Rubus ursinus Cham. and Schlecht.), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica subsp. gracilis L.), poison hemlock (Conium maculatum L.), Cape ivy (Delairea odorata Lem.), Italian thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus L. subsp. pycnocephalus), and western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum (Torr. & A. Gray) Greene). We hypothesized that the ET of a riparian forest could be estimated by measuring the sap flow of riparian phreatophytic trees. For the study reported here, only the two most dominant phreatophytic species, namely red alders and arroyo willows, were instrumented with thermal dissipation probes. In addition to diurnal fluctuations, sap flow data collected hitherto also showed expected seasonal variation with summer maxima and winter minima, with transition fall and spring periods. Sap flow measurements from the study area were used to estimate riparian forest ET by projecting them across the canopy areal extent of the riparian forest using sampled tree sapwood areas from six sample plots. The sap flow-based ET results were then compared to ET results reported by two other methods. Additional research, including increased number of trees with thermal dissipation probes, further analysis of sap flow behavior, and continued long-term measurement of sap flow, is needed to further improve the method of using long-term sap flow measurements to estimate the ET of a riparian forest.

Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / David R. Steward / The Ogallala Aquifer is a supply of water for several municipalities in western Kansas, as well as an irrigation source for local farmers. Since the 1950’s, when the aquifer started to be pumped for irrigation, the region has seen steady declines of the groundwater table. These declines have reduced stream flow in the Arkansas and Cimarrron Rivers, and caused a redistribution of riparian phreatophytes. This thesis studies this redistribution of phreatophytes, and develops statistical relationships relating a phreatophyte’s location to depth to groundwater, increase in depth to groundwater, distance from a stream or river, and hydrologic soil group. Remote sensing was used to determine tree locations on predevelopment and post-development aerial photography. These locations were mapped using ArcGIS, and ArcAEM was used to model groundwater flow in six riparian regions taking root uptake into account. It was found that once the depth to groundwater becomes greater than about 3 m, tree population will decrease as depth to water increases. Trees were located within 700 m of the river. Areas with a dense tree population (>10% tree cover) occurred where the average depth to water ranged from 0.24-1.4 m. Areas with moderate tree density (5-10% tree cover) corresponded to an average depth to water ranging from 2.1-19 m. Areas with a low tree density (<5% tree cover) corresponded to an average depth to water ranging from 11-28 m. It was found that phreatophytes have a high likelihood of growing on hydrologic soil group A and a low likelihood of growing on hydrologic soil group B. The number of trees located on hydrologic soil group D was what would be statistically expected if tree location were independent of soil type. It was also found that tree locations could be used as an indicator of good hydraulic connectivity between surface water and groundwater. This information can be used to help guide future installation of monitoring networks and expand research projects from central Kansas to western Kansas.