Implications of Climate Change on Erosion Dynamics and Sediment Connectivity in Semi-arid Ecosystem

In semi-arid ecosystems, basin elevation and hillslope aspect play an important role in the distribution of plant type and density. In general, north-facing aspects host mesic and denser vegetation than south-facing aspects where host xeric plants. Beside aspect, elevation plays a dominant role in vegetation distribution. The Upper Rio Salado Basin, in central New Mexico, hosts shrublands and grasslands at lower elevations and forests at higher elevations. The geomorphometric analysis shows that forest areas are steeper than the grasslands and shrublands. Shrub encroachment in the region and the increase in global temperatures may lead to the replacement of forests by shrublands and the transition from a resource-conserving ecosystem to a leaky (non-conserving) ecosystem on the north-facing aspects which is similar to current south-facing aspects. The preliminary results show these transitions will lead to emerging hotspot areas in erosion. These erosion­-prone zones should be monitored in future for sustainable management.

This study has been produced benefiting from the 2232 International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers Program of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) through grant 118C329. The financial support received from TUBITAK does not mean that the content of the publication is approved in a scientific sense by TUBITAK.