Extent of vegetated wetlands at Owens Dry Lake, California, U.S.A, between 1977 and 1992

Abstract

Vegetated wetlands at Owens Dry Lake, California, are embedded in a large arid region. The wetlands initially established when Owens Lake desiccated in the early 1900s, and largely exist below the historic shoreline, due to ground-water discharge. MSS satellite imagery was used to measure the coverage of wetlands on five dates from 1977 through 1992. Coverage from vegetated wetlands both declined and increased during the study period, and appeared to have an inverse relationship with annual runoff in the hydrologic watershed. Also, soil and/or water chemistry appear to interact with ground-water elevation to affect the wetland's spatial dynamics. © 2001 Academic Press.