BECKY BRICE
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
SCHOOL OF GEOGRAPHY AND DEVELOPMENT
THE LABORATORY OF TREE-RING RESEARCH
Chuska Mountains, Navajo Nation
Long-term records of hydroclimate for the Navajo Nation are acutely limited. Short records can fail to capture the full range of hydroclimatic variability while longer records illuminate more climate information. Without long-term records to document the natural variability of water resources in the Chuska Mountains, anticipating water availability for the Navajo Nation’s most populated and economically productive areas is difficult. Depressions at the crest of the Chuskas collect snowmelt, providing water for Navajo stock animals, wildlife, agriculture and fish. Recent decades are characterized by declining snow water equivalent (SWE) in snowpack of northeastern Arizona. At the same time, tribal members report that surface waters supporting agricultural practices and community resources on the Navajo Nation have begun to go dry from extended drought. This use-based study is a collaborative effort with Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources (NNDWR) to enhance understanding of surface water resources in the Chuska Mountains.
Click on the Connect to Chuska Data button below for interactive visualizations of
Tree-ring based snowpack reconstruction for the Chuska Mountains
Chuska lake area estimations
Toadlena Lake
Time lapse movie of lake area estimation for Toadlena Lake in the northern end of the Chuska range using satellite imagery-derived NDWI for the months April through September (1984-2016).
Long Lake
Time lapse movie of lake area estimation for Long Lake in south-central Chuska range using satellite imagery-derived NDWI for the months April through September (1984-2016).
Whiskey Lake
Time lapse movie of lake area estimate for Whiskey Lake in the southern Chuska range using satellite imagery-derived NDWI for the months April through September (1984-2016).
This research was made possible by the Climate and Society Fellowship Program at the Climate Assessment of the Southwest, University of Arizona. Special thanks are extended to the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources staff Jason John, Carlee McClellan and Irving Brady for their generosity and hospitality while in Fort Defiance. Fieldwork was only possible with the guidance and support of Carlee McClellan, Irving Brady and Ralphus Begay, to whom I owe deep gratitude. Tree-ring collection in the San Francisco Peaks was aided by the kindness and expertise of Paul Sheppard and Alex Arizpe from the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona. Connie Woodhouse offered invaluable insight into stakeholder engagement and aided with interpretation of results. Kevin Anchukaitis and Bethany Coulthard also aided with interpretation of results. Margaret Hiza-Redsteer at the United States Geological Survey and Karletta Chief were instructive sounding boards during study design – thank you Margaret and Karletta for your support. I am grateful for our collegial conversations, Crystal Tulley-Cordova at the University of Utah and Lani Tsinnajinnie at the University of New Mexico. Your expertise about water in the Chuska Mountains was informative, offering context and depth to my experience there. I am deeply appreciative of the mentorship offered by Chris Guiterman during the entirety of this project. His passion for the Chuska Mountain region buoyed and inspired me every step of the way.