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Tower Site Descriptions
- Albuquerque, NM South Valley
- Belen, NM
- Bosque Del Apache NWR Restoration
- Bosque Del Apache NWR Saltcedar
- La Joya SGR
- Rio Salado
- San Acacia,NM Alfalfa
- Sevilleta NWR
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Site Description
The Rio Salado site (SAL) was established in March 2006 and originally funded by the NM House Bill 2, a state cost share program as part of the EPSCoR award. The site was located on the Rio Salado just above the confluence of Silver Creek. Located upon a high terrace with flow options on either side, the site was nonetheless washed away in flooding during the rains of 2006. This site was decommissioned and has been replaced by the Bosque del Apache restoration site. The site’s actual location is 34°20'7.10"N, 107° 2'21.91"W. The soil profile is dominated by sand and gravel, with a water table within 10 cm of the surface.
Two tripods were installed with buried 5-gallon concrete guy-anchors by the University of New Mexico. A 3SEC system was initially placed upon this tower, oriented toward the southerly prevailing winds. This site was decommissioned in June 2006.
Vegetation
There was previous sparse saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis) and saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) vegetation at this site, removed by the Sevilleta NWR before the 3SEC system was installed, leaving a bare-soil site.
Hydrologic Status
This site unexpectedly and violently floods.
Instrumentation
| Sensor | Height (meters) relative to ground surface |
|---|---|
| CSAT 3-D Sonic Anemometer | 2.71 |
| KH2O Krypton Hygrometer | 2.71 |
| Kipp & Zonen CNR1 Component Radiometer | 2.94 |
| HMP45C Vaisala Temperature/ RH Probe | 2.04 |
| CS105 Vaisala PTB101B Barometric Pressure | 1.70 |
| TE525 Texas Electronics 6" Tipping Bucket Raingauge | 3.03 |
| HFT3 REBS Soil Heat FLux Plates (quantity 2) | (0.08) |
| HFP01 Self-calibrating Soil Heat Flux Plates (quantity 4) | (0.08) |
| TCAV Averaging Soil Termocouple Probes | (0.02 & 0.06) |
| CS616 Water Content Reflectometer | (0.025) |
| 03001 Wind Sentry | 3.18 |
| CR500 datalogger | 1.70 |
| LI190 Pyranometer | 2.94 |
Additional Infrastructure
ET-R array installed by Dr. Chris Duffy and Peter Beeson (both from Penn State U). Also destroyed.
Additional Results/Data
Rio Salado Site GoogleEarth View
Rio Salado bare soil
Rio Salado Site installation
Rio Salado Site post-flood
© 2009 James R Cleverly
Last Updated: January 14, 2008
For more information please contact: Dr. James Cleverly
Created by: Kimberly Bandy, January 2008