Climate and Water Monitoring at Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Water Year 2024
Singley S, Raymond K , Hubbard T . 2026. Climate and Water Monitoring at Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Water Year 2024. Science Report. NPS/SR—2026/483. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2318803
The Chihuahuan Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors climate, groundwater, and five springs each year at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. We report on climate and water resources together because surface water conditions are closely related to climate conditions. Climate data, including temperature, precipitation, and reconnaissance drought index, from three weather stations are retrieved from The Climate Analyzer (climateanalyzer.org). We use automated methods to monitor groundwater levels in three wells. We assess the condition of each spring, measure spring discharge and wetted extent (area that contained water), collect core water quality and water chemistry data, note the wetland plants and invasive plants and animals present, and sample for environmental DNA (eDNA) to inventory springs for rare species, invasive species, and pathogens. Each spring is somewhat unique, and Texas has not adopted water quality standards that apply across the diversity of springs in the state. Therefore, we continue to collect water quality data at the springs to form a baseline reference of natural variance. In WY2024, there were heavy winter rains, but there was less rainfall than average the rest of the year. The drought index indicated the park was drier than average for the second year in a row. Overall, high and low temperatures were above average, and there were more extremely hot days and fewer extremely cold days than average. The groundwater level at Lemonade Well was slightly lower than in other years. PX well groundwater levels have been decreasing since 2010, and the well may have been dry in WY2024 but appears to be filling with sediment, which may affect sensor measurements. Manual measurements in Signal Peak Well indicate steep decreases in water level. In WY2024, wetted areas of the spring sites were within prior ranges. Wetland plant species and invasive plant species were similar to prior years, but we detected the invasive rabbitsfoot grass for the first time in three of the springs: Bone Spring, Guadalupe Spring, and Upper Pine Spring. None of our eDNA target species were detected at any spring.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Singley, Susan; Raymond, Kara; Hubbard, Tani
- Date of Issue
- 2026-07
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2318803
- Units
- CHDN , GUMO , NRSS
- Keywords
- climate, climate and water monitoring, climate monitoring, discharge, eDNA, environmental DNA, groundwater, groundwater monitoring, invasive species, monitoring, monitoring report, springs, springs monitoring, water chemistry, wetland plants
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Weather and Climate | Weather and Climate , Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Groundwater Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Surface Water Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic animals , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Wetland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Freshwater Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Amphibians and Reptiles