Climate and Water Monitoring at White Sands National Park: Water Year 2024
Singley S, Raymond K , Hubbard T . 2026. Climate and Water Monitoring at White Sands National Park: Water Year 2024. Science Report. NPS/SR—2026/482. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2318804
The Chihuahuan Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors climate and two springs each year at White Sands National Park, New Mexico. 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, are retrieved from The Climate Analyzer (climateanalyzer.org). 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 New Mexico 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 water year (WY) 2024, rainfall was less than half the average for the park, though January was very wet. The drought index indicated the park was drier than average for the second year in a row. High and low temperatures were largely above average throughout the year. Conditions at EC-30 Spring and Garton Pond were similar to prior years. Both springs contained water when we visited in January 2024 and have had water year round for several years, but persistence data are missing for WY2024. Tamarisk, an invasive plant that grows in wetlands, continues to be present at both springs. We did not detect any of our eDNA target organisms at either spring in 2024.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Singley, Susan; Raymond, Kara; Hubbard, Tani
- Date of Issue
- 2026-07
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2318804
- Units
- CHDN , NRSS , WHSA
- Keywords
- climate, climate and water monitoring, climate monitoring, discharge, eDNA, environmental DNA, 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 | 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