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The geospatial relationship of geologic strata, geological fractures, and land use attained by a time-series aridity index in a semiarid region

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Abstract

In a vast semiarid region of the Baja California Peninsula, remote sensing and GIS techniques were applied to moderate resolution images of Landsat 5 TM to explore the geospatial correlation among the grid aridity index (AI), shapefiles of geologic strata, land use, and geological fractures. A dataset of randomized sample points in a time-series of one hydrologic year along with vector file GIS delineated geologic fractures—including the area between their left/right parallel buffer lines—was used as mask analysis. MANOVA results were significant (p < 0.05) for geologic strata, land use, and basin. Overall results reveal the effects of soil texture on water retention on deeper soil horizons and the rate of vertical motion of rainwater. Despite the fact that geologic fractures underlie a large number of biotic communities, in both latitude and longitude gradients of the peninsula, no statistical significance was observed among the fractures themselves or the areas between their parallel buffer lines. One pulse rainfall event was documented by the AI grid maps enabling a robust vegetative response in early summer to an abnormal amount of rain provided by tropical storm Julio. AI grids appear to be useful for characterizing an ecosystem’s dynamism. New options are suggested for this research strategy by expanding the number of datasets and incorporating geographic exclusion areas.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), and the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) for supporting and funding this study. Special recognition goes to Walter Weerts for his advice on English grammar and paragraph structure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Experimental Field Station Pabellón, km 32.5, highway Ags-Zac, ZP 20660, Pabellón de Arteaga, Aguascalientes, México

    Victor M. Rodríguez-Moreno & J .Saúl Padilla-Ramírez

  2. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Department of Geology, Highway Ensenada-Tijuana No. 3918, ZP 22860, Ensenada, Baja California, México

    Thomas G. Kretzschmar

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  1. Victor M. Rodríguez-Moreno
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Correspondence to Victor M. Rodríguez-Moreno.

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Rodríguez-Moreno, V.M., Kretzschmar, T.G. & Padilla-Ramírez, J... The geospatial relationship of geologic strata, geological fractures, and land use attained by a time-series aridity index in a semiarid region. Environ Monit Assess 187, 457 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4676-2

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