Greater Yellowstone Network
Administering Entity: National Park Service (NPS)
Entity Type(s): Federal
Water Resource: Rivers, Springs, Streams
Primary Data Type(s): Discharge, Water Chemistry
Primary Watershed Monitoring Objective(s): Baseline, Trends
Subbasins: Lower Bighorn, Madison, Shoshone, Upper Yellowstone, Yellowstone Headwaters
Aquatic Invasive Species Type:
Counties: Big Horn, Madison, Park
Volunteers: yes
Contact Name: Andrew Ray
Summary of Monitoring Objectives:
Water resources are vital to the health of all landscapes. In semi-arid and arid regions of the Greater Yellowstone Area, water from springs, wetlands, streams and rivers is especially critical. Some of the most iconic water resources in the western United States occur in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, as well as Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. The Yellowstone and Snake rivers disproportionately contribute to the rich variety of life in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They shape visitor recreational and aesthetic experiences. They affect how the ecosystem functions. They also contribute to the health and vitality of nearby human communities. Similarly, a complex of springs, seeps, and rivers draining the Bighorn and Pryor mountains, as well as the high mountains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, help quench the semi-arid landscape of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.
Warmer temperatures and precipitation shifts over the last several decades have already altered mountain snowpacks, river flows, and wetland and lake levels. Projected shifts in global and regional climate are expected to further affect water levels and flooding. At the same time, human demands for recreation and water consumption are increasing in this dry region. These changes, in combination, may pose considerable challenges to managing water resources on our national park lands.
Since 2006, we have been monitoring select water resources at all parks (Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park) in the network. Through our monitoring activities we ask:
- Are flow patterns of monitored rivers, streams, and springs changing in relation to environmental drivers?
- Are water quality conditions of monitored rivers and streams changing in relation to environmental drivers and human influences?
- Are water quality conditions of monitored river and streams meeting state water quality standards?