Start Date: 2014
End Date: 2015
Full Citation:
Kansas Water Office, 2014, $100,132. Playa Mapping and Assessment. PI: J. Kastens, D. Huggins
Category:
- Aquatic
Associated with the KU Field Station: No
Research Summary:
Playas are shallow ephemeral lakes or wetlands that often occur where the topography is flat, climate is semi-arid, and evaporation rates are high, all of which contribute to the playa hydro period. Much of western Kansas meets this description and is home to numerous playas. Western Kansas is also intensively cultivated, and consequently playas within this region are embedded in a highly altered landscape, resulting in ecological and hydrological impairment of many playas. Healthy playas are biological “hot spots” within the Plains region that support a high diversity of plants, birds, mammals and invertebrates upon which many vertebrate species feed. The CPCB assisted the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing (KARS) unit in identifying playas in western Kansas. Using remote sensing and data layers from the Playa Lakes Joint Venture, KARS identified playas. CPCB then field verified 26 playas by measuring water chemistry and identifying macroinvertebrates and vegetation.
See results in KBS Report 186: Kastens, J.H., D.S. Baker, D.L. Peterson, and D.G. Huggins. 2016. Wetland Program Development Grant (WPDG) FFY 2013—Playa Mapping and Assessment. Kansas Biological Survey Open-file Report No. 186. 28 pp.
Email Debbie Baker at dbaker@ku.edu for these resulting products:
- A Google Earth file to see the 26 playas and associated water chemistry data, or a pdf to see the data without mapping. Values of 0 in water chemistry indicate no measurement was taken.
- The list of plants found at each of the 26 playas in the above file.
- The list of macroinvertebrates at each playa.