The Historical Ecology of the Tijuana Estuary & River Valley
Sam Safran Long Beach, CA December 12, 2018 San Francisco Estuary Institute Restore America’s Estuaries
Co-authors: Funded by: Sean Baumgarten, Erin Beller, Danielle Bram, Jeff Crooks, Shawna The California State Dark, Robin Grossinger, Travis Longcore, Julio Lorda, Eric Stein Coastal Conservancy courtesy Coronado Public Library courtesy Coronado Public Library courtesy Coronado Public Library courtesy Coronado Public Library courtesy Coronado Public Library Remarking the boundary, ca. 1894 IBC 1898, courtesy University of North Texas Mendenhall 1905, courtesy USGS Botanizing on Mesa, 1905 Travelling to Mexico, ca. 1890
Historical Ecology
Using the past to understand the present landscape and envision its future potential
• Not about recreating the past! • Understand system pattern and process at broad temporal and spatial scales • Not just the “way things were,” but the “way things work” Streams and estuaries reconstructed
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Napa River
Mark West Creek Marsh Creek Alameda Creek SF Baylands Penitencia Creek Coyote Creek Guadalupe River Uvas Creek Llagas Creek Pajaro River Salinas River Ventura River Santa Clara River Ballona Creek South Coast estuaries San Gabriel River
Tijuana River Streams and estuaries reconstructed
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Napa River
Mark West Creek Marsh Creek Alameda Creek SF Baylands Penitencia Creek Coyote Creek Guadalupe River Uvas Creek Llagas Creek Pajaro River Salinas River Ventura River Santa Clara River Ballona Creek South Coast estuaries San Gabriel River
Tijuana River Tijuana River watershed lower Tijuana River Valley
1,750 sq. mi.
16.4 sq. mi. Key questions courtesy SDNHM • What ecological patterns characterized the Tijuana River Valley prior to substantial Euro-American modification?
• What were the physical processes and courtesy SDHC drivers that shaped the landscape?
• How have ecological mosaics and physical processes changed from the mid-1800s to the present? courtesy WRCA Methods
Collect archival data Extract relevant information Overlay, synthesize
Create map Align with geophysical data (and other products) Historical conditions: Tijuana River Valley, ca. 1850
Dune Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water 1 Salt marsh km Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Dune River channel Dune Beach River wash / Riparian scrub Beach Subtidal water Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Subtidal water Mud flat / Sand flat Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Pond Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh Vernal pool Salt marsh Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zoneRiparianTemporary forest stream Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Agriculture River channel River wash / Riparian scrub Developed / Disturbed River wash / Riparian scrub Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Pond Vernal pool Vernal pool Riparian forest Riparian forest Agriculture Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Concrete channel Grassland/coastal scrub Historical conditions: with wetlands on Tijuana River Valley, ca. 1850 tablelands and in canyons
Seasonal wetlands on valley bottom
Salt marsh/mudflat- Dune dominated estuary Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water 1 Salt marsh Broad river corridor km Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone with (mostly) Dune River channel Dune Beach River wash / Riparian scrub intermittent flow and Beach Subtidal water Grassland / Coastal sage scrub riparian scrub Subtidal water Mud flat / Sand flat Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Pond Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh Vernal pool Salt marsh Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zoneRiparianTemporary forest stream Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Agriculture River channel River wash / Riparian scrub Developed / Disturbed River wash / Riparian scrub Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Pond Vernal pool Vernal pool Riparian forest Riparian forest Agriculture Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Concrete channel Key messages for today
1 The valley supported a diverse array of wetlands in a dry climate.
Floods maintained a large and dynamic river 2 corridor.
The valley has undergone significant changes 3 in habitat distribution and extent. Dune Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water 1 Salt marsh km Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Dune River channel Dune Beach River wash / Riparian scrub Beach Subtidal water Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Subtidal water Mud flat / Sand flat Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Pond Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh Vernal pool Salt marsh Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zoneRiparianTemporary forest stream Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Agriculture River channel River wash / Riparian scrub Developed / Disturbed River wash / Riparian scrub Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Pond Vernal pool Vernal pool Riparian forest Riparian forest Agriculture Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Concrete channel drylands
wetlands ~75% wetland habitat types
1 km Estuarine wetlands
Dune Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Dune River channel Dune Beach River wash / Riparian scrub Beach Subtidal water Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Subtidal water Mud flat / Sand flat Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Pond Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh Vernal pool Salt marsh 1 km N Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zoneTemporaryRiparian forest stream AlkaliUSA meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Agriculture River channel River wash / Riparian scrub Developed / Disturbed River wash / Riparian scrub Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Pond Vernal pool Vernal pool Riparian forest Riparian forest Agriculture Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Concrete channel Estuarine wetlands
250 ha (600 ac) of salt marsh 80 ha (200 acres) of intertidal flats • 10% of all vegetated • 21 km of tidal channels estuarine wetlands in SoCal • at least double today’s area • 75% more than today
1 km N US Coast Survey 1852 Gray 1849 Coast Survey 1852 Estuarine wetlands Courtesy Coronado Public Library Courtesy Coronado Public Library
17 ha (40 ac) of salt flat
Gray 1849 Courtesy Coronado Public Library
US Coast Survey 1852 Alkali meadow complex / 1896: “Salt grass meadows High marsh transition zone of Tia Juana valley” – Pacific Rural Press 1896
Dune Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Dune River wash / Riparian scrub Beach Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Subtidal water Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat / Sand flat Pond Salt flat / Open water Vernal pool Salt marsh Riparian forest 1 km N Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Agriculture USA River channel Developed / Disturbed River wash / Riparian scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Vernal pool Riparian forest Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Alkali meadow complex / High Marsh Transition Zone
Wandering skipper (Panoquina errans) • candidate for listing under ESA • host plant is salt grass • today considered to be restricted to salt marshes…
… but possible this species once also thrived further inland.
ca. 2012 ca. 1850 Vernal pools and perennial freshwater wetlands
Dune Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Dune River wash / Riparian scrub Beach Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Subtidal water Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat / Sand flat Pond Salt flat / Open water Vernal pool Salt marsh Riparian forest 1 km N Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Agriculture USA River channel Developed / Disturbed River wash / Riparian scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Vernal pool Riparian forest Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel “monte de saus”
River wash & Riparian scrub “Arroyo Tijuan” “monte de saus”
USDC ca. 1840 Courtesy Bancroft Library Dune Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water Salt marsh “willow brush”Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Dune River wash / Riparian scrub Beach Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Subtidal water Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat / Sand flat Pond Salt flat / Open water Vernal pool “willow brush” “willowSalt marsh brush” Riparian forest Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Agriculture 1 km N USCGS 1933 USA River channel Developed / Disturbed Courtesy NOAA River wash / Riparian scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Vernal pool Riparian forest Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Common Name Latin Name Relevant excerpt(s) Citation Trees Jones 1882, Stokes 1895, Herre 1902, Abrams 1903 , sandbar willow Salix exigua Eastwood 1913, Schneider 1919, Gander 1936, Neil 1938, Higgins 1949 Goodding’s willow S. gooddingii Abrams 1903 red willow S. laevigata Neil 1938 arroyo willow S. lasiolepis Neil 1938 cottonwood Populus sp. “rare” (Harwood) Wilson 1883 , Harwood 1931 California sycamore Platanus racemosa Mearns 1894 Shrubs Herre 1902, Eastwood 1913, mulefat Baccharis salicifolia “abundant” Harwood 1931 black sage Salvia mellifera “common” Harwood 1931 white sage S. apiana “common” Harwood 1931 common sagebrush Artemisia tridentata “rare” Harwood 1931 arrowweed Pluchea sericea Abrams 1903, Higgins 1949 Bush senecio Senecio douglasii Abrams 1903 fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens “banks of Tia Juana River” (Brandegee) Brandegee 1903, Howe 1935 chaparral mallow Malacothamnus fasciculatus Howe 1935 Stokes 1895, Jones 1882, northwest willow Salix sessilifolia Herre 1902, Abrams 1903 Primarily willow scrub, but broad rangeCalifornia of fagoniaspecies Fagonia laevis Abrams 1903 blue elderberry Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea "Tia Juana River near ocean" Abrams 1902, Herre 1902 Common Name Latin Name RelevantHerbs excerpt(s) Citation Trees nightshade Solanum sp. “common” Harwood 1931 clematis Clematis ligusticifoliaJones 1882, Stokes 1895, “common” Harwood 1931 branching phacelia Phacelia ramosissimaHerre 1902, Abrams 1903 , “rare” Harwood 1931 sandbar willow Salix exigua Chinese parsley HeliotropiumEastwood curassavicum 1913, Schneider “common” Harwood 1931 rigid bird’s beak Cordylanthus1919, rigidus Gander 1936, Neil 1938, “common” Harwood 1931 bladderpod Peritoma arboreaHiggins 1949 “common” Harwood 1931 Goodding’s willow S. gooddingii skunkbush Navarretia Abramssquarrosa 1903 “common” Harwood 1931 “edges of dried streams near Southern point San Diego red willow S. laevigata Neil 1938 Parry 1849 [Tijuana River?], Matilija poppy Romneya coulteri Bay”; “abundant in the Tia Juana River bed. It is arroyo willow S. lasiolepis Neil 1938 Jepson 1907 cottonwood Populus sp. “rare” (Harwood) Wilson 1883 , Harwood 1931 blooming now (December 13, 1907; Jepson) California sycamore Platanus racemosa California evening primrose Oenothera Mearnscalifornica 1894 Hall 1893, Abrams 1903 Shrubs spiny rush Juncus acutus Herre 1902, Abrams 1903 southwestern spiny rush Juncus acutusHerre subsp 1902,. leopoldi Eastwood 1913, Abrams 1903 mulefat Baccharis salicifolia “abundant” California croton Croton californicusHarwood 1931 Abrams 1903 black sage Salvia mellifera “common”Heermann’s lotus Acmispon heermanniiHarwood 1931 Abrams 1903 Nuttall’s lotus Lotus nuttallianus “Tia Juana Wash” Hall 1903 white sage S. apiana “common” Harwood 1931 Beardless wild rye Elymus triticoides Abrams 1903 common sagebrush Artemisia tridentata “rare” Harwood 1931 spiny goldenbush/ spiny chloracantha Chloracantha spinosa, C. spinosa var. spinosa Herre 1902, Gander 1938 arrowweed Pluchea sericea Abrams 1903, Higgins 1949 bush seepweed Suaeda nigra “Tia Juana River near Monument School” (Gander) Hall 1903, Gander 1936 Bush senecio Senecio douglasii Abrams 1903 slender woolly-heads Nemacaulis denudata var. gracilis Abrams 1903 fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens “banks of Tia Juana River” (Brandegee) Brandegee 1903, Howe 1935 scarlet lupine Lupinus concinnus Hall 1903 chaparral mallow Malacothamnus fasciculatus Howe 1935 California sealavender Limonium californicum Howe 1935 Stokes 1895, Jones 1882, Indian hemp Apocynum cannabinum "Tia Juana River at Monument School" Gander 1938 northwest willow Salix sessilifolia mugwort Artemisia douglasianaHerre 1902, Abrams 1903 Howe 1935 California fagonia Fagonia laevis wide throated yellow monkeyflower Mimulus brevipesAbrams 1903 Eastwood 1913, Mearns 1894 blue elderberry Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea "Tia Juanavolcanic River gilia near ocean" Gilia ochroleucaAbrams ssp. 1902, Exilis Herre 1902 "Tia Juana River" Abrams 1903 Herbs ropevine clematis Clematis pauciflora Eastwood 1913 nightshade Solanum sp. “common” Harwood 1931 clematis Species indicativeClematis ligusticifolia of “common” RecordsHarwood from 1931 1849-1949 branching phacelia Phacelia ramosissima “rare” Harwood 1931 Chinese parsleywetter zonesHeliotropium (obligate curassavicum and “common” Harwood 1931 rigid bird’s beakfacultative wetlandCordylanthus species) rigidus “common” Harwood 1931 bladderpod Peritoma arborea “common” Harwood 1931 skunkbush Navarretia squarrosa “common” Harwood 1931 “edges of dried streams near Southern point San Diego Species indicative of Parry 1849 [Tijuana River?], Matilija poppy Romneya coulteri Bay”; “abundant in the Tia Juana River bed. It is Jepson 1907 drier zones (sage scrub blooming now (December 13, 1907; Jepson) California eveningspecies, primrose generallyOenothera more californica xeric) Hall 1893, Abrams 1903 spiny rush Juncus acutus Herre 1902, Abrams 1903 southwestern spiny rush Juncus acutus subsp. leopoldi Abrams 1903 California croton Croton californicus Abrams 1903 Heermann’s lotus Acmispon heermannii Abrams 1903 Nuttall’s lotus Lotus nuttallianus “Tia Juana Wash” Hall 1903 Beardless wild rye Elymus triticoides Abrams 1903 spiny goldenbush/ spiny chloracantha Chloracantha spinosa, C. spinosa var. spinosa Herre 1902, Gander 1938 bush seepweed Suaeda nigra “Tia Juana River near Monument School” (Gander) Hall 1903, Gander 1936 slender woolly-heads Nemacaulis denudata var. gracilis Abrams 1903 scarlet lupine Lupinus concinnus Hall 1903 California sealavender Limonium californicum Howe 1935 Indian hemp Apocynum cannabinum "Tia Juana River at Monument School" Gander 1938 mugwort Artemisia douglasiana Howe 1935 wide throated yellow monkeyflower Mimulus brevipes Eastwood 1913, Mearns 1894 volcanic gilia Gilia ochroleuca ssp. Exilis "Tia Juana River" Abrams 1903 ropevine clematis Clematis pauciflora Eastwood 1913 Sept 1889: Sept 1869: “dry September 1869: Dry-season conditions: “spring” bed of TJ river” “bed of river dry” areas without surface water September 1869: areas with surface water “bed of river dry”
September 1869: 1 mi “dry bed of ravine” 1 km July 1903: “waterless Summer Tia Juana River” 1931: May 1928: “Potholes” June 1854: “in dry surface flow with water time sink in sand” disappears
Sept. 1869: “running 1849: July 1937: “river near the water” above this boundary ceased flowing” point… “dry Sept 1869: “dry during the bed of creek” Agua Caliente hot springs greatest portion “agua permanente” of the year” May 1769: “stream running Jan 1910: river “water for some with a good sized flow of months to come” in Matanuco Cnyn. water that… issues up out of the ground” [location July 1920: surface flow in photos very approximate]
Intermittent river; limited locations with perennial surface water Perennial wetlands within the river corridor
courtesy Archivo Histórico del Agua Key messages for today
The valley supported a diverse array of 1 wetlands in a dry climate.
Floods maintained a large and dynamic river 2 corridor.
The valley has undergone significant changes 3 in habitat distribution and extent. Key messages for today
The valley supported a diverse array of 1 wetlands in a dry climate.
Floods maintained a large and dynamic river 2 corridor.
The valley has undergone significant changes 3 in habitat distribution and extent. Periodic floods inundated most of the valley
1918, courtesy SDHC 1921, courtesy Sociedad de Historia de Tijuana 1918, courtesy SDHC
) 80,000 cfs 70,000
60,000 100-yr flood 50,000 estimated discharge 40,000 50-yr 30,000
20,000 measured discharge
Annual Peak Discharge ( Discharge AnnualPeak 10-yr 10,000
0
1910
1970
1880 1890 1900 1920 1930 1950 1960 1980 1990
1940 2000 Floods drove river movement
May 1941 (after sizeable floods in February, March, and April) Erickson 1941, courtesy SDHC Historical courses of the Tijuana River 1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2
basemap: NAIP 2014 Historical courses of the Tijuana River 1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2
basemap: NAIP 2014 Historical courses of the Tijuana River 1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2
basemap: NAIP 2014 Historical courses of the Tijuana River 1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2
basemap: NAIP 2014 Historical courses of the Tijuana River 1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2
• Nearly all 10-year flood events have caused major channel movement • Most smaller events do not. basemap: NAIP 2014 Patterns and controls of channel movement 1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2
basemap: NAIP 2014 Floods created habitat variability
“After I entered the field, small open spaces of alluvial river-bottom sand were encountered that make an ideal situation for pocket mice”
- Jack von Bloeker July 1931
“In the summer…all that remains of the water…is found in depressions excavated by the current. Western pond turtles were quite abundant.”
- Robert Harwood August 1931
Erickson 1941, courtesy SDHC Key messages for today
The valley supported a diverse array of 1 wetlands in a dry climate.
Floods maintained a large and dynamic river 2 corridor.
The valley has undergone significant changes 3 in habitat distribution and extent. Key messages for today
The valley supported a diverse array of 1 wetlands in a dry climate.
Floods maintained a large and dynamic river 2 corridor.
The valley has undergone significant changes 3 in habitat distribution and extent. Tijuana River Valley habitat types – ca. 1850
Dune Beach Subtidal water Mud flat Salt flat / Open water 1 Salt marsh km Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channel Dune River wash / Riparian scrub Beach Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Subtidal water Perennial freshwater wetland Mud flat / Sand flat Pond Salt flat / Open water Vernal pool Salt marsh Riparian forest Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Agriculture basemap: River channel Developed / Disturbed NAIP 2014 River wash / Riparian scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Vernal pool Riparian forest Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Tijuana River Valley habitat types – ca. 2012
Dune DuneBeach BeachSubtidal water SubtidalMud flat water MudSalt flat flat / Open water Salt flatmarsh / Open water 1 SaltAlkali marsh meadow complex / High marsh transition zone km AlkaliRiver channelmeadow complex / High marsh transition zone River channelwash / Riparian scrub Dune RiverGrassland wash / / Coastal Riparian sage scrub scrub Beach GrasslandPerennial freshwater/ Coastal sage wetland scrub Subtidal water PerennialPond freshwater wetland Mud flat / Sand flat PondVernal pool Salt flat / Open water VernalRiparian pool forest Salt marsh RiparianAgriculture forest Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone AgricultureDeveloped / Disturbed basemap: River channel DevelopedConcrete channel / Disturbed NAIP 2014 River wash / Riparian scrub Concrete channel Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Perennial freshwater wetland Pond Vernal pool Riparian forest Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Concrete channel Dune Beach ca. 1850 Subtidal water Findings Intertidal flat Salt marsh Salt flat / Open water River channel River wash / Riparian scrub • Conversion of mudflats Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Grassland / Coastal sage scrub and marsh to higher- Pond Vernal pool Perennial freshwater wetland elevation habitat types Riparian forest Concrete channel Agriculture Drivers: Developed / Disturbed sedimentation, early land reclamation
• Development of low mesa and 100% loss of associated wetlands Drivers: urbanization ca. 2012
• Alkali meadows converted to drylands Drivers: early groundwater declines Dune Beach ca. 1850 Subtidal water Findings Intertidal flat Salt marsh Salt flat / Open water River channel River wash / Riparian scrub Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone • The river corridor now Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Pond Vernal pool dominated by riparian Perennial freshwater wetland Riparian forest Concrete channel forest, not riparian Agriculture scrub (US) Developed / Disturbed
ca. 2012 Drivers of shift from scrub to forest
• Forest first established after 1980 floods
• Floods necessary for willow forest establishment: • Clear groundcover and provide tree seedlings with space and light • Deposit fine sediment (necessary substrate for willow seedlings) • Provide surface wetness through spring for germination
• All these conditions proved by large floods prior to 1980. Why no trees?
“Sites with perennial flow…would sustain stable, shallow ground-water levels across the flood plain even during times of extended drought. At the highly intermittent sites…ground-water depths and fluctuations likely have periodically exceeded survivorship tolerances for P. fremontii and S. gooddingii” (Lite and Stromberg 2005, research from San Pedro River, AZ) • Bell’s sparrow • California glossy snake • red diamond rattlesnake • long-nosed snake • ring-necked snake • sandhill crane • pronghorn • sea otter • Pacific pocket mouse • California condor • fulvous whistling duck • grizzly bear • Western pond turtle • Southern California toad • black rail • Western banded gecko Key messages for today
1 The valley supported a diverse array of wetlands in a dry climate.
Floods maintained a large and dynamic river 2 corridor.
The valley has undergone significant changes 3 in habitat distribution and extent. Management implications
Riparian forest is a “new” (but critical) habitat type Long-term compatibility with intermittent flows?
Groundwater levels have rebounded Can “missing” historical wetland types be supported?
Recent channel movement events have historical precedence Implications for how to treat “new” channels? Funder THANK YOU. California State Coastal Conservancy [email protected] Greg Gauthier (Contract Manager) www.sfei.org/projects/tijuana Team Robin Grossinger (SFEI) Erin Beller (SFEI) Sean Baumgarten (SFEI) Sam Safran (SFEI) Shawna Dark (CSU Northridge) Danielle Bram (CSU Northridge) Travis Longcore (USC) Eric Stein (SCCWRP) Jeff Crooks (TRNERR) Julio Lorda (TRNERR) Technical Advisors Brian Bledsoe (Colorado State) Jeff Haltiner (ESA) Dave Jacobs (UCLA) John Largier (UC Davis) Lina Ojeda (COLEF) Bruce Orr (Stillwater Sciences) Ellen Wohl (Colorado State) Richard Wright (San Diego State) Joy Zedler (UW-Madison)
Data collection Searched > 30 online collections, including:
• Online Archive of California • Searchable Ornithological • Bancroft Digital Collections Research Archive • Library of Congress • Mapoteca Manuel Orozco y Berra • Smithsonian Archives of American Art • Archivo Histórico del Agua • Society of California Pioneers • California Digital Newspaper Collection • USC Digital Archive • Google Books • MVZ Field Notes Archive • David Rumsey Historical Map • Claremont Colleges Digital Library Collection • Coast Survey Historical Map & • University of North Texas Digital Library Chart Collection Data collection Visited 23 local, regional & national archives in US: Bay Area Los Angeles • The Bancroft Library • Water Resources Center Archives • Hearst Anthropology Museum • Huntington Library • California Historical Society • CSU Northridge • Society of California Pioneers • National Archives- Riverside • UC Berkeley Map Library • UCLA Spence/Fairchild Collection • Stanford Library & Special Collections • Seaver Center for Western History San Diego Other • San Diego Natural History Museum • National Archives- Arlington • SDSU Special Collections • SDSU Malcolm A. Love Library • UCSD Mandeville Department of Special Collections • UCSD Geisel Library • Scripps Institution of Oceanography Archives • San Diego History Center • IBWC Records Office • Coronado Public Library • San Diego Public Library Data collection Visited 9 archives in Mexico: Tijuana • Sociedad de Historia de Tijuana • Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas UABC • Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura • Biblioteca Alberto Limón Padilla
Mexico City • Archivo Histórico del Agua • Mapoteca Manuel Orozco y Berra • Archivo General de la Nación • Fundación ICA • Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas UNAM Photographs > 200 landscape photos 67 mosaicked aerials
Maps ~180 maps 45 georeferenced
Texts ~ 400 textual documents 246 pages transcribed Data compilation
annotate, translate, transcribe
georeference, rectify, mosaic sort, organize, prioritize
USCS T-sheet (Harrison 1852) GLO points (1854 -1880)
GLO data courtesy Bureau of Land Management
• Complete coverage on American side (292 points) Species records (1863 present) Soil surveys (1915, 1923)
courtesy University of Alabama Storie & Carpenter, 1923
Early maps overwhelmingly show “open” inlet
OPEN (Gray 1849; courtesy of CPL) OPEN (Harrison 1852; courtesy of NOAA) OPEN (IBC 1901; courtesy of CASP)
OPEN (Mansfield 1889; courtesy of NOAA) OPEN (USGS 1904) CLOSED (City of SD 1935; courtesy of UCB) Of the 57 maps reviewed, almost all show an “open“ inlet
Year Source Inlet condition Year Source Inlet condition
1849 Gray 1849 Open 1918 Savage 1918 Open 1850 Hardcastle and Gray 1850 Open 1920 Rodney Stokes Co. Inc. 1920 Open 1850 Ilarregri 1850 Open 1921 Ervast 1921 Open 1850 Ilarregri and Chavero 1850 Open 1922 San Diego & Arizona Railway 1922 Open 1852 Harrison 1852 Open 1928 Mora 1928 Open 1854 Poole 1854 Open 1929 Adams and Favela 1929 Open 1875 Denton and Lauteren 1875 Open 1929 Department of Public Works 1929 Open ca. 1880 San Diego Land & Town Company ca. 1880 Open 1930 Automobile Club of Southern California 1930 Open 1881 Unknown 1881 Open 1930 USGS 1930 Open 1883 Fox & Wiley 1883 Open 1931 Blackburn 1931 Open 1886 Clark 1886 Ambiguous 1931 Harwood 1931 Open 1887 San Diego Land and Town Company 1887 Open 1933 USCGS 1933 Open 1889 Beasley 1889 Open 1935 City of San Diego 1935 Closed 1889 Mansfield 1889 Open 1935 Klare 1935 Open 1889 Ryan and Humphreys 1889 Open 1935 Rand McNally 1935a Open 1900 Denton 1900 Open 1935 Rand McNally 1935b Open ca. 1900 E. M. Burbeck ca. 1900 Open 1935 Sipe and McBean 1935 Open ca. 1900 Knight ca. 1900 Open 1937 Cruse 1937 Open ca. 1900 S[????] ca. 1900 Open 1937 Lee 1937 Open 1901 International Boundary Commission 1901 Open 1937 Unknown 1937 Open 1904 USGS 1904 Open 1943 USGS 1943 Open 1906 Crowell 1906 Open 1944 Quayle 1944 Open 1910 Rodney Stokes Co. Inc. 1910 Open 1946 City of San Diego 1946 Open 1912 Alexander 1912 Open ca. 1950 Metsker Maps ca. 1950 Open 1914 Alverson 1914 Open 1950 Thomas 1950 Open 1915 Cromwell 1915 Open 1953 Nichols 1953 Open 1917 Automobile Club of Southern California 1917 Open 1953 USGS 1953 Open 1917 Guldbaum 1917 Open n.d. Southern California Mountain Water Co. n.d. Open In contrast, historical sources depict northern San Diego County lagoons as both “open“ and “closed“ How to assess channel stability? Sources depicting course Known date range Gray 1849 SFEI 2014 (ca. 1850 course) • Reviewed historical maps and orthophotos depicting location of Hardcastle & Gray 1850 1 1849-1854 Tijuana River Ilarregui & Chavero 1850 Poole 1854 • Grouped contemporaneous sources showing the same course Freeman 1854 2 • Looking for wholesale shifts in channel location at a relatively large Beasley 1889 1889 scale (evidence for channel avulsions, not just lateral migration of an 3 IBC 1901 (1894 course) 1894 Perry 1936 (1895 course) existing channel) 1904 4 USGS 1904 5 Ervast 1921 1921 San Diego County 1928 6 USCGS 1933 1928-1937 Lee 1937 USGS 1943 (1941 course) Mexicana Aerofoto 1945 USGS 1953 (1950 course) Historic Aerials 1953 USAED 1964 Historic Aerials 1964
Distinct Distinct courses 7 1941-1977 USCGS 1966 Historic Aerials 1966 USCGSSDC 1928 1933 USGS 1967 Historic Aerials 1968 Historic Aerials 1971 PWA 1987 (1977 course) 8 USGS 1980 1980 PWA 1987 (1986 course) 9 USGS 1989 1989 USGS 1990
USGS 1994 Historic Aerials 2002 Historic Aerials 2003 10 2012 Hisotric Aerials 2005 USGS 2012 USAEDUSGS 1967 1964 NAIP 2012 Areas of convergence and divergence 1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2 “There are two underground [groundwater] basins in Tia Apparent geological controls Juana Valley separated by a constriction in the vicinity of 0 courses Nestor Bridge formed by buried projections into0% the pro bValleyability of the relatively impermeable mesa formation.” (Lee 1940) 1-2 courses 9-18% probability
3-5 courses 27-45% probability
6-7 courses 55-64% probability
8-10 cou rses 73-91% probability
young Holocene and late Pleistocene alluvial flood- plain deposits
deposits from mesa and tributary influencing southern boundary?
Geologic boundaries and descriptions: Kennedy & Tan 2008 Apparent geological controls Reinforced by infrastructure? 0 courses 0% probability
1-2 courses 9-18% probability
3-5 courses 27-45% probability
6-7 courses 55-64% probability
8-10 cou rses 73-91% probability
young Holocene and late Pleistocene alluvial flood- plain deposits
Nestor/Hollister St. Bridge (pre-1904)
Geologic boundaries and descriptions: Kennedy & Tan 2008 Graf (2000) discusses how constriction points can create Apparent geological controls secondary upstream and downstream convergence zones where neighboring bends in the low-flow channel meander sequence are accommodated.
Primary high-probability convergence zone at bridge/geologic control
Secondary high-probability convergence zones at neighboring bends in meander sequence? 1 850 Transect analysis 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2
Numbered transects overlaid onto unique channel courses Transectanalysis
1 850 1 889 1 894 1 904 1 921 1 928 1 943 1 967 1 980 1 989 201 2 Methods- data sources
NLCD 2011
SANDAG 2012
Data sources CESAR 2000 NLCD 201 1 SANDAG 201 2 SCWMP 201 3 SFEI 201 5 (manual edits)
• No recent single source for contemporary land use / land cover • Instead compiled multiple datasets into one Methods- crosswalk Crosswalked modern classifications to historical habitat types
Mostly straightforward, but some difficult classes/regions…
Vernal pools ”Especially on our mesas were to be found thousands of miniature lagoons [within] innumerable hillocks …” “Thus, the lakes were formed, their surface and bottoms grown over with plants till the water was hid from view, and gradually disappeared by evaporation, leaving only dense jungles on a minute scale” (Orcutt 1887)
Mendenhall 1905 courtesy of USGS ) ” Bay 1937) Bruhlmeier ( (Arizona Sentinel 2/21/1874) Sentinel (Arizona , 1916, 1927 (also possibly 1825 and 1862 and 1825 possibly (also 1916, 1927 , 1891 “It just flooded more or less the whole valley.” valley.” whole the less or more flooded just “It Tijuana Tijuana River overflow San Diego into river, on the road hence to Yuma, is two miles wide miles two is Yuma, to hence road the on river, juana (Cruse (Cruse 1937) “The Tia 2 miles “overflow area” Perennial wetlands within the river corridor
courtesy Archivo Histórico del Agua Perennial wetlands within the river corridor
courtesy Archivo Histórico del Agua Perennial wetlands within the river corridor River wash / riparian scrub
1 mi no date, courtesy WRCA 1 km
July1910, 1920, courtesy courtesy SDHC WRCA
May 1944, courtesy SDHC Floods created habitat variability 1912
8 years 2 large floods 1920
Findings – River Valley ca. 1850 (Mexico) • River wash / Riparian scrub almost entirely developed • River channel with multiple braids replaced with straightened Concrete channel • Small patches of Riparian scrub now disconnected from river channel • Historical river corridor 200-1,400 m wide; now uniformly 100 m wide ca. 2012
Dune Beach Subtidal water Intertidal flat Salt marsh Salt flat / Open water River channel River wash / Riparian scrub Alkali meadow complex / High marsh transition zone Grassland / Coastal sage scrub Pond Vernal pool Perennial freshwater wetland Riparian forest Concrete channel Agriculture Developed / Disturbed Alkali meadow complex / High Marsh Transition Zone
“Probably more plentiful than any other butterfly of this region during its season… A collector can net two hundred in a couple of hours if he attends to his business.” – Wright 1908
Wandering Skipper collected by PD Hurd near Rialto, 1940.
Historical soil survey indicates alkali fine sandy loams with high ground water.
Batiquitos
San Elijo
Anaheim Tijuana kelp forests Border crossings during a flood… Method 1: Ford
courtesy SDHC Border crossings during a flood… Method 2: Zip