Spatial evaluation of precipitation in two large watersheds in north-central Arizona

Abstract

The USDA Forest Service established the Beaver Creek Experimental Watershed Pilot Project in north-central Arizona in 1957 and operated it until 1982. After the Forest Service discontinued the project in 1982, Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry continued to monitor and do research in two of the largest watersheds, known as Woods Canyon and Bar M. From 1982 to 1995 only streamflow data are available for these watersheds. A weak correlation between streamflow and precipitation for both watersheds was determined by analyzing the USDA data from 1961 to 1982, using spatial interpolation methods in ArcGIS. However, this study is a work in progress and the authors are in the process of using different spatial interpolation methods in ArcGIS to determine better regression functions between streamflow and precipitation. The objective of this study is to evaluate existing historical data using newly available techniques and technology to obtain new results. Methods used so far, in ArcGIS, are four different spatial interpolation methods, namely Inverse Distance Weighting, Radial Basis Function, and Global and Local Interpolation.

Citation

Poff, Boris; Desta, Assefa; Tecle, Aregai. 2004. Spatial evaluation of precipitation in two large watersheds in north-central Arizona. In: Hydrology and water resources in Arizona and the Southwest: proceedings of the 2004 meetings of the Hydrology Section, Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. Tucson, Ariz.: Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, Hydrology Section: 15-19