New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

High elevation areas, such as the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) located in the Jemez Mountains of Northern New Mexico, have been described as exceptionally vulnerable to changes in climate and thus offer an ideal window to monitor temperature changes and their possible implications. In the present study, we examined the effects diurnal and seasonal water temperature changes and discharge have on water quality. Two water sampling regimes (diurnal and grab samples) were employed from May 2010 to May 2012 at four sites along two potentially vulnerable headwater streams located within the VCNP. Concentrations of primary nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate), dissolved organic carbon, and other solutes (bromide, chloride, fluoride, and sulfate), along with discharge and physicochemical parameters (conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity) served as indices of water quality. The results of this study indicated that primary nutrients and other solutes were sensitive to seasonal temperature changes, but that their sensitivity was modulated by the unique characteristics of sample sites. Effects of seasonal water temperature fluctuations on primary nutrient and other solute concentrations can offer a deeper understanding of challenges headwater streams may face as result of anticipated climate changes.