Ecoregions of New Mexico - Ecological Regions · phenomena include geology, physiography,...
Transcript of Ecoregions of New Mexico - Ecological Regions · phenomena include geology, physiography,...
NM_eco_map_fnl3.ai GG 1/23/07
PRINCIPAL AUTHORS: Glenn E. Griffith (Dynamac Corporation), James M. Omernik (USGS), Maryann M. McGraw (NMED), Gerald Z. Jacobi (Jacobi and Associates), Christopher M. Canavan (NMED), T. Scott Schrader (NMSU), David Mercer (NMED), Robert Hill (NRCS), and Brian C. Moran (Indus Corporation).
COLLABORATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Shann Stringer (NMED), David McCraw (NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources), Ken Scheffe (NRCS), Paul Neville (EDAC/UNM), Phil Crocker (USEPA), Shannen Chapman (Dynamac Corporation), Sandy Bryce (Dynamac Corporation), Mark Gruber (New Mexico Department of Game and Fish), John Hutchinson (Science Applications International Corporation), Jack Wittmann (USGS), and Tom Loveland (USGS).
REVIEWERS: Steve Cary (NM State Parks), Michael DeMers (New Mexico State University), and Esteban Muldavin (University of New Mexico).
CITING THIS MAP: Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., McGraw, M.M., Jacobi, G.Z., Canavan, C.M., Schrader, T.S., Mercer, D., Hill, R., and Moran, B.C., 2006, Ecoregions of New Mexico (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,400,000).
Ecoregion maps, publications, GIS files, and contact information are available at www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm.
Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the environment by its probable response to disturbance. These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas.The New Mexico ecoregion map was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000. It revises and subdivides an earlier national ecoregion map that was originally compiled at a smaller scale. The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity. These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level.
New Mexico contains semiarid shrub- and grass-covered plains, forested mountains, glaciated peaks, woodland- and shrubland-covered hills, lava fields and volcanic plateaus, river floodplains, and arid deserts. Ecological diversity is enormous. There are 8 level III ecoregions and 55 level IV ecoregions in New Mexico and many continue into ecologically similar parts of adjacent states.This map is part of a collaborative project primarily between USEPA Region VI, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)–Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)–National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). The project is associated with an interagency effort to develop a common framework of ecological regions. Reaching that objective requires recognition of the differences in the conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies applied to develop the most common ecoregion-type frameworks, including those developed by the USDA–Forest Service, the US EPA, and the NRCS. As each of these frameworks is further refined, their differences are becoming less discernible. Collaborative ecoregion projects, such as this one in New Mexico, are a step toward attaining consensus and consistency in ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation.
Ecoregions of New Mexico
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Canadian River
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De-Na-Zin Wash
Bluewater Reservoir
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Chaco Wash
CarlsbadCaverns NP
WhiteSands NM
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Chaco Culture NHP
Bandelier NM
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El Paso
Ciudad Juarez
Pecos
Farmington
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COLORADO
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Albers equal area projectionStandard parallels 33˚ N and 36˚ N
SCALE 1:1 400 000
20 Colorado Plateaus 20b Shale Deserts and Sedimentary Basins20c Semiarid Benchlands and Canyonlands20d Arid Canyonlands
21 Southern Rockies21a Alpine Zone21b Crystalline Subalpine Forests21c Crystalline Mid-Elevation Forests21d Foothill Woodlands and Shrublands21e Sedimentary Subalpine Forests21f Sedimentary Mid-Elevation Forests21g Volcanic Subalpine Forests21h Volcanic Mid-Elevation Forests21j Grassland Parks
24 Chihuahuan Deserts24a Chihuahuan Basins and Playas24b Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands24c Low Mountains and Bajadas24d Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands24f Rio Grande Floodplain24g Gypsiferous Dunes24h Lava Malpais
25 High Plains25b Rolling Sand Plains25c Moderate Relief Plains25e Canadian/Cimarron High Plains25i Llano Estacado25j Shinnery Sands25k Arid Llano Estacado
22 Arizona/New Mexico Plateau22a San Luis Shrublands and Hills22b San Luis Alluvial Flats and Wetlands22f Taos Plateau22g Rio Grande Floodplain22h North Central New Mexico Valleys and Mesas22i San Juan/Chaco Tablelands and Mesas22j Semiarid Tablelands22k Lava Malpais22l Plains of San Agustin22m Albuquerque Basin22n Near-Rockies Valleys and Mesas
23 Arizona/New Mexico Mountains23a Chihuahuan Desert Slopes 23b Madrean Lower Montane Woodlands23c Montane Conifer Forests23d Arizona/New Mexico Subalpine Forests23e Conifer Woodlands and Savannas23f Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests23g Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forests
26 Southwestern Tablelands26d Semiarid Canadian Breaks26f Mesa de Maya/Black Mesa26h Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands and Savannas26l Upper Canadian Plateau26m Canadian Canyons26n Conchas/Pecos Plains26o Central New Mexico Plains26p Pluvial Lake Basins26q Southern New Mexico Dissected Plains
79 Madrean Archipelago79a Apachian Valleys and Low Hills79b Lower Madrean Woodlands79c Madrean Pine-Oak and Mixed Conifer Forests
Level III ecoregionLevel IV ecoregionCounty boundaryState boundaryInternational boundaryContinental divide