Washes Monitoring in the Sonoran Desert Network

Monitoring washes of primary drainages in Sonoran Desert Network (SODN) parks provides an important indicator of watershed condition and integrates several ecological and geomorphological processes, such as soil erosion, nutrient cycles, the occurrence and magnitude of disturbance events, surface and groundwater quantity and quality, and the abundance and distribution of riparian-obligate species. Washes monitoring provides information on watershed processes as well as on the consequences of land-management practices on watersheds containing SODN parks.