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Three Responses of Wetland Conditions to Climatic Extremes in the Prairie Pothole Region

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Abstract

Wetlands in central North Dakota were revisited after 50 years to assess changes following extreme drought and a prolonged wet period. We compared data collected during 1961–1966 to current (2013–2014) wetland conditions. We revisited 80 wetlands in 2013 and 2014 across three study areas and measured wetland area, ponded-water depth, and specific conductance. Wetlands at the three study areas responded to prolonged wet conditions in one of three ways. Wetlands at Crystal Springs became larger, and had deeper ponds of lower specific conductance in 2013–14 compared to the 1960s. Wetlands at Cottonwood were larger with deeper ponds of slightly higher specific conductance in 2013–2014. Wetlands at Mt. Moriah had only subtle changes in size, pond depth, and specific conductance between periods. Prolonged wet conditions led to merging of most wetlands (defined as the outer edge of wet-meadow vegetation) at Crystal Springs and a few wetlands at Cottonwood. Low topographic relief at Crystal Springs and Cottonwood contributed to storage of excess water in wetlands with associated responses to prolonged wet conditions. In contrast, higher topographic relief and natural outlets into two intermittent streams at Mt. Moriah resulted in wetlands being less impacted by prolonged wet conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This project was funded by U.S. Geological Survey Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota. Housing and additional logistic support was provided by Chase Lake Wetland Management District in Woodworth, North Dakota. We thank Carter Johnson, Carol Johnston, and 2 anonymous reviewers for providing constructive reviews on earlier drafts of this manuscript. This project could not have been done without the help of technicians, Beth Harmsen and Alyse Homola. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Author notes

  1. Ryann L. Cressey

    Present address: Great Plains Regional Office, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Bismarck, ND, 58503, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA

    Ryann L. Cressey

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, 58401, USA

    Jane E. Austin

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA

    Joshua D. Stafford

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  1. Ryann L. Cressey
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  2. Jane E. Austin
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  3. Joshua D. Stafford
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Correspondence to Ryann L. Cressey.

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Cressey, R.L., Austin, J.E. & Stafford, J.D. Three Responses of Wetland Conditions to Climatic Extremes in the Prairie Pothole Region. Wetlands 36 (Suppl 2), 357–370 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0818-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0818-8

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