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Comparison of Aerial Thermal Infrared Imagery and Helicopter Surveys of Bison (Bison bison) in Grand Canyon National Park, USA.

ABSTRACT: Aerial thermal infrared (TIR) surveys are an attractive option for estimating abundances of large mammals inhabiting extensive and heterogeneous terrain. Compared to standard helicopter or fixed-wing aerial surveys, TIR flights can be conducted at higher altitudes translating into greater spatial coverage and increased observer safety; however, monetary costs are much greater. Further, there is no consensus on whether TIR surveys offer improved detection. Consequently, we performed a study to compare results of a TIR and helicopter survey of bison (Bison bison) on the Powell Plateau in Grand Canyon National Park, USA. We also compared results of both surveys to estimates obtained using a larger dataset of bison helicopter detections along the entire North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Observers in the TIR survey counted fewer individual bison than helicopter observers (101 to 127) and the TIR survey cost was 367% higher. Additionally, the TIR estimate was 18.8% lower than the estimate obtained using a larger dataset, while the comparative helicopter survey was 9.3% lower. Despite our small sample size, we found that helicopter surveys are currently the best method for estimating bison abundances in dense canopy cover sites due to ostensibly more accurate estimates and lower cost compared to TIR surveys. Additional research will be needed to evaluate the efficacy of these methods, as well as very high resolution satellite imagery, for bison populations in more open landscapes.

SUBMITTER: Hennig JD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8348576 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The Grand Canyon region in northern Arizona is a home or sacred place of origin for many Native Americans and is visited by over 6 million tourists each year. Most communities in the area depend upon groundwater for all water uses. Some of the highest-grade uranium ore in the United States also is found in the Grand Canyon region. A withdrawal of over 4000 km2 of Federal land in the Grand Canyon region from new uranium mining activities for 20 years was instituted in 2012, owing in part to a lack of scientific data on potential effects from uranium mining on water resources in the area. The U.S. Geological Survey has collected groundwater chemistry samples since 1981 in the Grand Canyon region to better understand the current state of groundwater quality, to monitor for changes in groundwater quality that may be the result of mining activities, and to identify "hot spots" with elevated metal concentrations and investigate the causes. This manuscript presents results for the assessment of uranium in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region. Analytical results for uranium in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region were available for 573 samples collected from 180 spring sites and 26 wells from September 1, 1981 to October 7, 2020. Samples were collected from springs issuing from stratigraphic units above, within, and below the Permian strata that host uranium ore in breccia pipes in the area. Maximum uranium concentrations at groundwater sites in the region ranged from less than 1 µg/L at 23 sites (11%) to 100 µg/L or more at 4 sites (2%). Of the 206 groundwater sites sampled, 195 sites (95%) had maximum observed uranium concentrations less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Maximum Contaminant Level of 30 µg/L for drinking water and 177 sites (86%) had uranium concentrations less than the 15 µg/L Canadian benchmark for protection of aquatic life in freshwater. The establishment of baseline groundwater quality is an important first step in monitoring for change in water chemistry throughout mining lifecycles and beyond to ensure the health of these critical groundwater resources.

Project description:Assessing chemical loading from streams in remote, difficult-to-access watersheds is challenging. The Grand Canyon area in northern Arizona, an international tourist destination and sacred place for many Native Americans, is characterized by broad plateaus divided by canyons as much as two-thousand meters deep and hosts some of the highest-grade uranium deposits in the U.S. From 2015-2018 major surface waters in Grand Canyon were monitored for select elements associated with breccia-pipe uranium deposits in the area, including uranium, arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Dissolved constituents in the Colorado River were monitored upstream (Lees Ferry), in the middle (Phantom Ranch), and downstream (Diamond Creek) of uranium mining areas. Concentrations of uranium, arsenic, cadmium, and lead at these main-stem sites varied little during the study period and were all well below human health and aquatic life benchmark criteria (30, 10, 5, and 15 μg/L maximum contaminant levels and 15, 150, 0.8, and 3.1 μg/L aquatic life criteria, respectively). Additionally, dissolved and sediment-bound constituents were monitored during a wide range of streamflow conditions at Little Colorado River, Kanab Creek, and Havasu Creek tributaries, whose watersheds have experienced different levels of uranium mining activities over time. Samples from the tributary sites contained ≤3.8 μg/L of dissolved cadmium and lead, and ≤17 μg/L of dissolved uranium. Dissolved arsenic also was mostly below human and aquatic life criteria at Little Colorado River and Kanab Creek; however, 63% of water samples from Havasu Creek were above the maximum contaminant level for arsenic. Arsenic in suspended sediment was greater than sediment quality guidelines in 9%, 35%, and 35% of samples from Little Colorado River, Kanab Creek, and Havasu Creek, respectively. At the concentrations observed during this study, tributaries contributed on average only about 0.12 μg/L of arsenic and 0.03 μg/L of uranium to the main-stem river. This study demonstrates how chemical loading from mined watersheds may be reliably assessed across a wide range of flow conditions in challenging locations.

Dataset Information

Comparison of Aerial Thermal Infrared Imagery and Helicopter Surveys of Bison (Bison bison) in Grand Canyon National Park, USA.

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