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<br />Change Over Time
<br />
<br />As part of the Global Change Program, the
<br />USGS, in cooperation with seven counties in
<br />northeastern Colorado, is modeling land
<br />changes. Aerial photographs taken in 1937 that
<br />cover Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Jefferson,
<br />Larimer, Morgan, and Weld Counties are digi-
<br />tized, interpreted for land-use and land-cover
<br />characteristics, and compared with recent digi-
<br />tal land-characterization data to determine
<br />change over time (fig. 3). The objective is to
<br />develop a method for predicting land-use and
<br />land-cover changes to determine possible
<br />effects on ecoregions and natural resources.
<br />
<br />Another study in the Global Change Pro-
<br />gram is the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemi-
<br />cal Budgets project. For this study, the USGS
<br />is examining sensitive components of the Loch
<br />Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain National
<br />Park to determine the likely effects of global
<br />change, which includes climate, on Rocky
<br />Mountain watersheds. An important objective
<br />is to study the interaction among snowpack,
<br />snowmelt, streams, wetlands, and glaciers and
<br />their response to warming or other aspects of
<br />global change.
<br />
<br />Collection of Hydrologic Data
<br />
<br />Colorado has four major rivers-the Colo-
<br />rado, the South Platte, the Arkansas, and the
<br />Rio Grande. These rivers supply water to
<br />users within Colorado and to many down-
<br />stream States. The USGS, in cooperation with
<br />local, State, and Federal agencies, collects
<br />streamflow and water-quality data at sites
<br />throughout the State (fig. 4). These data are
<br />
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<br />Figure 4. Water-sample collection.
<br />
<br />critical for the day-to-day administration and
<br />management of water resources, determining
<br />the extent and severity of droughts, character-
<br />izing and predicting conditions during floods,
<br />and monitoring the effects of human activities
<br />on streamflow and water quality. The data also
<br />are essential to interpretive studies that pro-
<br />vide information for making decisions about
<br />water issues that affect millions of people.
<br />Current (real-time) and historical water data
<br />for selected sites in Colorado are available by
<br />computer retrieval through the World Wide
<br />Web on the Internet. The Colorado home page
<br />address is:
<br />http://webserver.cr.usgs.gov/
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<br />Figure 3. Land use in the Niwot, Colorado quadrangle, northeast of Boulder. A, 1937; 8, 1982. Each color
<br />denotes a different land use type.
<br />
<br />
<br />USGS State representative
<br />Bldg. 53 Denver Federal Center
<br />Mail Stop 415, PO Box 25046
<br />Lakewood, CO 80225-0046
<br />(303) 236-4882
<br />Fax: (303) 236-4912
<br />Email: dc_co@usgs.gov
<br />
<br />Additional earth science
<br />information can be found by
<br />accessing the USGS Home Page
<br />on the World Wide Web at
<br />http://www.usgs.gov/
<br />
<br />For more information on
<br />all USGS reports and products
<br />(including maps, images,
<br />and computerized data), call
<br />1-800-USA-MAPS
<br />
<br />The USGS provides maps,
<br />reports, and information to help
<br />others meet their needs to manage,
<br />develop, and protect America's water,
<br />energy, mineral, biological, and land
<br />resources. We help find the natural
<br />resources needed to build tomorrow,
<br />and supply the scientific understand-
<br />ing needed to help minimize or miti-
<br />gate the effects of natural hazards
<br />and environmental damage caused
<br />by natural and human activities. The
<br />results of our efforts touch the daily
<br />life of almost every American.
<br />
<br />U.S. Geological Survey
<br />Fact Sheet FS-006-96
<br />
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