Three decades of land cover change in acequia communities of northern New Mexico

Keywords: acequias, land cover change, New Mexico, remote sensing
Session Type: Virtual Poster
Day: Wednesday
Session Start / End Time: 4/7/2021 01:30 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/7/2021 02:45 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 52

Abstract

Acequias create a sense of place and are vital features for many communities in the U.S. Southwest. However, they are under threat due to growing urban water needs, climate change, and other human and environmental dynamics. Addressing the challenges faced by acequia communities requires a more comprehensive understanding of these socio-ecological complexities than currently exists. The purpose of this research was to help us move toward developing such an understanding. More specifically, our objective was to characterize land cover changes in acequia communities of northern New Mexico over the past three decades. To do so, we applied 1) convolutional neural network models to Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager satellite imagery to map land cover in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020; and 2) intensity analysis to describe land cover changes during each time interval (1990-2000, 2000-2010, 2010-2020) and overall (1990-2020). Our results show that acequia communities continue to be dominated by agricultural lands. However, agricultural lands have become increasingly fragmented by built-up land. Moreover, there have been changes in terms of the types of crops grown and the extent of fallow fields. The rates and patterns land cover changes have varied both across space and through time. These results suggest that acequia communities are likely characterized by differential resilience to socioeconomic and biophysical changes.