San Pedro Watershed
Database
Office of Research and
Development
National Exposure
Research Laboratory
(NERL)
Environmental Sciences
Division
Landscape Ecology
Branch
EPA/600/C-00/002
The San Pedro Data Browser was developed by the Landscape
Ecology Branch of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Las
Vegas, NV). The goal of the Landscape Sciences Program is to
improve decision-making relative to natural and human resource
management through the development of an integrated system of
landscape change detection metrics and models. The program has
proceeded simultaneously along two lines, 1) a research component
to develop and test landscape indicators and assessment protocols,
and 2) an implementation
component to demonstrate
the application of landscape
analysis protocols to ecologi-
cal and hydrological assess-
ments via a number of geo-
graphic initiatives.
The San Pedro Data Browser
provides spatial data in a
user-friendly and accessible
on-line format to other
researchers, public agencies,
resource managers, non-gov-
ernmental organizations,
decision-makers, and user
groups. This product pro-
vides for long term record
keeping (archiving) and easy
access to an exceptional
assemblage of spatial data
for this internationally sig-
nificant watershed. The
development of a watershed
database "to unite and
organize available data for
the public and experts" was
strongly recommended within the Ribbon of Life: An Agenda for
Preserving Transboundary Migratory Bird Habitat on the Upper San Pedro
River. The Ribbon of Life report was prepared by the Secretariat of the
Commission for Environmental Cooperation under the authority of
Article 13 of the North American Agreement on Environmental
Cooperation and released during its 6th Annual Session held in June
1999 (see Council Resolution 99-04).
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San Pedro Watershed Database
Acquisition of primary data and database development are an initial feature of any landscape indicator
and assessment project. Since 1995, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists have been
working as part of the multi-agency Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere (SALSA) research consortium
dedicated to the study of global change within the Upper San Pedro Watershed.
The study location originates in Sonora, Mexico, and flows north into southeastern Arizona. The San
Pedro River is an international basin with significantly different cross border legal and land use prac-
tices. The watershed embodies a variety of characteristics which make it an exceptional outdoor labora-
tory for addressing a large number of scientific questions in arid and semi-arid hydrology, ecology,
meteorology, and the social and policy sciences. The Upper San Pedro Watershed represents a transition
area between the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts and topography, climate, and vegetation vary sub-
stantially across the watershed. Elevation ranges from 900 to 2,900 m and annual rainfall ranges from
300 to 750 mm. Biome types include desertscrub, grasslands, oak woodland-savannah, mesquite wood-
land, riparian forest, coniferous forest, and agriculture. The upper watershed encompasses an area of
approximately 7,600 km2 (5,800 km2 in Arizona and 1,800 km2 in Sonora, Mexico).
The role of the EPA research has been to develop change detection and accuracy assessment methodolo-
gies, landscape indicators, landscape hydrological models, landscape analysis and assessment tools, and
watershed assessments. The continuing work in the San Pedro has resulted in the accumulation of a
number of spectral image files from a variety of satellite and aircraft-based sensor platforms and a num-
ber of spatial data coverages for land, natural resource, and socioeconomic factors. This information has
been acquired from a number of sources and includes data generated within the EPA. All coverages
have been subset within the project area from its source near Cananea, Sonora, to a pour-point associat-
ed with the U.S. Geological Survey gaging station located near Redington, Arizona.
The spatial coverages and the supporting information (metadata) have been organized relative to their
geographical availability, i.e., entire upper watershed, Arizona portion only, or Sonora portion only. The
coverages are available for download and the metadata include important information relative to acqui-
sition, location, processing level, file size and format, and any relevant comments.
Users are advised that the majority of coverages within the database have been provided by a number
of other agencies. Verification of the quality of and use of any data supplied via this product are the
responsibility of the user.
For further information contact:
Bill Kepner or Dan Heggem
U.S. EPA, National Exposure Research Laboratory
P.O. Box 93478
Las Vegas, NV 89193-3478
Users are referred to the following URLs to learn more about the EPA research within the Upper San
Pedro Watershed and the multi-agency SALSA research consortium:
http://www.epa.gov/nerlesdl/land-sci/san-pedro.htm
http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/salsa/salsahome.html
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