These data were compiled for monitoring riparian zone trends and changes in the Navajo Nation as part of a study to document riparian ecosystem health and its water use in support of potential restoration efforts. The objective of our study was to monitor the short and medium-term effects on the riparian vegetation in relation to evapotranspiration changes, drought, and other hydrological processes, along some critical riparian zones in the Navajo Nation. These data represent time series of vegetation greenness and water use for the years 2013 to 2023. These data were collected from the spaceborne mission Landsat 8 which carries the OLI (Operational Land Imager) and TIRS (Thermal Infrared Sensor) sensors for an area within the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. The specific regions of interest were focused on some Culturally Important Riparian Areas (CIRAS), including Buell Park/Black Creek Headwaters, Ganado/Pueblo Colorado Wash, Grand Falls, Oraibi Headwaters, Pasture Canyon, and Tappan Springs. Landsat data are collected and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey. The acquired imagery was filtered for quality and reprocessed by the Vegetation Index and Phenology Lab at the University of Arizona, to generate vegetation indices and evapotranspiration trends for these riparian corridors. These data summarize the time series over the 11-year study. Three vegetation indices (VIs) are computed and reported: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and the Two-Band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2). NDVI and EVI datasets were taken directly from Landsat products, EVI2 was calculated in the VIP Lab. Time series for daily Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa), in millimeters per day, were estimated from both EVI and EVI2 data using an ET empirical model (Nagler and others, 2013). These data can be used to study the trends in vegetation greenness, productivity, and water use, using VIs and ET respectively. These estimations can be linked to other variables or causes, and used to assess the effect climate change is having in this arid region in the period from 2013 to 2023.

These data were compiled to provide Fred Phillips Consultants with an estimate of river and stream vegetation (riparian) water use within the Little Colorado River (LCR) Watershed in Arizona, specifically providing an estimate of riparian plant area ET (mm/day and in mm/year) for actual remotely-sensed estimates of ETa and CU for at least one year of data (i.e., 2020). Objectives of our study were to measure five water metrics for the Little Colorado River watershed region on the Navajo Nation. These water metrics represent data including precipitation (P), potential evapotranspiration (ETo), actual evapotranspiration (ETa), net water requirement (WR) or the water difference (WD) between ETa and rainfall, and consumptive water use for a given riparian acreage (CU). These data were processed as 30m Landsat, using hdf format, and then .tif files were created for the location (study area) of riparian vegetation along the rivers and streams selected within the Little Colorado River watershed and dates from January 2014 through December 2020. These data were collected using digitized polygons for riparian shrubs and trees in ArcGIS by Fred Phillips Consultants and the water metric data was created in the University of Arizona, Vegetation Index and Phenology lab, using Landsat OLI imagery and Daymet weather data between 2014-2020. These data are useful to land and water managers across all levels of government, but these accurate and current estimates of riparian plant evapotranspiration and consumptive water use along the Little Colorado River tributaries and streams are especially valuable to the Navajo Nation, particularly for the adjudication of water rights.

These data were compiled to provide Fred Phillips Consultants with an estimate of river and stream vegetation (riparian) water use within the Little Colorado River (LCR) Watershed in Arizona, specifically providing an estimate of riparian plant area ET (mm/day and in mm/year) for actual remotely-sensed estimates of ETa and CU for at least one year of data (i.e., 2020). Objectives of our study were to measure five water metrics for the Little Colorado River watershed region on the Navajo Nation. These water metrics represent data including precipitation (P), potential evapotranspiration (ETo), actual evapotranspiration (ETa), net water requirement (WR) or the water difference (WD) between ETa and rainfall, and consumptive water use for a given riparian acreage (CU). These data were processed as 30m Landsat, using hdf format, and then .tif files were created for the location (study area) of riparian vegetation along the rivers and streams selected within the Little Colorado River watershed and dates from January 2014 through December 2020. These data were collected using digitized polygons for riparian shrubs and trees in ArcGIS by Fred Phillips Consultants and the water metric data was created in the University of Arizona, Vegetation Index and Phenology lab, using Landsat OLI imagery and Daymet weather data between 2014-2020. These data are useful to land and water managers across all levels of government, but these accurate and current estimates of riparian plant evapotranspiration and consumptive water use along the Little Colorado River tributaries and streams are especially valuable to the Navajo Nation, particularly for the adjudication of water rights.

These data were compiled to assess the status and trends of riparian plant communities along the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead, AZ. Three metrics have been proposed to evaluate the "Riparian Vegetation" goal identified in the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program's Long Term Experimental and Management Plan (U.S. Department of Interior, 2016). The three metrics are total living plant cover, the proportion of living cover composed of native species, and native species richness. Current policies for Glen Canyon Dam operations result in three longitudinal bands within the riparian area that are flooded at different frequencies. The band, or hydrologic zone, that is most frequently inundated is referred to here as the “active channel” or “AC.” This includes all areas inundated by releases up to 25,000 cubic feet per second (707 m3/s). The “active floodplain” or “AF” is inundated by high flow experiments and includes areas that are inundated by releases between 25,000 cubic feet per second and 45,000 cubic feet per second (1,274 m3/s). The “inactive floodplain” or “IF” is the area along the river that is inundated by releases over 45,000 cubic feet per second, which is not planned under current policies. The metrics are assessed for each of these hydrologic zones. Data from the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center's riparian vegetation monitoring protocol (Palmquist and others, 2018) can be used to evaluate these metrics, which is what is provided here. In short, 80-100 sample sites are randomly selected each year. These sites include debris fans, eddy sandbars, and channel margins. At each randomly selected sample site, ocular cover estimates of each plant species occurring in 1-m2 quadrats spanning the hydrological zones are recorded, along with an estimate of total living plant cover and associated environmental variables. The first metric, total living plant cover, consists of two pieces of data; plant occurrence (a plant is present in the sample frame) and plant cover (proportion of the sample frame covered with living plants). Cover is represented by both an ordinal cover class (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.) and the midpoint of the cover class value (0.01%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, etc). The proportion of native cover is the sum total of native plant cover divided by the sum total of plant cover (native plus nonnative cover) for a sample frame. Native plant richness is the total number of native species rooted inside a sample frame. The total living plant cover data are available for 2016 through 2023. The native cover and richness data are available for 2014 and 2016 through 2023.

These data consist of species relative cover, percent cover of dead plant material, percent cover of soil and rock, and a variety of broad - and local- scale environmental variables. These data relate to sample sites along the Colorado River through Grand Canyon between Lees Ferry and river mile 245. The plant and ground cover data included here were originally collected as a part of annual vegetation monitoring by Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. Environmental variables were either recorded in the field or obtained through other data sources. Species and ground cover data were collected in August and September 2014 at 96 randomly selected sample sites that were approximately evenly distributed along the river corridor. The sample sites were distributed among three geomorphic features: channel margins (44), debris fans (28), and sandbars (24).

These data consist of species relative cover, percent cover of dead plant material, percent cover of soil and rock, and a variety of broad - and local- scale environmental variables. These data relate to sample sites along the Colorado River through Grand Canyon between Lees Ferry and river mile 245. The plant and ground cover data included here were originally collected as a part of annual vegetation monitoring by Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. Environmental variables were either recorded in the field or obtained through other data sources. Species and ground cover data were collected in August and September 2014 at 96 randomly selected sample sites that were approximately evenly distributed along the river corridor. The sample sites were distributed among three geomorphic features: channel margins (44), debris fans (28), and sandbars (24).