Article

Climate and Water Monitoring at Chickasaw National Recreation Area: Water Year 2022

Water cascading over rocks at a small waterfall along a forest lined creek.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

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Overview

Together, climate and hydrology shape ecosystems and the services they provide, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems and across the Southern Plains (Woodhouse and Overpeck 1998). Understanding changes in climate, groundwater, and surface water is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources—and often, cultural resources.

At Chickasaw National Recreation Area (Figure 1), Southern Plains Network scientists study how ecosystems may be changing by taking measurements of key resources, or “vital signs,” year after year—much as a doctor keeps track of a patient’s vital signs. This long-term ecological monitoring provides early warning of potential problems, allowing managers to mitigate them before they become worse. At Chickasaw National Recreation Area, we monitor climate and groundwater, among other vital signs.

Groundwater conditions are closely related to climate conditions. Because they are better understood together, we report on climate in conjunction with water resources. Reporting is by water year (WY), which begins in October of the previous calendar year and goes through September of the water year (e.g., WY2022 runs from October 2021 through September 2022).

This article reports the results of climate and water monitoring at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in WY2022.

Reference: Woodhouse, C. A., and J. T. Overpeck. 1998. 2000 years of drought variability in the central United States. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 79(12): 2693–2714. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1998)079%3C2693:YODVIT%3E2.0.CO;2.

Map of Chickasaw National Recreation Area showing a weather station and two groundwater wells in the northeastern part of the park.
Figure 1. Weather stations and groundwater wells at Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

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Landscape of a grassy field with full green trees and a river running through it
Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma.

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Climate and Weather

There is often confusion over the terms “weather” and “climate.” In short, weather describes instantaneous meteorological conditions (e.g., it’s currently raining or snowing, it’s a hot or frigid day). Climate reflects patterns of weather at a given place over longer periods of time (seasons to years). Climate is the primary driver of ecological processes on earth. Climate and weather information provide context for understanding the status or condition of other park resources.

Methods

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Observer Program (NOAA COOP) weather station (Chickasaw Natl Rec Area # 341745) has been operational at Chickasaw National Recreation Area since 1978. This station provides reliable, long-term climate data that was used for analyses in this climate and water report. Data from this station are accessible through Climate Analyzer.

Results for Water Year 2022

Precipitation

Annual precipitation at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in WY2022 was 28.44″ (72.2 cm; Figure 2), 13.36″ (33.9 cm) less than the 1991–2020 annual average. Only October and May precipitation totals in WY2022 were greater than the 1991–2020 averages. Rainfall totals during all other months in WY2022 were less than the monthly averages, with July and September having the largest deficits, 3.59″ (9.12 cm) and 3.86″ (9.80 cm) less than normal, respectively. Extreme daily rainfall events (≥ 1″; 2.54 cm) occurred on 13 days (Table 1), the same as the 1991–2020 average annual frequency of 13 days. The largest rain event of 2.70″ (6.9 cm) occurred on 25 May 2022.

Air Temperature

The mean annual maximum temperature at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in WY2022 was 76.0°F (24.5°C), 2.9°F (1.6°C) above the 1991–2020 average. The mean annual minimum temperature in WY2022 was 52.5°F (11.4°C), 2.6°F (1.4°C) above the 1991–2020 average. Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures in WY2022 were warmer for most of the year and differed by as much as 10.6°F (5.9°C; see December as an example) relative to the 1991–2020 monthly averages (Figure 2). However, January and February were slightly cooler than average. Extremely hot temperatures (≥  98°F; 36.7°C) occurred on 47 days in WY2022, over twice the 1991–2020 average frequency of 19.4 days. Extremely cold temperatures (≤  20°F; -6.7°C) occurred on 17 days, similar to the 1991–2020 average frequency of 18.2 days.

Climogram: temperatures for WY2022 are higher in most months, and precipitation totals for WY2022 are lower in most months than the long-term normal.
Figure 2. Climogram showing monthly precipitation and mean maximum and minimum air temperatures in water year 2022 (WY2022) and the 1991-2020 averages, at Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

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Drought

Reconnaissance drought index (Tsakiris and Vangelis 2005) provides a measure of drought severity and extent relative to the long-term climate. It is based on the ratio of average precipitation to average potential evapotranspiration (the amount of water loss that would occur from evaporation and plant transpiration if the water supply was unlimited) over short periods of time (seasons to years). The reconnaissance drought index for Chickasaw National Recreation Area indicates that WY2022 was drier than the 1991–2022 average, for the second year in a row, from the perspective of both precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (Figure 3).

Reference: Tsakiris G., and H. Vangelis. 2005. Establishing a drought index incorporating evapotranspiration. European Water 9: 3–11.

Bar graph: the most recent two water years were drier than average. Water year 2006 was the driest and water years 2007 and 2015 were the wettest.
Figure 3. Reconnaissance drought index at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in water years 1991–2022. Drought index calculations are relative to the time period selected (1990–2022). Choosing a different set of start/end points may produce different results. “N/A” = insufficient data to generate reliable estimates. Data source: climateanalyzer.org.

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A shallow river glides between an overgrown brick wall and full green trees.
Rock Creek, Chickasaw National Recreation Area

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Groundwater

One of the most critical natural resources of the Southern Plains and American Southwest is groundwater; it interacts directly or indirectly with all key ecosystem features in these regions. Groundwater provides drinking water, irrigates crops, and sustains rivers, streams, and springs throughout the region. It is closely linked to long-term precipitation and surface waters; ephemeral flows sink below ground to reappear months, years, or even centuries later as perennial and intermittent streams and springs. Vegetation depends on groundwater, and it is the primary water source for almost all humans in the Southern Plains and American Southwest.

Methods

The US Geological Survey (USGS) monitors groundwater in two wells at Chickasaw National Recreation Area using automated methods: CRNA GW Well 1 and CRNA GW Well 2 (see Figure 1 in the Overview above). USGS data for both wells are available at the USGS National Water Information System.

Results for Water Year 2022

Groundwater monitoring results for WY2022 are summarized in Table 1. Mean depth-to-water at both wells was lower in WY2022 than in WY2021 (Table 2, Figure 4). CRNA GW Well 1 has varied by 12.3 ft (3.75 m) over the monitoring record. This well is 560 ft (171 m) from Travertine Creek, which likely buffers it from large water level fluctuations. CRNA GW Well 2 has varied by 63.6 ft (19.4 m) over the monitoring record. This well is 1090 ft (332 m) from Travertine Creek and experiences much larger groundwater-level fluctuations.

Line graph: Well number 2 is much more variable than well number 1, which may be buffered by Travertine Creek.
Figure 4. Depth to water (ft below ground surface; bgs) at two wells and discharge (cubic ft per second; cfs) at Travertine Creek, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, 1972–2022. Discharge data are only available for 2013–2022.

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Authors: Kara Raymond, Andy Ray

Please cite this report as
Raymond, K., and A. Ray. 2023. Climate and Water Monitoring at Chickasaw National Recreation Area: Water Year 2022. Southern Plains Network, National Park Service, Pecos, New Mexico.

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Chickasaw National Recreation Area

Last updated: September 19, 2024