Research

Inventory is being done by using a portable grid and close studies.
Portable quadrats are one tool for monitoring vegetation and soils.

NPS

Scientific research is key to protecting the natural and cultural wonders of our national parks. To make sound decisions, park managers need accurate information about the resources in their care. They also need to know how and why systems and landscapes change over time, and what amount of change is normal.

Like a physician monitoring a patient's heartbeat and blood pressure, scientists with the Sonoran Desert Network collect long-term data on park “vital signs"—key resources that can indicate overall ecosystem health. At Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, they monitor air quality, climate, groundwater, and vegetation and soils. Then they analyze the results and report them to park managers. Knowing if and how key resources are changing can provide managers with early warning of potential problems, when they are easier—and less expensive—to fix. It can also help them to make decisions and plan more effectively.

Studying park vital signs is only part of the picture. Scientific research is also conducted by park staff, other state and federal scientists, university professors and students, and independent researchers. Because many parks prohibit activities that occur elsewhere, scientists can use the parks as "control" areas for determining the effects of these activities where they do occur. Especially in the American West, national park lands often serve as the best model for what a relatively undisturbed landscape looks like.

 

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    Last updated: November 24, 2020

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    Contact Info

    Mailing Address:

    1100 W. Ruins Drive
    Coolidge, AZ 85128

    Phone:

    520 723-3172
    General park contact number includes a phone tree for finding the employee you wish to contact. Callers may dial zero for the phone attendant. Voicemail is available for many of the extensions.

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