Northern Basin and Range Ecoregion: Chapter 23 in <i>Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000</i>

Soulard, Christopher E.

Abstract:

The Northern Basin and Range Ecoregion (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997) is located in eastern Oregon (58.7 percent), northern Nevada (20.6 percent), southwestern Idaho (14.8 percent), and northeastern California (5.9 percent), encompassing the northern extent of the hydrographic Great Basin (Grayson, 1993). The ecoregion, which covers approximately 110,039 km² (42,486 mi²) of land, is bordered on the west by the Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills and the Sierra Nevada Ecoregions, on the north by the Blue Mountains and the Snake River Basin Ecoregions, and on the south by the Central Basin and Range Ecoregion (fig. 1). Much like the other Basin and Range ecoregions in the western United States (for example, Central Basin and Range, Mojave Basin and Range, and Sonoran Basin and Range Ecoregions), the Northern Basin and Range Ecoregion is characterized by basin-and-range topography. The ecoregion contains several wide basins bordered by scattered low mountains. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), the predominant vegetation, is intermixed with grasslands. Despite regional aridity, natural springs and spring-fed wetlands are scattered around the landscape, sustaining much of the region’s wildlife (Oregon Department of State Lands, 2000).

Genre:

USGS Numbered Series

ProdID:

70042616

Citation Author:

Soulard, Christopher E.

Citation Contributing Office:

Western Geographic Science Center

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Citation End Page:

243

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Citation Language:

English

Citation Larger Work Title:

Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000: Volume A in Status and trends of land change in the United States--1973 to 2000 (PP 1794-A)

Citation LatN:

45.5

Citation LatS:

40.0

Citation LonE:

-114.0

Citation LonW:

-121.5

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Citation Phsyical Description:

Chapter 23: 7 p.

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Citation Public Comments:

This publication is Chapter 23 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000, which is Volume A in Status and trends of land change in the United States--1973 to 2000, PP 1794. Volume A consists of 30 chapters. For access to other chapters, please visit PP 1794-A.

Citation Publisher:

U.S. Geological Survey

Citation Series:

Professional Paper

Citation Series Code:

Citation Series Number:

1794-A-23

Citation Search Results Text:

Northern Basin and Range Ecoregion: Chapter 23 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000; 2012; PP; 1794-A-23; Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000: Volume A in Status and trends of land change in the United States--1973 to 2000 (PP 1794-A); Soulard, Christopher E.