First-time ever plans for environmental benefits in the Colorado River Delta were set in motion by an agreement known as Minute 319, which was signed in 2012 by the United States and Mexico. The agreement included a science-based plan for a one-time “pulse flow” release of 105,392 acre-feet (130 million cubic meters) of water from the Morelos Dam near Yuma, Arizona, in March of 2014. Pre-pulse baseline vegetation information was derived from WorldView-2 satellite imagery and lidar data; Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data will be used for analyses of the post-pulse biologic and hydrologic effects. See related discussion in the U.S. Geological Survey section titled “Lower Colorado River Spring Pulse Flow.”
http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/feature/minute319.html
3D picture of lidar-derived canopy height model looking north toward the U.S./Mexico border. Height values are shown in meters. (Background imagery courtesy of Esri image services.)