Arizona Ciénega

Photo By/Credit
Julie Crawford/USFWS
Media Usage Rights/License
Public Domain
Image
A ciénega in southeast Arizona. Ciénegas are a rare type of wetland found only in the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Like an oasis, they stand out as a verdant island in a sea of arid land. They’re fed by springs and host a myriad of species that only exist in their particular ciénega system. They and their resident species’ existence is threatened by climate change and groundwater pumping.
Ecosystem
Desert
Wetland