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openCC (other)Jan 2025View details →

Water chemistry in streams and precipitation samples in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, 2022-2023

Water samples have been collected for chemical analysis at various locations in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, starting in 2022. The database includes grab samples gathered approximately weekly in selected streams and bulk precipitation collected at the PRIMET meteorological station. Samples were analyzed for cations (Si4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, and Na+) and anions (Cl- and SO42-).

openCC (other)Oct 2025View details →

Stream and air temperature data from stream gages and stream confluences in the Andrews Experimental Forest, 1950 to present

Stream and air temperature are measured in tandem at stream gauging stations and other selected locations and stream confluences within the Andrews Forest. Air temperature is generally measured over the stream or alongside. Currently, mean, max and min water and air temperature data are collected every 5 minutes at the gauging stations and instantaneous temperatures every 15 minutes at all other sites. Most measurements were collected hourly commencing in the later 1990s, but a few sites have daily data beginning in the late 1970s. Historic data collected 1949 to 1981 at Lookout Creek stream gauge are included with the daily summary data. Other Andrews Forest related databases: Long term air temperature data from the reference and benchmark climate stations are also available in MS001. Previous high resolution stream temperature data at some of the small watershed stream gages are available in HT001 and stream temperature data throughout the Andrews Forest stream networks during several years are available in HT002.

openCC (other)Dec 2025View details →

Stream discharge in gaged watersheds at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, 1949 to present

Streamflow from selected small watersheds has been continuously monitored at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest since November 1952. The objectives of this research and monitoring include: (1) evaluate long-term changes in hydrology associated with various forest management treatments, notably clearcut logging, selective logging, and burning of predominantly Douglas-fir conifer forests; (2) characterize the hydrologic regimes and evaluate mechanisms influencing water availability from conifer forests; and (3) provide baseline data for affiliated precipitation and stream water chemistry and sediment transport studies. In addition to stage heights and discharge, data on stream chemistry, stream and air temperature, specific conductivity are collected at the stream gages. Models have also been extensively calibrated with these data to characterize the hydrologic regimes of forests at different elevations and following forest management. Many other studies within the watersheds also use these hydrology data. The original design for the first- and second-order small watersheds used a paired watershed technique to evaluate changes in streamflow following forest management and harvest in conifer forests. A reference watershed remained unharvested within each set (Andrews WS 1, 2, 3; WS 6, 7, 8; and WS 9, 10). Watershed details and treatments are described at https://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/research/infrastructure/watersheds and in the 'Gaged watershed description' PDF in Related Materials/Files. Mack Creek is a third-order watershed where the reference was upstream of the harvested section. The fifth-order Lookout Creek has a gage maintained by US Geological Survey. Early discharge data from Lookout Creek gage, including for the period when USFS maintained the gage, are available here. Measurements of stream stage heights are recorded in feet and streamflow data are available in units of cubic feet per second (cfs). Discharge is calculated using rating curves that ha

openCC (other)Nov 2025View details →

Stream specific conductance and temperature from small watersheds in the Andrews Forest

Stream specific conductance and water temperature are measured instantaneously every 5 minutes at most of the gauged watersheds within the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (Watersheds 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and Mack Creek). Data is complementary to stream chemistry measurements from a proportional sampler (CF002) and long-term streamflow measurements (HF004) made at each of these watersheds.

openCC (other)Nov 2024View details →

Solute dynamics in the hyporheic zone of a headwater stream in Watershed 1 at the Andrews Experimental Forest, 2016-2018

This project examined the interactions between stream water and subsurface sediment to quantify how these interactions influenced organic C respiration and dissolved inorganic C (DIC) production in the hyporheic zone of a high-gradient headwater mountain stream draining a forested catchment at the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, USA. The study used six 2-m long hyporheic mesocosms which were packed with streambed sediment in the spring of 2016. The mesocosms are located at the Watershed 1 (WS1) stream gage and stream water from WS1 has been pumped through the mesocosms continuously since they were first packed through the end of (and beyond) this study in autumn of 2018. The mesocosms were designed around 1-m long 20-cm diameter aluminum pipe segments with sample ports located each meter along the flowpath through each mesocosm – thus sampling at the inlet, at 1 m, and at the outlet which represents the full 2-m long flow path. Sampling was conducted on seven dates between Oct 23 2016 and Aug 27 2018. On two of these dates, only background samples were collected. On the remaining 5 dates, sampling was designed around continuous-injection tracer experiments using both a conservative tracer (salt) and a reactive tracer (various dissolved organic substrates). For background sampling events, samples were generally only collected once. The tracer experiments involved 4 discreet sampling times: 1. pre-injection (under background conditions); 2. early plateau; 3. late plateau, and 4. post-injection (and in one injection experiment, a 5th sample at late-post-injection time). For each round of samples, the mesocosm water temperature, pH, EC, and DO were measured with sensors in a small flow-through cell. Then water samples were collected for laboratory analysis for both DOC and DIC. The median travel time of water through each pipe segment of the 2-m mesocosms was also calculated from the conservative tracer break-through curves.

openCC (other)Oct 2025View details →

Water stable isotopes for streams and precipitation samples in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, 2014-2023

Water samples have been collected for analysis of water stable isotopes (O18/16 and H2/H1) at different locations in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest and over different periods since 2014 in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. The database includes: 1) grab samples collected over the stream network of the Andrews Forest on multiple sampling campaigns during various flow conditions. In each of the campaigns, the samples were collected at approximately 50–100-meter intervals in 1st–5th order streams across the network; 2) water samples collected in the Andrews Forest every 1–3 weeks between 2014 and 2018 in streams (Lookout Creek, Mack Creek, McRae Creek, WS01, WS02, WS07, and WS08) and bulk precipitation from benchmark meteorological stations (PRIMET, MACK, and H15MET) between 2014 and 2023; 3) stream and precipitation samples collected in the Andrews Forest at high temporal resolution during discrete storm events at Mack Creek in 2015; and 4) weekly grab samples from Lookout Creek and selected tributaries.

Longitudinal Streamflow in Headwater Streams on Prospect Hill Tract at Harvard Forest 2003

We have initiated long-term monitoring of streamflow in headwater streams on the Prospect Hill Tract at the Harvard Forest. In addition, we have periodically recorded summer flow conditions longitudinally along the length of headwaters within Harvard Forest to obtain information about spatial heterogeneity of flow and of availability of aquatic habitat within these headwaters. In summer of 2003, we recorded streamflow each week at 20-m intervals along the length of two tributaries of Nelson Brook, Tributary A, from Route 32 to its outlet from the Black Gum Swamp, and Tributary B, from its junction with Tributary A to its origin in wetlands north of Prospect Hill Road.

openCC0Jan 2024View details →

Inorganic Nutrient Concentrations in Forested Headwater Streams at Harvard Forest since 2017

For the past 8000 years hemlock has been the foundation species throughout the northeast. The unique functional characteristics of Hemlock have dictated biogeochemical fluxes from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems (Ellison et al. 2005). Unfortunately, it is currently in an irreversible decline due to the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid and the consequences on riparian ecology are unknown but likely profound (Adams et al. 2012). Red maple, black birch, and northern red oak are some of the most abundant trees in southern New England and are poised to replace hemlock across the landscape (Orwig et al. 2012). Decline and loss of hemlock, and its replacement with hardwood species containing different functional traits are expected to lead to changes in litterfall inputs, forest evapotranspiration, surface water hydrology, including seasonal streamflow/stormflow dynamics, stream temperature, decomposition, and nutrient release (Ellison et al. 2005; Ford and Vose 2007; Guswa and Spence 2011;Brantley et al. 2014). This anticipated shift to hardwoods has far reaching effects as it will significantly alter receiving water primary productivity and food web structure (Humborg et al. 2000, Garnier et al. 2010) by changing watershed N:P:Si export ratios and nutrient availability downstream (e.g., Currie et al. 1996, Fulweiler and Nixon 2005, Carey and Fulweiler 2013). The goal of this ongoing project is to quantify watershed export of inorganic nutrients overtime from the three gauged forested streams at Harvard Forest. To do this we aim to collect samples weekly and then we will calculate monthly, seasonal, and annual changes in inorganic nutrient export. Further we are investigating inorganic nutrient concentration as well as flux vs. stream discharge patterns to better understand the role of physical vs. biological processes in driving watershed nutrient export.

Carbon Biogeochemistry of Forested Headwater Streams at Harvard Forest 2006-2007

Headwater streams make up greater than 80% of total channel length in the United States and play important roles in regulating nutrient, organic matter, and sediment fluxes from terrestrial to downstream ecosystems. Headwater streams are common features of many upland-forested watersheds in New England, yet are not explicitly factored into forest water, carbon, and nutrient budgets. Here we report on recent efforts to examine terrestrial and stream ecosystem linkages in carbon biogeochemistry in a hemlock-dominated watershed. A prototype stream biogeochemical system (SBS) was tested at the Harvard Forest LTER. The SBS allows a suite of stream water properties to be characterized in real-time over extended periods of time thus allowing questions to be asked at a wide range of time scales. The prototype SBS was field-tested in Bigelow Brook West on the Prospect Hill research tract at Harvard Forest. Bigelow Brook West was selected because the watershed’s hydrology, stream ecology, forest composition, land-use history, and carbon sequestration have been characterized, thus aiding the interpretation of SBS data and facilitating multi-disciplinary research. The prototype system monitors stream and air temperature, pCO2 , colored dissolved organic matter, total suspended sediments, PAR, water depth, pH, and dissolved O2. Independent estimates of organic and inorganic water chemistry were used to validate and interpret SBS data. Here we report on preliminary findings from the pilot SBS at Harvard Forest to highlight the usefulness of headwater stream chemistry data to a wide-diversity of ecosystem scientists. 1) Low pH constrains dissolved inorganic carbon solute fluxes to downstream ecosystems. 2) CO2 concentrations were always supersaturated in Bigelow Brook, averaging about 6x atmospheric values in summer, thus the stream is an important source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Variation in CO2 appears to be linked to multiple mechanisms including changes in stream temperature,

Headwater Habitat Streams in Central Massachusetts 2002-2005

Headwater streams, particularly those that flow only during part of the year, are understudied and underprotected in Massachusetts. Research being conducted elsewhere suggests that these "Headwater Habitat Streams" are important both for aquatic biodiversity and for ecological function of lower stream reaches. We are carrying out baseline research, involving research scientists and volunteers, on hydrology and habitat characteristics in headwater streams in northern Worcester County, MA. We hypothesized that headwater streams exhibit a longitudinal gradient of hydrology, from (1) ephemeral channels that flow only in response to storms, through (2) intermittent sections that flow seasonally until the groundwater table falls below the channel and are dry the rest of the year, to (3) interstitial reaches that flow seasonally and retain pools connected by subsurface flow during the summer, to (4) the perennial stream. Results to date show a high degree of longitudinal heterogeneity in the study streams, with interspersion of perennially flowing reaches among low-gradient sections of vegetated wetland, high-gradient boulder piles, and braided channels. Perennial flow is found high up in some watersheds. We expect our methods and results will have implications throughout the Commonwealth for local conservation commissions and other municipal officials responsible for land-use planning and regulation, state agencies responsible for land management and the protection of wildlife, regulators reviewing projects affecting streams, watershed managers, teachers and their students, private land trusts, conservation advocates, and citizen-naturalists.

Stream Periphyton Response to Hemlock Mortality in Central Massachusetts 2006

The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) invasion is expected to cause widespread mortality of eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere] throughout much of New England. Light levels in streams with hemlock riparian zones are anticipated to increase as hemlock are replaced by deciduous trees. We sought to: 1) quantify differences in light reaching streams with hemlock and deciduous riparian zones, 2) determine if increases in light result in higher periphyton biomass, and 3) explore the role of macroinvertebrate grazing on periphyton biomass as light increases in an attempt to help predict stream ecosystem responses to hemlock mortality. Light measurements were taken along 100-800m stream reaches with riparian zones of healthy hemlock and deciduous trees in MA and CT in order to document an integrated light profile for each stream. In addition, a 2 x 2 factorial experimental design with five replicates was executed on a deciduous reach of Egypt Brook in central MA, in which light (high light vs. low light) and grazing (high grazing vs. low grazing) were manipulated. Light measurements were significantly higher for streams with deciduous riparian zones than hemlock riparian zones. Controlled shading reduced chlorophyll a, while excluding grazing yielded inconclusive results. Periphyton biomass in Egypt Brook was found to be light limited, and grazing did not suppress periphyton biomass. As hemlocks die, in-stream light will be significantly augmented, and periphyton biomass will increase. A challenge for stream ecologists will be to incorporate multiple physical, chemical, and biological controls on biota in order to fully understand how regional hemlock mortality will alter stream periphyton biomass.

openCC (other)Dec 2022View details →

North Temperate Lakes LTER Estimated winter inputs of stream water and groundwater to primary study lakes 1982 - 2014

This data set integrates and summarizes daily surface and groundwater inputs to 5 primary study lakes, using model estimates from a data-driven USGS hydrologic model (Hunt et al. 2013; Hunt and Walker 2017), and ice phenology data (number of days since ice-on). The lakes are Allequash, Big Muskellunge, Crystal, Sparkling, and Trout. Powers et al. (2017) used these data to estimate upper and lower bounds for exogenous chemical inputs to the lakes during winter. For a given lake and winter year, cumulative surface water and groundwater inputs were calculated across the ice cover period. For each lake, this data set reports the mean, maximum, and minimum winter water inputs observed across years, in units of water volume, % of average lake volume, and volume per winter day. Sampling Frequency: 1 per lake, with multiple summary values reported (i.e., mean, min, max). Number of sites: 5. Hunt, R.J. et al., 2013. Simulation of Climate - Change effects on streamflow, Lake water budgets, and stream temperature using GSFLOW and SNTEMP, Trout Lake Watershed, Wisconsin. USGS Scientific Investigations Report., pp.2013-5159. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258363719_Simulation_of_Climate... Hunt, R.J., and Walker, J.F., 2017, GSFLOW groundwater-surface water model 2016 update for the Trout Lake Watershed, Wisconsin: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7M32SZ2. Powers SM, Labou SG, Baulch HM, Hunt RJ, Lottig NR, Hampton SE, Stanley EH. In press (expected 2017). Ice duration drives winter nitrate accumulation in north temperate lakes. Limnology and Oceanography Letters.

openCC (other)Jan 2026View details →

Stream and lake water chemistry data for Green Lakes Valley, 1998 - ongoing.

This is a summary of major ion concentrations for lake water at selected depths as well as for the inlets and outlets of Green Lakes 1, 4, and Lake Albion. On some occasions the same samples were also taken from other lakes in the Green Lakes Valley, such as Green Lakes 2, 3 and 5.

Stream water chemistry data for Albion site, 1982 - ongoing.

This is a summary of major ion concentrations for stream water samples collected at the Albion site, at the lower end of Green Lakes Valley at the road crossing (culvert) at the Albion camp.

Stream water chemistry data for Arikaree cirque, 1984 - ongoing.

This is a summary of major ion concentrations for stream water samples collected from the stream draining the Arikaree Cirque. Sampling location varied from the channel at the lip of the cirque, where it is first exposed by snowmelt, at the beginning of the season to the outlet from the pond at the foot of the glacier (usually around early July).

openCC (other)Aug 2025View details →

Stream water chemistry data for Green Lake 4, 1982 - ongoing.

This is a summary of major ion concentrations for water samples collected at Green Lake 4. Under summer conditions (June - October) samples were from the outlet stream from the lake; in winter (November - May) they were from the lake, beneath ice cover.

Stream water chemistry data for Martinelli basin, 1984 - ongoing.

This is a summary of major ion concentrations for water samples from the outlet stream of the Martinelli Basin. Water usually flows seasonally from May to September.

Stream water chemistry data for Saddle Stream site, 1994 - ongoing.

This is a summary of major ion concentrations for stream water samples collected at the Saddle Stream site, at the outflow of the Saddle Stream below Niwot Ridge.

Stream water chemistry data for Green Lake 5 Rock Glacier, 1998 - ongoing.

This is a summary of major ion concentrations for stream water samples collected at the Green Lake 5 Rock Glacier, near Green Lake 5 in the Boulder County Watershed Green Lakes Valley.