Hydrological, chemical and biological assessment of two New Mexico headwater streams (2023)
Data files
Nov 27, 2023 version files 8.22 KB
Abstract
Headwater streams play a crucial role in arid and semiarid regions. They provide freshwater to adjacent lowlands and temporarily store water as snowpack and groundwater. Downstream users – both humans specifically and ecosystems more broadly – depend on the delayed release, particularly during dry seasons. Headwater streams are highly vulnerable to climate change through shifts in snowmelt dynamics, changes in precipitation, evapotranspiration, and wildfire prevalence, among other factors. Monitoring headwater streams in dryland areas over time is therefore of critical importance.
Each year, graduate students enrolled in the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico monitor hydrological, chemical, and biological characteristics of two headwater streams in central New Mexico as part of a field methods class. This dataset contains measurements from the 2023 field campaign. At each stream site, measurements were repeated for three separate transects.
Las Huertas Creek (LH), the first monitoring site, is the only perennial stream in the Sandia Mountains. The stream drains north from the northeastern slope of the Sandias towards the town of Placitas, running through a narrow and heavily forested canyon. Transects range in elevation from 2190 m – 2320 m above sea level and were sampled on September 30, 2023. The second monitoring site is on the East Fork of the Jemez River (JR) within the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The stream runs through montane grasslands of the caldera, a 20 km circular depression formed by a large volcanic eruption and subsequent land subsidence approximately 1.2 million years ago. Transects are located at an elevation of approximately 2560 m above sea level and were sampled on October 7, 2023.
README: Hydrological, chemical, and biological assessment of two New Mexico headwater streams (2023)
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0cfxpnw89
Headwater streams play a crucial role in arid and semiarid regions. They provide freshwater to adjacent lowlands and temporarily store water as snowpack and groundwater. The delayed release is particularly important during the dry season. Headwater streams are highly vulnerable to climate change, and monitoring over time is of critical importance. Each year, graduate students enrolled in the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico monitor hydrological, chemical, and biological characteristics of two headwater streams in central New Mexico as part of a field methods class. The two sites are Las Huerts Creek (LH) and East Fork Jemez River (JR). This dataset contains measurements from the 2023 field campaign.
Description of the data and file structure
Dataset consists of 12 .csv files. Each file contains 8 columns of data:
Column 1: Parameter description
Column 2: Units
Column 3: LH1 (Las Huertas transect 1)
Column 4: LH2 (Las Huertas transect 2)
Column 5: LH3 (Las Huertas transect 3)
Column 6: JR1 (Jemez River transect 1)
Column 7: JR2 (Jemez River transect 2)
Column 8: JR3 (Jemez River transect 3)
Description of the content for individual files are included below.
AFDM
AFDM.csv lists ash free dry mass (AFDM) of the substrate and water column in % determined form samples collected at 6 transects.
Alkalinity
Alkalinity.csv contains alkalinity in mg/L as CACO3 determined from water samples collected at 6 transects.
Anions
Anions.csv contains concentration in mg/L for 7 anions based on water samples collected at 6 transects.
Canopy cover
Canopy_cover.csv contains tree canopy cover in % measured with a spherical densiometer at 6 transects.
Cations
Cations.csv includes concentration in mg/L for 30 cations based on water samples collected at 6 transects.
Discharge
Discharge.csv lists estimated discharge for 6 transects in L/s using the velocity-area method and the salt dilution method.
Macroinvertebrates
Macroinvertebrates.csv lists benthic macroinvertebrate densities reported as individuals/m^2; each row contains the density for each recorded taxon at 6 transects.
Multiparameter meter
Multiparameter_meter.csv contains the following parameters measured with a handheld meter at 6 transects:
Water temperature (°C), specific conductance (µS/cm at 25 °C), conductivity (µS/cm), dissolved oxygen (%), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), and pH.
Pebble count
Pebble_count.csv contains grain size distribution (% finer) for 6 transects using the pebble count method.
Sieve analysis
Sieve_analysis.csv lists grain size distribution (% finer) of a grab sample at each of 6 transects using sieve analysis.
Site locations
Site_locations.csv contains latitude and longitude of 6 transects in decimal degrees.
Turbidity
Turbidity.csv lists turbidity in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) determined from water samples collected at 6 transects.