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ARS Home » Plains Area » Temple, Texas » Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301178

Title: USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds, Riesel, Texas, USA: Water quality research database

Author
item Harmel, Daren
item Haney, Richard
item Smith, Douglas
item King, Kevin

Submitted to: Water Resources Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/2/2014
Publication Date: 10/2/2014
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/60580
Citation: Harmel, R.D., Haney, R.L., Smith, D.R., King, K.W. 2014. USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds, Riesel, Texas, USA: Water quality research database. Water Resources Research. 50:8374-8382.

Interpretive Summary: The 75 year legacy database including discharge, sediment loss, land management, and meteorological data for the USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds has been available on the web for more than a decade (www.ars.usda.gov/spa/hydro-data); however, only recently have additional water quality data been added. These data include nitrogen and phosphorus data measured from more than 1000 runoff, 1300 baseflow, and 157 precipitation sampling events through 2012 on small rural watersheds (1.2-71 ha) in a nested network. The objectives of this manuscript are to present relevant background information on these data, summarize the data collection and analysis methodology, present the measured data along with cursory analyses, and convey the commitment of the USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds to long-term data accessibility and database enhancement for water quality data and research.

Technical Abstract: The 75 year legacy database including discharge, sediment loss, land management, and meteorological data for the USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds has been available on the web for more than a decade (www.ars.usda.gov/spa/hydro-data); however, only recently have additional water quality data been added. These data include dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus compounds measured from more than 1000 runoff, 1300 baseflow (lateral subsurface return or seepage flow), and 157 precipitation sampling events through 2012 on small rural watersheds (1.2-71 ha) in a nested network. The objectives of this manuscript are to present relevant background information on these data, summarize the data collection and analysis methodology, present the measured data along with cursory analyses, and convey the commitment of the USDA-ARS Riesel Watersheds to long-term data accessibility and database enhancement for water quality data and research.