Eleven years of mountain weather, snow, soil moisture, and streamflow data from the rain-snow transition zone-the Johnston Draw catchment, Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed and Critical Zone Observatory, USA

Authors: GODSEY, SARAH - Idaho State University; Marks, Daniel; Kormos, Patrick; Seyfried, Mark; ENSLIN, CLARISSA - Boise State University; WINSTRAL, ADAM - Swiss Federal Institute; MCNAMARA, JAMES - Boise State University; LINK, TIMOTHY - Idaho State University

Submitted to: Earth System Science Data
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2018
Publication Date: 7/2/2018
Citation: Godsey, S.E., Marks, D.G., Kormos, P.R., Seyfried, M.S., Enslin, C., Winstral, A., Mcnamara, J.P., Link, T.E. 2018. Eleven years of mountain weather, snow, soil moisture, and streamflow data from the rain-snow transition zone-the Johnston Draw catchment, Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed and Critical Zone Observatory, USA. Earth System Science Data. 10(3):1207-1216. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1207-2018.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1207-2018

Interpretive Summary: Detailed hydrometeorological data from the rain-to-snow transition zone in mountain regions are limited. As the climate warms, the transition from rain to snow is moving to higher elevations, and these changes are altering the timing of downslope water delivery. To understand how these changes impact hydrological and biological processes in this climatologically sensitive region, detailed observations from the rain-to-snow transition zone are required.We present a complete hydrometeorological dataset for water years 2004 through 2014 for a watershed that spans the rain-to-snow transition zone (https://doi.org/10.15482/usda.adc/1402076). The Johnston Draw watershed (1.8 km2), ranging from 1497 to 1869m in elevation, is a sub-watershed of the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) in southwestern Idaho, USA. The dataset includes continuous hourly hydrometeorological variables across a 372m elevation gradient, on north- and south-facing slopes, including air temperature, relative humidity, and snow depth from 11 sites in the watershed. Hourly measurements of incoming shortwave radiation, precipitation, wind speed and direction, soil moisture, and soil temperature are available at selected stations. The dataset includes hourly stream discharge measured at the watershed outlet. These data provide the scientific community with a unique dataset useful for forcing and validating hydrological models and will allow for better representation and understanding of the complex processes that occur in the rain-to-snow transition zone.

Technical Abstract: Detailed hydrometeorological data from the rain-to-snow transition zone in mountain regions are limited. As the climate warms, the transition from rain to snow is moving to higher elevations, and these changes are altering the timing of downslope water delivery. To understand how these changes impact hydrological and biological processes in this climatologically sensitive region, detailed observations from the rain-to-snow transition zone are required.We present a complete hydrometeorological dataset for water years 2004 through 2014 for a watershed that spans the rain-to-snow transition zone (https://doi.org/10.15482/usda.adc/1402076). The Johnston Draw watershed (1.8 km2), ranging from 1497 to 1869m in elevation, is a sub-watershed of the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) in southwestern Idaho, USA. The dataset includes continuous hourly hydrometeorological variables across a 372m elevation gradient, on north- and south-facing slopes, including air temperature, relative humidity, and snow depth from 11 sites in the watershed. Hourly measurements of incoming shortwave radiation, precipitation, wind speed and direction, soil moisture, and soil temperature are available at selected stations. The dataset includes hourly stream discharge measured at the watershed outlet. These data provide the scientific community with a unique dataset useful for forcing and validating hydrological models and will allow for better representation and understanding of the complex processes that occur in the rain-to-snow transition zone.