Detailed streamflow data for understanding hydrologic responses in the Logan River Observatory

Abstract

The Logan River watershed, located in Northern Utah, USA, consists of a relatively pristine, mountainous area that drains to a lower elevation, valley area influenced by both urban development and agriculture. The Logan River Observatory has been collecting aquatic (streamflow and water quality) and climate data throughout the Logan River watershed since 2014. While streamflow measurements are commonly made

Dissolving the mystery of subsurface controls on snowmelt–discharge dynamics in karst mountain watersheds using hydrologic timeseries

“…All monitoring stations record data at 15‐min intervals and stage height observations were converted to discharge via rating curves developed by the Logan River Observatory or USGS. Details on field monitoring, QA/QC protocols and links to public datasets are available in Neilson et al (2021).…”

“…and a drainage area of 554 km 2 (Figure 1a). This watershed includes several nested, intensively monitored subcatchments spanning a range of elevations and karstification (Table 1, Neilson et al, 2021) and has been the subject of many hydrogeology monitoring and modelling studies, summarized in Supplemental Materials (Bahr, 2016;Lachmar et al, 2021;Neilson et al, 2018;Spangler, 2001Spangler, , 2011. Average annual precipitation ranges from 45 to 125 cm with the majority falling as snow.…”

“…These alternate flow pathways are manifested as diverse streamflow and chemical responses to similar precipitation inputs (Chang et al, 2021; Jódar et al, 2020; Neilson et al, 2018). Neilson et al (2018, 2021) demonstrated how such variability in chemical responses can be used in mass and flow balances to quantify groundwater exchanges in nested karst mountain subcatchments. However, such approaches rely on intensive water quality monitoring and laboratory analysis in addition to streamflow data, limiting its broad applicability.…”