Development of a general protocol for rapid response research on water quality disturbances and its application for monitoring the largest wildfire recorded in New Mexico, USA

Abstract

Anthropogenic and natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, oil spills, mine spills, sewage treatment facilities) cause water quality disturbances in fluvial networks. These disturbances are highly unpredictable in space-time, with the potential to propagate through multiple stream orders and impact human and environmental health over days to years. Due to challenges in monitoring and studying these events, we need methods to strategize the deployment of rapid response research teams on demand. Rapid response research has the potential to close the gap in available water quality data and process understanding through time-sensitive data collection efforts. This manuscript presents a protocol that can guide researchers in preparing for and researching water quality disturbance events. We tested and refined the protocol by assessing the longitudinal propagation of water quality disturbances from the 2022 Hermit's Peak—Calf Canyon, NM, USA, the largest in the state's recorded history. Our rapid response research allowed us to collect high-resolution water quality data with semi-continuous sensors and synoptic grab sampling. The data collected have been used for traditional peer-reviewed publications and pragmatically to inform water utilities, restoration, and outreach programs.

Quantifying Prescribed‐Fire Smoke Exposure Using Low‐Cost Sensors and Satellites: Springtime Burning in Eastern Kansas

“…Smoke was transported from fires located in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and New Mexico. However, New Mexico experienced two of the largest wildfires in the state's history spring 2022; the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires persisted for months and burned 1,382 km 2 (Tunby et al., 2023 ). The Hermits Peak fire started on 6 April 2022 and the Calf Canyon fire started on 19 April 2022.…”

“…The Hermits Peak fire started on 6 April 2022 and the Calf Canyon fire started on 19 April 2022. These fires merged and were 100% contained by 21 August 2022 (Tunby et al., 2023 ). This wildfire overlapped with two of the 3 months of our campaign.…”