Long-Term Environmental Research: The Upper Washita River Experimental Watersheds, Oklahoma, USA

Abstract

Water is central to life and earth processes, connecting physical, biological, chemical, ecological, and economic forces across the landscape. The vast scope of hydrologic sciences requires research efforts worldwide and across a wide range of disciplines. While hydrologic processes and scientific investigations related to sustainable agricultural systems are based on universal principles, research to understand processes and evaluate management practices is often site-specific to achieve a critical mass of expertise and research infrastructure to address spatially, temporally, and ecologically complex systems. In the face of dynamic climate, market, and policy environments, long-term research is required to understand and predict risks and possible outcomes of alternative scenarios. This special section describes the USDA-ARS's long-term research (1961 to present) in the Upper Washita River basin of Oklahoma. Data papers document datasets in detail (weather, hydrology, physiography, land cover, and sediment and nutrient water quality), and associated research papers present analyses based on those data. This living history of research is presented to engage collaborative scientists across institutions and disciplines to further explore complex, interactive processes and systems. Application of scientific understanding to resolve pressing challenges to agriculture while enhancing resilience of linked land and human systems will require complex research approaches. Research areas that this watershed research program continues to address include: resilience to current and future climate pressures; sources, fate, and transport of contaminants at a watershed scale; linked atmospheric-surfacesubsurface hydrologic processes; high spatiotemporal resolution analyses of linked hydrologic processes; and multiple-objective decision making across linked farm to watershed scales.

Upper Washita River Experimental Watersheds: Data Screening Procedure for Data Quality Assurance

“…The FCREW and LWREW are located in southwestern Oklahoma (Fig. 1), covering an area of 813 (from below the dam) and 610 km 2 , respectively, with land used predominantly for agricultural purposes (Steiner et al, 2008, 2014). The topography of the watersheds is dominated by hills, with elevation ranging from 380 to 560 m asl in the FCREW, and 314 to 489 m asl in the LWREW.…”

Upper Washita River Experimental Watersheds: Meteorologic and Soil Climate Measurement Networks

“…In the early 1990s, the ARS Global Change, Water Resources and Agriculture program revitalized watershed research, which led to major instrumentation upgrades on the LWREW, including automated datalogging and reporting of weather variables. For our purposes, we refer to 1961 to 1994 as the manual data collection period, which approximates research Phases 1 and 2 of Steiner et al (2014), and 1994 to the present as the automated data collection period, which approximates research Phases 3 and 4 (Steiner et al, 2014). …”

Upper Washita River Experimental Watersheds: Physiography Data

“…They are also used to develop planning tools to evaluate and manage environmental and economic risks under variable climate, energy, and market conditions. Details of past and current research in the LWREW and FCREW have been discussed by Steiner et al (2008, 2014).…”