Water Level and Temperature Data of the Greater Charleston Region (Ashley, Cooper, and Wando Rivers), Field Collected 2021 May-November

Steven L. Dykstra1,2*, Ray Torres1, Enrica Viparelli2, Stefan A. Talke3, Alexander E. Yankovsky1
1School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Corresponding Author: Steven L. Dykstra (stevenldykstra@gmail.com)

Abstract/Details
Water levels and temperatures were collected in the greater Charleston Harbor Region during a six-month field campaign in 2021 (Figure 1).  Eight HOBO sensors were deployed at Fort Moultrie (site: H0), Elliot Cut (site: EC), and further inland along the upper Wando River (sites: W32, W38, W43, W49), the Ashley River (site: A58), and the Cooper River (site: C73) (Table 1).  Sensors recorded pressure and temperature at 15-minute intervals.  They were fixed near the bed at elevations within 20cm of the lowest recorded water levels (except for H0, the sensor was approximately 2m above the bed).  One additional HOBO sensor collected atmospheric pressure at site C73 to correct for barometric effects.  Water levels were surveyed at each site with a RTK GPS to convert local observations to a common vertical datum, NAVD88.  Data post-processing was completed in MatlabTM following the HOBO manufacture documentation: Using a Reference Water Level and Using a Barometric Datafile (Onset Computer Corporation, 2008).  Our quality control revealed that very low water levels exposed the sensor at W43 to the air for periods<3 hours.  These data points were replaced using a spline interpolation.  Further data details are shown in Table 1, including site locations and length of records.  This effort supports the research of Dykstra et al. (in-prep).  

Cite as:
Dykstra, S. L., Torres, R., Viparelli, E., Talke, S. A., Yankovsky, A. E. (2022). Water Level and Temperature Data of the Greater Charleston Region (Ashley, Cooper, and Wando Rivers), Field Collected 2021 May-November, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/87a32300574b4489b1716d5ed058c085

Acknowledgement
This data was made possible through an ASPIRE grant from the University of South Carolina.  

Key Words
Water Level, Charleston, Wando River, Cooper River, Ashley River, Temperature, South Carolina, HOBO, tide, estuary, tidal river


References
Onset Computer Corporation (2008). Barometric Compensation Assistant. White Paper Series. https://www.onsetcomp.com/files/support/tech-notes/onsetBCAguide.pdf
Dykstra, S. L.; Viparelli, E.; Torres, R.; Yankovsky, S.; Talke, S. A. (in-prep). Storm Surge and Tidal Reflection in Convergent Estuaries with Dams, the case of Charleston, USA.


Figure 1. Map of the greater Charleston Harbor System, showing the location of available water level data (purple dots).  Data published here are stations H0, EC, A58, C73, W32, W38, W43, and W49.  

Table 1. Site locations and distances inland from Fort Moultrie (H0) at the mouth to Charleston Harbor.  
Name
Distance Inland (km)
Latitude
Longitude
Record Length (days)
H0
0.0
32.7577
-79.8588
36
EC
--
32.7686
-79.9926
36
C73
73.3
33.1593
-79.9930
163
A58
58.4
32.9683
-80.2531
163
W32
32.1
32.9236
-79.7698
126
W38
37.9
32.9260
-79.7220
126
W43
42.6
32.9618
-79.7148
127
W49
49.0
32.9887
-79.6746
127