Bethany Neilson

Utah State University | Associate Professor

Subject Areas: hydrology, groundwater/surface water interactions, surface water quality

 Recent Activity

ABSTRACT:

In the western US, major landscape modifications for flood conveyance and conversion of floodplains to crops have reduced the natural pathways of recharge and groundwater discharge. Combined with direct flow diversions for irrigation, these modifications result in depleted streamflows during the critical summer low flow period. Depleted streams are much more susceptible to extreme spatial and temporal temperature variability, which is inextricably linked to aquatic habitat suitability. However, in depleted streams, even small amounts of colder water (e.g., cool lateral inflows) can moderate temperatures and provide critical thermal refugia. While irrigation diversions reduce the amount of water instream, seepage from nearby irrigated areas and canal networks can enhance baseflows and moderate stream temperatures downstream of diversions. Some rivers now depend on these human-mediated return flows to maintain suitable flow and temperature conditions for river ecosystems over the dry season, making them sensitive to changes in land and water management. To improve our understanding of the role of irrigation diversions and shallow return flows on stream temperature patterns, we collected flow and temperature measurements along a diversion-depleted reach of the Blacksmith Fork River in northern Utah over three summers. We determined the significance of site-specific properties (shading, weather), channel morphology, and lateral inflows on spatial and temporal stream temperature patterns. We found that lateral inflows, most likely sourced from unlined canals, were a critical component for maintaining suitable river temperatures. This study informs local and regional water management efforts during low flow periods and highlights potential unintended consequences of irrigation efficiency projects that reduce seepage.

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ABSTRACT:

This resource contains Discharge and WSE for the Logan River Observatory gaging station at Temple Fork Creek above the confluence with the Logan River.

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ABSTRACT:

This document provides an overview of the accompanying data files used in the production of the manuscript entitled "Application of flow and ion data to estimate ungaged inflows and losses in urban and agricultural sub-reaches of the Logan River Observatory".

Flow_Mass_Balance_Data.csv
Discharge and ion data for the mainstem sites, tributaries, and diversions used in the flow and mass balance analysis.

Chemistry_Data.csv
Sampling locations and measured ion concentrations of ungaged inflows used in the HCA analysis.

Daily_Stream_Flow.csv
Daily averaged discharge data for the gages used in the net flow balance of R1 and R2.

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ABSTRACT:

Data collected in association with NSF-ARC 1204220.

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ABSTRACT:

Supporting data files for Neilson et al., 2018, Groundwater flow and exchange across the land surface explain carbon export patterns in continuous permafrost watersheds.

Flow and DOC data used in the manuscript can be found online at http://ine.uaf.edu/werc/projects/NorthSlope/imnavait/flume/flume.html and http://arclter.ecosystems.mbl.edu/data-catalog, respectively.

Permeability_Depth_Profile.xlsx
Figure S3a: Vertical permeability profile measured with KSAT or slug test methods and used in the vertically explicit groundwater model. KSAT done in lab, slug tests done in the field.

Porosity_Depth_Profile.xlsx
Figure S3b: Vertical porosity profile used in the vertically explicit groundwater model.

Fill_DEM_3m1.tif
Figures S1a and S4: Digital Elevation Model at 3 m resolution resampled from 20cm FodarDEM (http://fairbanksfodar.com/fodar-earth) and used in the vertically integrated groundwater model.

ALT_RawData_IncludeSmallGrid.xlsx
Figure S2: Top of casing elevation, ground surface elevation, water depth in well, total well length, and triplicate distance below land surface to frozen surface.

SurfaceTopography.xlsx
Figures 1, 2, S3, and S5: Land surface elevation profile used in the vertically explicit groundwater model.

Hydrozoid_DOC_to_WEB.xlsx
Figure S6: Soil dissolved organic carbon concentrations from Imnavait Creek.

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Resource Resource
Red Butte Creek discharge, temperature, and conductivity dataset
Created: July 14, 2016, 10:34 p.m.
Authors: Michelle Barnes · Trinity Stout · Hyrum Tennant · Bethany Neilson

ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains discharge, temperature, and conductivity observations collected longitudinally along Red Butte Creek. Data was collected at approximately 38 sites intermittently dispersed from the Foothill Drive Aquatic Station to the Knowltons Fork Aquatic Station, including tributaries. Periodic data collection began in June of 2014 and continued through the summer of 2015. Measurements were made at each of the sites to capture pre/post snowmelt, summer (high ET) and fall (low ET) conditions. Discharge was measured either using a SonTek Flow Tracker (velocity-area method) or a dilution gaging method (using the YSI 600 OMS and a salt tracer). Temperature and conductivity were measured at each discharge site using the YSI 600 OMS. GPS coordinates for each discharge site were recorded using a Garmin® GPSMAP 64. The purpose for these measurements is to determine areas of significant groundwater-surface water interaction.

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Resource Resource
Logan River discharge, temperature, conductivity, and chemistry datasets
Created: July 14, 2016, 11:01 p.m.
Authors: Bethany Neilson · Michelle Barnes · Trinity Stout · Hyrum Tennant

ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains discharge, temperature, conductivity, and ion concentration observations collected longitudinally along the Logan River. Data was collected at approximately 38 sites intermittently dispersed from the Mendon Road Aquatic Station to the Tony Grove Aquatic Station, including tributaries. Periodic data collection began in June of 2014 and continued through the summer of 2018. Measurements were made at each of the sites to capture pre/post snowmelt, summer (high ET), fall (low ET), and winter (Low ET) conditions. Discharge was measured using a SonTek Flow Tracker (velocity-area method). Temperature and conductivity were measured at each discharge site using the YSI 600 OMS. Ion samples were immediately filtered using either 0.7 um Whatman GF/F or 0.45 um Whatman Nylon Filters into acid-washed LDPE bottles and frozen (Chloride, Sulfate, Phosphate, Nitrate, Fluoride) or acidified with nitric acid (Sodium, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Ammonium). All samples were transported via cooler to the lab where they were frozen until analysis. Samples were measured by ion chromatography on a Metrohm Compact IC. Standard curves were calibrated using independent NIST-traceable standards, and standards were run as unknowns to check analytical precision. GPS coordinates for each discharge site were recorded using a Garmin® GPSMAP 64. The purpose for these measurements is to determine areas of significant groundwater-surface water interaction.

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Resource Resource
Provo River discharge, temperature, and conductivity dataset
Created: July 14, 2016, 11:24 p.m.
Authors: Michelle Barnes · Trinity Stout · Hyrum Tennant · Bethany Neilson

ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains discharge, temperature, and conductivity observations collected longitudinally along middle section of the Prove River. Data was collected at approximately 23 sites intermittently dispersed from the Charleston Aquatic Station to the USGS gaging station just below Jordanelle Dam, including tributaries. Periodic data collection began in June of 2014 and continued through August 2014. Measurements were made at each of the sites to capture pre/post snowmelt, summer (high ET) and fall (low ET) conditions. Discharge was measured using a SonTek Flow Tracker (velocity-area method). Temperature and conductivity were measured at each discharge site using the YSI 600 OMS. GPS coordinates for each discharge site were recorded using a Garmin® GPSMAP 64. The purpose for these measurements is to determine areas of significant groundwater-surface water interaction.

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Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

Introduction
This document provides an overview of the accompanying data files used in the production the accompanying manuscript. 
Text S1.
For each virtual gauging station, we have included:
1. NIR orthorectified mosaics for each flight
2. Low flow RGB orthorectified mosaic and DSMs
3. Shapefiles of the hydraulic model domains
4. HEC-RAS models
5. Total station channel surveys
6. In situ observations of wetted width and wetted widths extracted from imagery

WRR_GIS:
All of the imagery, digital surface models, and shapefiles for the hydraulic model domains (items 1-3 above) are included in the WRR_GIS folder. To view these data, launch the included ArcMap Map Document: KingEtAl_WRR_2017.mxd. Data reference paths are relative for inter computer fidelity. This map document was produced with ArcMap 10.3. The hydraulic domain shapefile data were used to produce the geometry files used in HEC-RAS with the HEC-GeoRAS toolkit.

WRR_HEC-RAS:
The HEC-RAS models (item 4 above), produced in HEC-RAS 5.0.3 are provided in the folder WRR_HEC-RAS. The project files for each virtual gauging station are located in WRR_HEC-RAS \ VGS# \ Projects where VGS# is virtual gauging station number of interest. These project files contain the information to run the open channel hydraulic models. Opening these files will prompt a warning message that some files were not found. These files were test runs that are not germane to the final results and were therefore not included in an attempt to minimize confusion. Note that HEC-RAS models follow our local naming convention and map onto the virtual gauging station naming convention as follows: VGS1 = Kup8US, VGS2 = Kup7DS, VGS3 = Kup5uus.

WRR_GroundTruthing:
The ground truthing data (items 5 and 6 above) are included in csv files within the WRR_GroundTruthing folder. Total station surveys are provided along with corresponding elevations extracted from the Digital Surface Models in csv files located at WRR_GroundTruthing \ ChannelSurveys \ VGS#TransectCompare.csv where VGS# is the virtual gauging station of interest. Observed wetted width and the corresponding wetted widths extracted from the NIR mosaics are provided in the csv file: WRR_GroundTruthing \ WettedWidths \ WettedWidthComparison.csv.

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Resource Resource
Logan River, flow and stage at Dewitt Springs
Created: Jan. 28, 2018, 6:48 p.m.
Authors: Bethany Neilson

ABSTRACT:

The QC0 file contains the raw pressure, temperature, and depth data collected by an in-situ AquaTroll. The QC1 file contains the quality-controlled depth data and the derived stage and discharge data. The depth data is a measure of the water surface elevation relative to the AquaTroll. The derived stage data is the water surface elevation relative to a benchmark at the site. The discharge data is calculated from the stage data using the relationship established from the site rating curve. The stage-discharge relationship was developed by making measurements of flow and stage under varying flow conditions and thus establishing a relationship between water depth and flow at the site. Flow measurements were made with a YSI Flowtracker handheld ADV using the velocity area method.

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Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

The QC0 file contains the raw pressure, temperature, and depth data collected by an in-situ AquaTroll. The QC1 file contains the quality-controlled depth data and the derived stage and discharge data. The depth data is a measure of the water surface elevation relative to the AquaTroll. The derived stage data is the water surface elevation relative to a benchmark at the site. The discharge data is calculated from the stage data using the relationship established from the site rating curve. The stage-discharge relationship was developed by making measurements of flow and stage under varying flow conditions and thus establishing a relationship between water depth and flow at the site. The barometric pressure data was collected using an in-situ BaroTroll. Flow measurements were made with a YSI Flowtracker handheld ADV using the velocity area method or a Teledyne StreamPro ADCP.

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Resource Resource
Logan River, flow and stage at Beaver Creek
Created: Jan. 28, 2018, 8:44 p.m.
Authors: Bethany Neilson

ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains flow and stage data for Beaver Creek, a tributary to the Logan River. The QC0 file contains the raw pressure, temperature, and depth data collected by an in-situ AquaTroll. The QC1 file contains the quality-controlled depth data and the derived stage and discharge data. The depth data is a measure of the water surface elevation relative to the AquaTroll. The derived stage data is the water surface elevation relative to a benchmark at the site. The discharge data is calculated from the stage data using the relationship established from the site rating curve. The stage-discharge relationship was developed by making measurements of flow and stage under varying flow conditions and thus establishing a relationship between water depth and flow at the site. Flow measurements were made with a YSI Flowtracker handheld ADV using the velocity area method.

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Resource Resource
Logan River, flow and stage at Wood Camp
Created: Jan. 28, 2018, 8:48 p.m.
Authors: Bethany Neilson

ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains stage and flow data at Wood Camp on the Logan River. The QC0 file contains the raw pressure, temperature, and depth data collected by an in-situ AquaTroll. The QC1 file contains the quality-controlled depth data and the derived stage and discharge data. The depth data is a measure of the water surface elevation relative to the AquaTroll. The derived stage data is the water surface elevation relative to a benchmark at the site. The discharge data is calculated from the stage data using the relationship established from the site rating curve. The stage-discharge relationship was developed by making measurements of flow and stage under varying flow conditions and thus establishing a relationship between water depth and flow at the site. Flow measurements were made with a YSI Flowtracker handheld ADV using the velocity area method or using a truck with a boomed and line attached to a weight and a Marsh Mcbirney Flo-mate 2000.

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Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains flow, stage, and barometric pressure data for Right Hand Fork, a tributary to the Logan River. The QC0 file contains the raw pressure, temperature, and depth data collected by an in-situ AquaTroll. The QC1 file contains the quality-controlled depth data and the derived stage and discharge data. The depth data is a measure of the water surface elevation relative to the AquaTroll. The derived stage data is the water surface elevation relative to a benchmark at the site. The discharge data is calculated from the stage data using the relationship established from the site rating curve. The stage-discharge relationship was developed by making measurements of flow and stage under varying flow conditions and thus establishing a relationship between water depth and flow at the site. Flow measurements were made with a YSI Flowtracker handheld ADV using the velocity area method. The barometric pressure data was collected using an in-situ BaroTroll.

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Resource Resource
Logan River, flow and stage at Ricks Spring
Created: Jan. 28, 2018, 9 p.m.
Authors: Bethany Neilson

ABSTRACT:

This dataset contains flow and stage data for Rick's Spring, a tributary to the Logan River. The QC0 file contains the raw pressure, temperature, and depth data collected by an in-situ AquaTroll. The QC1 file contains the quality-controlled depth data and the derived stage and discharge data. The depth data is a measure of the water surface elevation relative to the AquaTroll. The derived stage data is the water surface elevation relative to a benchmark at the site. The discharge data is calculated from the stage data using the relationship established from the site rating curve. The stage-discharge relationship was developed by making measurements of flow and stage under varying flow conditions and thus establishing a relationship between water depth and flow at the site. Flow measurements were made with a YSI Flowtracker handheld ADV using the velocity area method.

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Resource Resource
Supporting Information: Stream-centric methods for establishing groundwater contributions in karst mountain watersheds
Created: May 16, 2018, 11:57 p.m.
Authors: Bethany Neilson · Hyrum Tennant · Trinity Stout · Matthew Miller · Rachel Gabor · Yusuf Jameel · Mallory Millington · Andrew Gelderloos · Gabriel Bowen · Paul Brooks

ABSTRACT:

This document provides an overview of the accompanying data files used in the production of the manuscript entitled "Stream-centric methods for establishing groundwater contributions in karst mountain watersheds".

LR_site_Locations.xlsx:
Latitude and Longitude of sites gaged during the 2014, 2015, and 2016 sampling events.

LR_Field_Data_Summary.xlsx:
Flow and water quality data for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 sampling events.

LR_Chemistry_Summary.xlsx:
Latitude and Longitude of all springs sampled and the accompanying measured ion concentrations.

LR_Stream_Flow_Data.xlsx:
Daily averaged stream flow measurements used in the flow balance for R1, R2, R2a, and R2b.

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Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

These date files provide observations, model calibration, and model testing results used in King and Neilson 2019, "Quantifying Reach-Average Effects of Hyporheic Exchange on Arctic River Temperatures in an Area of Continuous Permafrost" published in Water Resources Research.

Note on Units:
All temperature values are in degrees Celsius.
All discharge values are in cubic meters per second
All solute concentrations are in milligrams sodium-chloride per L

Files Description:
ParetoOptimal_Solute_Temperature.dat:
Time series of simulated main channel solute breakthrough curve and temperature at 1500 m downstream of the injection location using the Pareto optimal model calibration.

Solute_EndMember_Solute_Temperature.dat:
Time series of simulated main channel solute breakthrough curve and temperature at 1500 m downstream of the injection location using the solute end member model calibration.

Temperauture_EndMember_Solute_Temperature.dat:
Time series of simulated main channel solute breakthrough curve and temperature at 1500 m downstream of the injection location using the temperature end member model calibration.

ParetoOptimal_HTS_Solute.dat:
Time series of simulated solute breakthrough curve in sediment at 1500 m downstream of the injection location using the Pareto optimal model calibration.

ParetoOptimal_HTS_Temp.dat:
Time series of simulated sediment temperature at 1500 m downstream of the injection location using the Pareto optimal model calibration.

YYYY-Site9-Site8_HeatFluxes-withHTS.DAT:
Time series of simulated heat fluxes for the test reach for the simulation period in year “YYYY” using the Pareto optimal model calibration.

YYYY-Site9-Site8_ModelOutput-withHTS.DAT:
Time series of simulated temperature at Site8 for the test reach for the simulation period in year “YYYY” using the Pareto optimal model calibration.

YYYY-Site9-Site8_ModelOutput-noHTS.DAT:
Time series of simulated temperature at Site8 for the test reach for the simulation period in year “YYYY” using the Pareto optimal model calibration, but setting QHTS to zero.

2015-Site8_HeatFlux_SedWarm+X.DAT:
Time series of simulated heat fluxes for the test reach in the simulation period in 2015 using Pareto optimal model calibration and changing observed ground temperatures by X degrees C.

2015-Site8_ModelTemp_SedWarm.DAT:
Time series of simulated main channel temperatures at Site8 for the test reach in the simulation period in 2015 using Pareto optimal model calibration and changing observed ground temperatures by plus or minus 1, 2 or 4 degrees C.

Site8_MCTemp_2013-2017_DegC.csv:
Time series of observed main channel temperature at Site 8.

Site8Discharge_cms.csv:
Time series of observed discharge at Site 8.

Site9_MCTemp_2013-2017_DegC.csv:
Time series of observed main channel temperature at Site 9.

Site9_Discharge_cms.csv:
Time series of observed discharge at Site 9.

Site9_Sediment_Temperatures_DegC.csv:
Time series of sediment/ground temperatures at Site 9 from 2017 at depths of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 cm below the river bed.

201707DDTS.csv:
Time series of main channel and piezometer solute concentrations and temperatures during tracer studies conducted on the “DD” day of July 2017.

Model_Cell_Extracted_Wetted_Widths_m_And_Interpolated_Discharge_cms.csv:
Wetted widths extracted from aerial imagery and associated spatially interpolated discharge for each 10 m model cell. These data were used to estimate reach average wetted widths for the calibration and test simulations.

KupSolarRad_2014-2016.csv:
Observed incoming and outgoing shortwave radiation at Site 9 in the summers (June – August) of 2014, 2015, and 2016. These observations were used to estimate time varying albedo.

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Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

Supporting data files for Neilson et al., 2018, Groundwater flow and exchange across the land surface explain carbon export patterns in continuous permafrost watersheds.

Flow and DOC data used in the manuscript can be found online at http://ine.uaf.edu/werc/projects/NorthSlope/imnavait/flume/flume.html and http://arclter.ecosystems.mbl.edu/data-catalog, respectively.

Permeability_Depth_Profile.xlsx
Figure S3a: Vertical permeability profile measured with KSAT or slug test methods and used in the vertically explicit groundwater model. KSAT done in lab, slug tests done in the field.

Porosity_Depth_Profile.xlsx
Figure S3b: Vertical porosity profile used in the vertically explicit groundwater model.

Fill_DEM_3m1.tif
Figures S1a and S4: Digital Elevation Model at 3 m resolution resampled from 20cm FodarDEM (http://fairbanksfodar.com/fodar-earth) and used in the vertically integrated groundwater model.

ALT_RawData_IncludeSmallGrid.xlsx
Figure S2: Top of casing elevation, ground surface elevation, water depth in well, total well length, and triplicate distance below land surface to frozen surface.

SurfaceTopography.xlsx
Figures 1, 2, S3, and S5: Land surface elevation profile used in the vertically explicit groundwater model.

Hydrozoid_DOC_to_WEB.xlsx
Figure S6: Soil dissolved organic carbon concentrations from Imnavait Creek.

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Resource Resource
NSF-ARC 1204220: Kuparuk River and Imnavait Creek
Created: July 30, 2018, 8:48 p.m.
Authors: Bethany Neilson

ABSTRACT:

Data collected in association with NSF-ARC 1204220.

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Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

This document provides an overview of the accompanying data files used in the production of the manuscript entitled "Application of flow and ion data to estimate ungaged inflows and losses in urban and agricultural sub-reaches of the Logan River Observatory".

Flow_Mass_Balance_Data.csv
Discharge and ion data for the mainstem sites, tributaries, and diversions used in the flow and mass balance analysis.

Chemistry_Data.csv
Sampling locations and measured ion concentrations of ungaged inflows used in the HCA analysis.

Daily_Stream_Flow.csv
Daily averaged discharge data for the gages used in the net flow balance of R1 and R2.

Show More
Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

This resource contains Discharge and WSE for the Logan River Observatory gaging station at Temple Fork Creek above the confluence with the Logan River.

Show More
Resource Resource

ABSTRACT:

In the western US, major landscape modifications for flood conveyance and conversion of floodplains to crops have reduced the natural pathways of recharge and groundwater discharge. Combined with direct flow diversions for irrigation, these modifications result in depleted streamflows during the critical summer low flow period. Depleted streams are much more susceptible to extreme spatial and temporal temperature variability, which is inextricably linked to aquatic habitat suitability. However, in depleted streams, even small amounts of colder water (e.g., cool lateral inflows) can moderate temperatures and provide critical thermal refugia. While irrigation diversions reduce the amount of water instream, seepage from nearby irrigated areas and canal networks can enhance baseflows and moderate stream temperatures downstream of diversions. Some rivers now depend on these human-mediated return flows to maintain suitable flow and temperature conditions for river ecosystems over the dry season, making them sensitive to changes in land and water management. To improve our understanding of the role of irrigation diversions and shallow return flows on stream temperature patterns, we collected flow and temperature measurements along a diversion-depleted reach of the Blacksmith Fork River in northern Utah over three summers. We determined the significance of site-specific properties (shading, weather), channel morphology, and lateral inflows on spatial and temporal stream temperature patterns. We found that lateral inflows, most likely sourced from unlined canals, were a critical component for maintaining suitable river temperatures. This study informs local and regional water management efforts during low flow periods and highlights potential unintended consequences of irrigation efficiency projects that reduce seepage.

Show More