ABSTRACT:

The following standard operating procedure (SOP) was created for the the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS), an NSF EPSCoR funded project (OIA 2019603) seeking to explore the impacts of stream drying on downstream water quality across Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho, and Mississippi. AIMS integrates datasets on hydrology, microbiomes, macroinvertebrates, and biogeochemistry in three regions (Mountain West, Great Plains, and Southeast Forests) to test the overarching hypothesis that physical drivers (e.g., climate, hydrology) interact with biological drivers (e.g., microbes, biogeochemistry) to control water quality in intermittent streams. An overview of the AIMS project can be found here: https://youtu.be/HDKIBNEnwdM

This protocol will detail the process for calibrating and launching STIC (Stream Temperature Intermittency & Relative Conductivity) sensors.

The "living" version of this SOP can be found on Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gTZ5MecE8Xjp6ymhH4rB92V_i1lH93Jv/edit

From this SOP, the following data types will be created: Time series of temperature and conductivity. [AIMS rTypes: STIC]

ABSTRACT:

Environmental data from AIMS research locations at Shane Creek, Kansas. Full description in 'Metadata' tab of excel data file.

Shane Creek, located north of Kings Creek in the Konza Prairie Biological Station (outlet location: 39.11522, -96.55838; 434 ha), is a native tallgrass prairie located in the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a long term ecological research station that has been in operation since 1980. Shane’s Creek is annually cattle-grazed and burned every three years. Konza is located in the Flint Hills of northern Kansas. In 2023, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in July; in 2024, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in September. Average annual precipitation for this site is 35.62 inches.

Further information for all data fields can be found in the "Data Types" tab of this file. In short, this resource contains data for sites across a suite of sensor types, denoted by the sublocation field. These sublocations include:
- "SW" -- a site where regular surface water sampling occurred, and contained a stilling well to record stream water level

This resource was created using geospatial analyses using publicly available topographic data (Digital Elevation Models, DEMs from the USGS National Map Downloader v2.0; https://apps.nationalmap.gov/downloader/).
Site locations GPS coordinates were collected using a eMLID Reach RX multi-band RTK rover.
Elevation was extracted from a DEM. All additional environmental data were derived from this DEM using whitebox functions for topographic and stream network analysis (Wu & Brown, 2022) in R version 4.4.0 (R Core Team, 2024).

Approach 1 site is outlet site, with a STIC, pressure transducer loggers, and YSI EXO and S::CAN
Approach 2 sites long term monitoring, equipped with pressure transducers and STICs
Additional sites with STICs

ABSTRACT:

Environmental data from AIMS research locations at Youngmeyer Ranch, Kansas. Full description in 'Metadata' tab of excel data file.

Youngmeyer Ranch is located in Elk County, KS (outlet location: 37.56442, -96.49106) and managed by Witchita State University and owned by the Youngmeyer Trust. The ranch is roughly 1902 ha of grassland prairie used predominantly for cattle grazing and is burned every 1-2 years. A tributary of the Elk River, specifically the south branch of the Elk River headwaters, elevation at Youngmeyer ranges from 373-488 m with mean annual temperature of 13.7°C and mean annual precipitation of 979mm. This site is geologically constructed of Permian age limestone and shale with layers of chert below silty clay loam soils (Houseman et al. 2016). This site is predominantly grassland composed of the same dominant grasses as Konza Prairie, with scattered black oaks (Q. veluntina) along the creeks (Houseman et al. 2016).

Houseman, G. R., M. S. Kraushar, and C. M. Rogers. 2016. The Wichita State University biological field station: Bringing breadth to research along the precipitation gradient in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 119(1):27-32.

Further information for all data fields can be found in the "Data Types" tab of this file. In short, this resource contains data for sites across a suite of sensor types, denoted by the sublocation field. These sublocations include:
- "SW" -- a site where regular surface water sampling occurred, and contained a stilling well to record stream water level

This resource was created using geospatial analyses using publicly available topographic data (Digital Elevation Models, DEMs from the USGS National Map Downloader v2.0; https://apps.nationalmap.gov/downloader/).
Site locations GPS coordinates were collected using a eMLID Reach RX multi-band RTK rover.
Elevation was extracted from a DEM. All additional environmental data were derived from this DEM using whitebox functions for topographic and stream network analysis (Wu & Brown, 2022) in R version 4.4.0 (R Core Team, 2024).

Approach 1 site is outlet site, with a STIC, pressure transducer loggers, and YSI EXO and S::CAN
Approach 2 sites long term monitoring, equipped with pressure transducers and STICs
Additional sites with STICs

ABSTRACT:

This study was conducted on the South Fork of the Kings Creek research watershed (outlet location: 39.092281, -96.58719) within Konza Prairie Biological Station (KBPS) near Manhattan (KS, USA). At the USGS gage located on the mainstem (06879560; est. 1979), Kings Creek is a 5th order intermittent stream draining 1059-ha of tallgrass prairie that is actively managed using controlled buns at varying frequencies (1-20 year return intervals) and grazing by bison or cattle. Kings Creek ranges in elevation from 338 to 430 m above sea level and drains into the Kansas River. The region is within a midwestern continental climate, with temperatures ranging from 4 to 22°C and mean annual precipitation averaging about 780 mm/yr.

This site lies within the Flint Hills ecoregion of eastern KS and northeastern OK, has a mean annual temperature of 11.7ºC (1983-2020), and 811 mm annual precipitation (1983-2020) with high interannual variability and an estimated 75% of annual precipitation occurring during late spring and early summer (Hayden 1998, Sadayappan et al. 2023). The AIMS study catchment, the South Fork of Kings Creek, is grazed by bison year-round, and includes sub-catchments with variable prescribed burn history, but the entire study area was burned in early April 2021. The riparian vegetation is deciduous gallery forest and the highest portion of the landscape is tallgrass prairie (Dodds et al. 2004) dominated by warm-season grasses, though woody encroachment has occurred in most subwatersheds (Sadayappan et al. 2023)*. The underlying bedrock of the Flint Hills ecotone is characterized as limestone, mudstone, and shale with predominately silty clay loam soils that rest atop (Hayden 1998, Vero et al. 2018).

This resource contains the YSI field data from AIMS approaches 1 (maintenance samples ~every 3 weeks), 2 (seasonal sampling), and 3 (syntopic sampling event) samplings at King's Creek. During sampling, a YSI Pro1030 Waterproof Handheld meter was placed in the stream and numbers were allowed to stabilize while water sampling took place. Data is not available when the site was dry - as noted by the flow_state column. In addition, some sampling events lacked a YSI handheld and data is therefore missing.

ABSTRACT:

Shane Creek, located north of Kings Creek in the Konza Prairie Biological Station (outlet location: 39.11522, -96.55838; 434 ha), is a native tallgrass prairie located in the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a long term ecological research station that has been in operation since 1980. Shane’s Creek is annually cattle-grazed and burned every three years. Konza is located in the Flint Hills of northern Kansas. In 2023, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in July; in 2024, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in September. Average annual precipitation for this site is 904.7 mm.
These data were collected in support of the sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. This study took place in Shane’s Creek (434 ha) at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a long term ecological research station that has been in operation since 1980. Shane’s Creek is annually cattle-grazed and burned every three years. Konza is located in the Flint Hills of northern Kansas. In 2023, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in July; in 2024, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in September. Average annual precipitation for this site is 35.62 inches.

We constructed a wooden stream diversion structure halfway down a 380m reach containing four pools and three riffles above and below the structure. The structure had 4 1-foot diameter holes installed with PVC couplers. Four 130m corrugated flexible tubes were laid out from the diversion structure to the bottom of the impact reach. We deployed 20 STICs throughout the control and impact reach to quantify the extent of drying using rebar. Construction and preparation occurred in February and March, when the stream was dry, to minimize construction-related disturbances to the experimental sampling. Prior to experimental dry down, water was able to flow from upstream (control reach) to downstream (impact reach) through the holes. We obtained pre-dry down sampling to collect a reference point for both the control and impact reaches. These “pre-dry week X” samples were collected from April to mid-July due to multiple flooding events (April 25th, June 26th, and July 3rd) that disrupted the experimental setup and required redeployment of experimental structures and equipment. During the experimental dry down (“dry week X” samples), we attached the tubes to the couplers in the diversion structure. Flow was diverted around the impact reach into the downstream watershed for five weeks, during which we collected weekly samples. Following the final forced drying sampling, tubes were cut from their couplers to allow flow to resume in the impact reach (“re-wet week X” samples). After 6 hours, we performed day 0 re-wet sampling. Twenty four hours later, we performed day 1 re-wet sampling. One week later, the stream began to naturally dry down in both the control and impact reaches, and collected weekly natural dry down samples for two weeks (“natural dry down week X” samples).

This resource contains the YSI field data from AIMS approaches 1 (maintenance samples ~every 3 weeks), 2 (seasonal sampling), and 3 (syntopic sampling event) samplings at King's Creek. During sampling, a YSI Pro1030 Waterproof Handheld meter was placed in the stream and numbers were allowed to stabilize while water sampling took place. Data is not available when the site was dry - as noted by the flow_state column. In addition, some sampling events lacked a YSI handheld and data is therefore missing.

ABSTRACT:

This resource contains high-frequency EXOS sensor data, including conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, fdom, and temperature from the King's Creek watershed. This study was conducted on the South Fork of the Kings Creek research watershed (outlet location: 39.092281, -96.58719) within Konza Prairie Biological Station (KBPS) near Manhattan (KS, USA). At the USGS gage located on the mainstem (06879560; est. 1979), Kings Creek is a 5th order intermittent stream draining 1059-ha of tallgrass prairie that is actively managed using controlled buns at varying frequencies (1-20 year return intervals) and grazing by bison or cattle. Kings Creek ranges in elevation from 338 to 430 m above sea level and drains into the Kansas River. The region is within a midwestern continental climate, with temperatures ranging from 4 to 22°C and mean annual precipitation averaging about 780 mm/yr.

This site lies within the Flint Hills ecoregion of eastern KS and northeastern OK, has a mean annual temperature of 11.7ºC (1983-2020), and 811 mm annual precipitation (1983-2020) with high interannual variability and an estimated 75% of annual precipitation occurring during late spring and early summer (Hayden 1998, Sadayappan et al. 2023). The AIMS study catchment, the South Fork of Kings Creek, is grazed by bison year-round, and includes sub-catchments with variable prescribed burn history, but the entire study area was burned in early April 2021. The riparian vegetation is deciduous gallery forest and the highest portion of the landscape is tallgrass prairie (Dodds et al. 2004) dominated by warm-season grasses, though woody encroachment has occurred in most subwatersheds (Sadayappan et al. 2023)*. The underlying bedrock of the Flint Hills ecotone is characterized as limestone, mudstone, and shale with predominately silty clay loam soils that rest atop (Hayden 1998, Vero et al. 2018).

Included in this excel file are four tabs: 1. Metadata: methods, authorship and site information; 2. Data Types: column descriptions for each data file in this resource; 3. Site_info; site name, latitude and longitude for the site at which the sensor was deployed; 4. QAQC'ed EXO data

Sensors were maintained every three weeks according to this SOP: Flynn, S., S. Godsey, R. Hale, R. Lanfear, E. Seybold, S. Speir, M. Wolford (2025). Sensor Maintenance SOP, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/f056a431a6794d2dbf9f6206c00ac560
Sensors were calibrated quarterly according to this SOP: Flynn, S., R. Lanfear, E. Seybold (2025). Sensor Calibration SOP, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/85fa713daf0142a4b45e3bc8ff1d1e30
FDOM was corrected for Turbidity and Temperature according to the methods from Downing et al 2012.
For YSI data, please see: Flynn, S., C. L. Brown, R. J. Ramos, A. Sommerville, c. dorantes, M. Busch, E. Seybold, A. Burgin (2025). King's Creek, field data (AIMS_GP_KNZ_YSIS), HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/85fd35211db04e6a8cc9b73c6e09781e
For the water depth time series, please see Zipper, S., C. L. Brown, E. Seybold (2025). Kings Creek (Konza Prairie) Pressure Transducer Data (AIMS_GP_KNZ_PRES), HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/6a7e26d57f254c2c8ba5900cfade5bbe
For the discharge time series, please see *Link DISC data from site as a related resource!!*
For information about installing sensors, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/703cf05242f7455c8dfb072dd072c962/
For information about nutrient grab sample data, please see Smith, C., C. L. Brown, S. Flynn, S. Plont, S. Speir, M. Busch, C. Atkinson (2025). AIMS King's Creek nutrient data (AIMS_GP_KNZ_NUTR), HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/4489fca6b315463f9146a9187dbce070
For information about DOC grab sample data, please see Plont, S., S. Speir, M. Wolford, N. Jones, S. Flynn, C. L. Brown, E. Seybold (2025). AIMS_GP_KNZ_DOCS, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/5a0e948d60354dfbb3834224fbc424fe

ABSTRACT:

This resource includes information on the water quality time series data collected using the YSI EXO2 multi-parameter water quality sondes from the Shane's Creek watershed. Shane Creek, located north of Kings Creek in the Konza Prairie Biological Station (outlet location: 39.11522, -96.55838; 434 ha), is a native tallgrass prairie located in the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a long term ecological research station that has been in operation since 1980. Shane’s Creek is annually cattle-grazed and burned every three years. Konza is located in the Flint Hills of northern Kansas. In 2023, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in July; in 2024, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in September. Average annual precipitation for this site is 904.7 mm.

Included in this excel file are four tabs: 1. Metadata: methods, authorship and site information; 2. Data Types: column descriptions for each data file in this resource; 3. Site_info; site name, latitude and longitude for the site at which discharge was calculated; 4. QAQC'ed EXO data

Sensors were maintained every three weeks according to this SOP: https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/f056a431a6794d2dbf9f6206c00ac560/#citation
Sensors were calibrated quarterly according to this SOP: https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/85fa713daf0142a4b45e3bc8ff1d1e30/
FDOM was corrected for Turbidity and Temperature according to the methods from Downing et al 2012.
For the water depth time series, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/403c8307ce314485bb7f7970f6705f73/
For the discharge time series, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/a5bc472a8f3546fca9267f580f4eb216/
For information about installing sensors, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/703cf05242f7455c8dfb072dd072c962/
For YSI field data, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/08868f39db5c47468aee7717e019302c/
For watershed environmental data, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/aa609ce01c1249b980789ec1ea4b2bfa/
For DOC grab sample data, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/431e1cd7210942a98e66006f669247ff/
For nutrient grab sample data, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/6afd64dba89c4e7db689850b04da4f9f/

ABSTRACT:

This resource includes information on the water quality time series data collected using the YSI EXO2 multi-parameter water quality sondes from Youngmeyer Ranch. Youngmeyer Ranch is located in Elk County, KS (outlet location: 37.56442, -96.49106) and managed by Witchita State University and owned by the Youngmeyer Trust. The ranch is roughly 1902 ha of grassland prairie used predominantly for cattle grazing and is burned every 1-2 years. A tributary of the Elk River, specifically the south branch of the Elk River headwaters, elevation at Youngmeyer ranges from 373-488 m with mean annual temperature of 13.7°C and mean annual precipitation of 979mm. This site is geologically constructed of Permian age limestone and shale with layers of chert below silty clay loam soils (Houseman et al. 2016). This site is predominantly grassland composed of the same dominant grasses as Konza Prairie, with scattered black oaks (Q. veluntina) along the creeks (Houseman et al. 2016)

Houseman, G. R., M. S. Kraushar, and C. M. Rogers. 2016. The Wichita State University biological field station: Bringing breadth to research along the precipitation gradient in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 119(1):27-32.
Included in this excel file are four tabs: 1. Metadata: methods, authorship and site information; 2. Data Types: column descriptions for each data file in this resource; 3. Site_info; site name, latitude and longitude for the site at which discharge was calculated; 4. QAQC'ed EXO data

Sensors were maintained every three weeks according to this SOP: Flynn, S., S. Godsey, R. Hale, R. Lanfear, E. Seybold, S. Speir, M. Wolford (2025). Sensor Maintenance SOP, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/f056a431a6794d2dbf9f6206c00ac560
Sensors were calibrated quarterly according to this SOP: Flynn, S., R. Lanfear, E. Seybold (2025). Sensor Calibration SOP, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/85fa713daf0142a4b45e3bc8ff1d1e30
FDOM was corrected for Turbidity and Temperature according to the methods from Downing et al 2012.
For YSI data, please see: dorantes, c., S. Flynn, C. L. Brown, M. Busch, A. Sommerville, E. Seybold, A. Burgin (2025). Youngmeyer Ranch, field data (AIMS_GP_YMR_YSIS), HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/1340cc98ea9b47eea46964a6dd93ba5c
For the water depth time series, please see Zipper, S., C. L. Brown, E. Seybold (2025). Youngmeyer Ranch Pressure Transducer Data (AIMS_GP_YMR_PRES), HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/b24c6fadbd80440ca4b64bc2a4692a60
For the discharge time series, please see
For information about installing sensors, please see https://www.hydroshare.org/resource/703cf05242f7455c8dfb072dd072c962/
For DOC grab sample data, please see Plont, S., S. Speir, M. Wolford, N. Jones, S. Flynn, C. L. Brown, E. Seybold (2025). AIMS_GP_YMR_DOCS, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/11076f1909d44468acc478cca2dc7ebc
For nutrient grab sample data, please see Smith, C., C. L. Brown, S. Flynn, S. Plont, S. Speir, M. Busch, C. Atkinson (2025). AIMS Youngmeyer Ranch nutrient data (AIMS_GP_YMR_NUTR), HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/364342b391ee4f769a7adf4eb2cd58d6
For watershed environmental data, please see Brown, C. L., S. Zipper, M. Busch (2025). Youngmeyer Ranch, KS Environmental Data (AIMS_GP_YMRV1.0), HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/d499a6e70f6a4ab3af42e922027e1448

ABSTRACT:

This study was conducted on the South Fork of the Kings Creek research watershed (outlet location: 39.092281, -96.58719) within Konza Prairie Biological Station (KBPS) near Manhattan (KS, USA). At the USGS gage located on the mainstem (06879560; est. 1979), Kings Creek is a 5th order intermittent stream draining 1059-ha of tallgrass prairie that is actively managed using controlled buns at varying frequencies (1-20 year return intervals) and grazing by bison or cattle. Kings Creek ranges in elevation from 338 to 430 m above sea level and drains into the Kansas River. The region is within a midwestern continental climate, with temperatures ranging from 4 to 22°C and mean annual precipitation averaging about 780 mm/yr.

This site lies within the Flint Hills ecoregion of eastern KS and northeastern OK, has a mean annual temperature of 11.7ºC (1983-2020), and 811 mm annual precipitation (1983-2020) with high interannual variability and an estimated 75% of annual precipitation occurring during late spring and early summer (Hayden 1998, Sadayappan et al. 2023). The AIMS study catchment, the South Fork of Kings Creek, is grazed by bison year-round, and includes sub-catchments with variable prescribed burn history, but the entire study area was burned in early April 2021. The riparian vegetation is deciduous gallery forest and the highest portion of the landscape is tallgrass prairie (Dodds et al. 2004) dominated by warm-season grasses, though woody encroachment has occurred in most subwatersheds (Sadayappan et al. 2023)*. The underlying bedrock of the Flint Hills ecotone is characterized as limestone, mudstone, and shale with predominately silty clay loam soils that rest atop (Hayden 1998, Vero et al. 2018).

These data were collected in support of the sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. 14 pressure transducers were placed in seven sets of nested groundwater and surface water monitoring wells along the Youngmeyer watershed,as well as an additional pressure transducer hanging from a tree at the watershed outlet to collect barometric pressure throughout sites in the watershed. These pressure transducers collected data from 2021 through 2024. These nested well locations monitored water level continuously throughout the project, as well as served as the AIMS approach 2 sampling locations, where a field team co-collected datasets characterizing the hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecology across seven locations within the Talladega watershed six times across two years.

These sensors were set to collect temperature and pressure data every 15 or 30 minutes starting from 2021 through 2025. The raw pressure data were converted to water level using barometric pressure data and surveyed elevation data. Each .csv file is associated with a single sensor for a single year.

See the included AIMS_GP_KNZ_PRESdata_ReadME.xlsx file for more details.

ABSTRACT:

Shane Creek, located north of Kings Creek in the Konza Prairie Biological Station (outlet location: 39.11522, -96.55838), is a native tallgrass prairie that experiences cattle grazing and burning every 1-2 years.

These data were collected in support of the sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. 7 pressure transducers were placed in surface water monitoring wells along the Shane Creek watershed, as well as an additional pressure transducer hanging from a tree at the watershed outlet to collect barometric pressure. These pressure transducers collected data from 2023 through 2024. These nested well locations monitored water level continuously throughout the project, as well as served as the AIMS approach 2 sampling locations, where a field team co-collected datasets characterizing the hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecology across seven locations within the watershed.

These sensors were set to collect temperature and pressure data every 15 minutes starting from 2023 through 2024. The raw pressure data were converted to water level using barometric pressure data and surveyed elevation data. Each .csv file is associated with a single sensor for a single year.

For additional details see the AIMS_GP_SHN_PRESdata_ReadME.xlsx file.

ABSTRACT:

Youngmeyer Ranch is located in Elk County, KS (outlet location: 37.56442, -96.49106) and managed by Wichita State University and owned by the Youngmeyer Trust. The ranch is roughly 1902 ha of grassland prairie used predominantly for cattle grazing and is burned every 1-2 years. A tributary of the Elk River, specifically the south branch of the Elk River headwaters, elevation at Youngmeyer ranges from 373-488 m with mean annual temperature of 13.7°C and mean annual precipitation of 979mm. This site is geologically constructed of Permian age limestone and shale with layers of chert below silty clay loam soils (Houseman et al. 2016). This site is predominantly grassland composed of the same dominant grasses as Konza Prairie, with scattered black oaks (Q. veluntina) along the creeks (Houseman et al. 2016).

These data were collected in support of the sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. 14 pressure transducers were placed in seven sets of nested groundwater and surface water monitoring wells along the Youngmeyer watershed,as well as an additional pressure transducer hanging from a tree at the watershed outlet to collect barometric pressure throughout sites in the watershed. These pressure transducers collected data from 2021 through 2024. These nested well locations monitored water level continuously throughout the project, as well as served as the AIMS approach 2 sampling locations, where a field team co-collected datasets characterizing the hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecology across seven locations within the watershed.

These sensors were set to collect temperature and pressure data every 15 minutes starting from 2021 through 2024. The raw pressure data were converted to water level using barometric pressure data and surveyed elevation data. Each .csv file is associated with a single sensor for a single year.

For more information, see the AIMS_GP_YMR_PRESdata_ReadME.xlsx file in the resource.

ABSTRACT:

This study was conducted on the South Fork of the Kings Creek research watershed (outlet location: 39.092281, -96.58719) within Konza Prairie Biological Station (KBPS) near Manhattan (KS, USA). At the USGS gage located on the mainstem (06879560; est. 1979), Kings Creek is a 5th order intermittent stream draining 1059-ha of tallgrass prairie that is actively managed using controlled buns at varying frequencies (1-20 year return intervals) and grazing by bison or cattle. Kings Creek ranges in elevation from 338 to 430 m above sea level and drains into the Kansas River. The region is within a midwestern continental climate, with temperatures ranging from 4 to 22°C and mean annual precipitation averaging about 780 mm/yr. Between June 10th, 2021 and December 31, 2024, we monitored surface water level at the outlet (SFM01) of the AIMS Kings Creek watershed at 10 minute intervals using a vented pressure transducer (Seametrics PT12 vented pressure/temperature sensor). Over the study period, we collected field measurements of discharge (in liters per second) during maintenance visits every three weeks at the watershed outlet. We then used these field discharge estimates with corresponding water level measurements from the continuous record to generate a discharge-stage rating curve and estimate continuous discharge.

ABSTRACT:

Shane Creek, located north of Kings Creek in the Konza Prairie Biological Station (outlet location: 39.11522, -96.55838; 434 ha), is a native tallgrass prairie located in the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a long term ecological research station that has been in operation since 1980. Shane’s Creek is annually cattle-grazed and burned every three years. Konza is located in the Flint Hills of northern Kansas. In 2023, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in July; in 2024, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in September. Average annual precipitation for this site is 904.7 mm. Between March 24th, 2023 and November 12th, 2024, we monitored surface water level at the outlet (SHM01) of the AIMS Shane Creek watershed at 10 minute intervals using a vented pressure transducer (Seametrics PT12 vented pressure/temperature sensor). Over the study period, we collected field measurements of discharge (in liters per second) during maintenance visits every three weeks at the watershed outlet. We then used these field discharge estimates with corresponding water level measurements from the continuous record to generate a discharge-stage rating curve and estimate continuous discharge.

ABSTRACT:

Youngmeyer Ranch is located in Elk County, KS (outlet location: 37.56442, -96.49106) and managed by Witchita State University and owned by the Youngmeyer Trust. The ranch is roughly 1902 ha of grassland prairie used predominantly for cattle grazing and is burned every 1-2 years. A tributary of the Elk River, specifically the south branch of the Elk River headwaters, elevation at Youngmeyer ranges from 373-488 m with mean annual temperature of 13.7°C and mean annual precipitation of 979mm. This site is geologically constructed of Permian age limestone and shale with layers of chert below silty clay loam soils (Houseman et al. 2016). This site is predominantly grassland composed of the same dominant grasses as Konza Prairie, with scattered black oaks (Q. veluntina) along the creeks (Houseman et al. 2016) Between July 18th, 2021 and December 13th, 2024, we monitored surface water level at the outlet (ENM01) of the AIMS Youngmeyer Ranch watershed at 10 minute intervals using a vented pressure transducer (Seametrics PT12 vented pressure/temperature sensor). Over the study period, we collected field measurements of discharge (in liters per second) during maintenance visits every three weeks at the watershed outlet. We then used these field discharge estimates with corresponding water level measurements from the continuous record to generate a discharge-stage rating curve and estimate continuous discharge.

ABSTRACT:

This resource includes Stream Temperature, Intermittency, and Conductivity (STIC) data collected from the Shane Creek Experimental Reach within the Konza Prairie Biological Station. These data were collected in support of the sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. This study took place in Shane’s Creek (434 ha) at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a long term ecological research station that has been in operation since 1980. Shane’s Creek is annually cattle-grazed and burned every three years. Konza is located in the Flint Hills of northern Kansas. In 2023, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in July; in 2024, the outlet of the stream wet up in March and dried down in September. Average annual precipitation for this site is 35.62 inches.

We constructed a wooden stream diversion structure halfway down a 380m reach containing four pools and three riffles above and below the structure. The structure had 4 1-foot diameter holes installed with PVC couplers. Four 130m corrugated flexible tubes were laid out from the diversion structure to the bottom of the impact reach. We deployed 20 STICs throughout the control and impact reach to quantify the extent of drying using rebar. Two additional STICs were deployed in the riparian zone as control STICs. Construction and preparation occurred in February and March, when the stream was dry, to minimize construction-related disturbances to the experimental sampling. Prior to experimental dry down, water was able to flow from upstream (control reach) to downstream (impact reach) through the holes. We obtained pre-dry down sampling to collect a reference point for both the control and impact reaches. These “pre-dry week X” samples were collected from April to mid-July due to multiple flooding events (April 25th, June 26th, and July 3rd) that disrupted the experimental setup and required redeployment of experimental structures and equipment. During the experimental dry down (“dry week X” samples), we attached the tubes to the couplers in the diversion structure. Flow was diverted around the impact reach into the downstream watershed for five weeks, during which we collected weekly samples. Following the final forced drying sampling, tubes were cut from their couplers to allow flow to resume in the impact reach (“re-wet week X” samples). After 6 hours, we performed day 0 re-wet sampling. Twenty four hours later, we performed day 1 re-wet sampling. One week later, the stream began to naturally dry down in both the control and impact reaches, and collected weekly natural dry down samples for two weeks (“natural dry down week X” samples). Each .csv file is associated with a single sampling site and sublocation.

ABSTRACT:

This resource contains high-frequency YSI EXO2 water quality sensor data collected at the outlet of the Gibson Jack Creek watershed, including conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, fluorescent dissolved organic matter, and temperature. Located near Pocatello, ID, Gibson Jack Creek (outlet location: 42.7853, -112.4446) drains 1,620 ha of the US Forest Service Research Natural Area within the Caribou National Forest. Predominantly forested with deciduous trees, sub-alpine fir, and Douglas fir, and with woody shrubs, sagebrush, and grasses, Gibson Jack spans an elevation range of 1,555-2,130 m, with a mean annual temperature of 6.5°C and mean annual precipitation of 614.5 mm. The watershed spans a rain-to-snow transition zone, with rainfall at lower elevations and snowfall at upper elevations. Gibson Jack Creek drains to the Portneuf River and is heavily recreated by the local community. These data were collected in support of the core sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. Between March 2022 and October 2024, surface water quality and physicochemistry were monitored at the watershed outlet (GSS01) at 15-minute intervals using a multi-parameter sonde (YSI EXO2).

ABSTRACT:

This resource contains high-frequency YSI EXO2 water quality sensor data collected at the outlet of the Johnston Draw watershed, including conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, fluorescent dissolved organic matter, and temperature. Johnston Draw is a 1.8 km² watershed in southwestern Idaho, USA (outlet location: 43.1226, -116.776) located within the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory in western Idaho, a research center with cattle grazing. Elevation ranges from approximately 1,490 to 1,850 m. The mean annual precipitation in the watershed is 550 mm/yr with rainfall occurring at the lower elevations and snowfall, resulting in large drifts, at the higher elevations (Godsey et al., 2018). Mean annual temperature ranges from 8.9°C at the bottom of the watershed to 4.7°C near the top. These data were collected in support of the core sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. Between May 2022 and July 2023, surface water quality and physicochemistry were monitored at the watershed outlet (JSS01) at 15-minute intervals using a multi-parameter sonde (YSI EXO2).

ABSTRACT:

Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations reflect hydrologic, climatic, and biological processes that regulate stream ecosystem function, while DO regimes are emergent ecosystem states arising from these interacting hydrologic and biological processes. Thus, DO regimes offer a framework for understanding DO dynamics and drivers across diverse stream networks. In non-perennial streams, recurrent transitions among flowing, pooled, and dry phases alter the balance between physical and biological processes that regulate DO, making these ecosystems particularly vulnerable to oxygen stress and sensitive indicators of how hydrology mediates ecosystem function. We analyzed high-frequency DO, hydrologic, and climatic data from eight non-perennial watersheds across the intermountain west, Great Plains, and southeastern forest regions of the United States to characterize DO regimes and their environmental drivers. Using multivariate clustering, we identified three diel DO states: oxygenated (concentrations near saturation with low diel variability), transitional (large diel fluctuations), and hypoxic (low saturation with little diel fluctuation). Random forest and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analyses revealed that active surface drainage network (ASDN) is the key driver of DO regimes: increased ASDN and discharge promoted oxygenated states, while reduced network extent, higher temperatures, and greater light availability intensified biological oxygen demand and favored transitional and hypoxic states. This regime-based framework provides a transferable, mechanistic context for understanding and anticipating changes in DO dynamics across diverse stream ecosystems.

ABSTRACT:

This resource contains high-frequency stage and discharge data collected at the outlet of the Gibson Jack Creek watershed. Located near Pocatello, ID, Gibson Jack Creek (outlet location: 42.7853, -112.4446) drains 1,620 ha of the US Forest Service Research Natural Area within the Caribou National Forest. Predominantly forested with deciduous trees, sub-alpine fir, and Douglas fir, and with woody shrubs, sagebrush, and grasses, Gibson Jack spans an elevation range of 1,555-2,130 m, with a mean annual temperature of 6.5°C and mean annual precipitation of 614.5 mm. The watershed spans a rain-to-snow transition zone, with rainfall at lower elevations and snowfall at upper elevations. Gibson Jack Creek drains to the Portneuf River and is heavily recreated by the local community. These data were collected in support of the core sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. Between March 2022 and October 2024, stage and discharge were monitored at the watershed outlet (GSS01) at 15-minute intervals.

ABSTRACT:

This resource contains high-frequency stage and discharge data collected at the outlet of the Johnston Draw watershed, including conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, fluorescent dissolved organic matter, and temperature. Johnston Draw is a 1.8 km² watershed in southwestern Idaho, USA (outlet location: 43.1226, -116.776) located within the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory in western Idaho, a research center with cattle grazing. Elevation ranges from approximately 1,490 to 1,850 m. The mean annual precipitation in the watershed is 550 mm/yr with rainfall occurring at the lower elevations and snowfall, resulting in large drifts, at the higher elevations (Godsey et al., 2018). Mean annual temperature ranges from 8.9°C at the bottom of the watershed to 4.7°C near the top. These data were collected in support of the core sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. Between March 2022 and October 2024, stage and discharge were monitored at the watershed outlet (GSS01) at 15-minute intervals.