ABSTRACT:

The hydrology, chemistry, and biology of a stream are strongly interconnected, and must all be considered when assessing the overall state of a water body. In this investigation, we seek to answer the following research question:

What are the differences in water quality and quantity between a rural headwater stream and an urban main-stem river?

For our investigation, we measured, analyzed, and compared water quality and quantity characteristics in a rural headwater stream (Las Huertas Creek, abbreviated as LH) and an urban main-stem river (The Rio Grande, abbreviated as RG) located near and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At each of our two locations, we measured water quality and quantity at a downstream site (abbreviated as D), a midstream site (abbreviated as M), and an upstream site (abbreviated as U) for a total of six sites in our study. We defined these areas as the location abbreviation followed by the site abbreviation; for example, the Las Huertas Downstream site was defined as LH_D while the Rio Grande Upstream site was defined as RG_U.

To answer our research question, we measured hydrologic, chemical, and biological parameters at each of our six sites. For hydrology, we measured discharge and soil hydraulic conductivity; for chemistry, we measured temperature, specific conductivity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, anions, and cations; for biology, we measured chlorophyll a, benthic macroinvertebrates, organic matter, and riparian vegetation. Below is a description of our study locations and our parameter methods followed by parameter results and a discussion.

ABSTRACT:

The hydrology, chemistry, and biology of a stream are strongly interconnected, and must all be considered when assessing the overall state of a water body. In this investigation, we seek to answer the following research question:

What are the differences in water quality and quantity between a rural headwater stream and an urban main-stem river?

For our investigation, we measured, analyzed, and compared water quality and quantity characteristics in a rural headwater stream (Las Huertas Creek, abbreviated as LH) and an urban main-stem river (The Rio Grande, abbreviated as RG) located near and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At each of our two locations, we measured water quality and quantity at a downstream site (abbreviated as D), a midstream site (abbreviated as M), and an upstream site (abbreviated as U) for a total of six sites in our study. We defined these areas as the location abbreviation followed by the site abbreviation; for example, the Las Huertas Downstream site was defined as LH_D while the Rio Grande Upstream site was defined as RG_U.

To answer our research question, we measured hydrologic, chemical, and biological parameters at each of our six sites. For hydrology, we measured discharge and soil hydraulic conductivity; for chemistry, we measured temperature, specific conductivity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, anions, and cations; for biology, we measured chlorophyll a, benthic macroinvertebrates, organic matter, and riparian vegetation. Below is a description of our study locations and our parameter methods followed by parameter results and a discussion.

ABSTRACT:

The hydrology, chemistry, and biology of a stream are strongly interconnected, and must all be considered when assessing the overall state of a water body. In this investigation, we seek to answer the following Research Question:

What are the differences in water quality and quantity between a rural headwater stream and an urban main-stem river?

For our investigation, we measured, analyzed, and compared water quality and quantity characteristics in a rural headwater stream (Las Huertas Creek, abbreviated as LH) and an urban main-stem river (The Rio Grande, abbreviated as RG) located near and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At each of our two locations, we measured water quality and quantity at a downstream site (abbreviated as D), a midstream site (abbreviated as M), and an upstream site (abbreviated as U) for a total of six sites in our study. We defined these areas as the location abbreviation followed by the site abbreviation; for example, the Las Huertas Downstream site was defined as LH_D while the Rio Grande Upstream site was defined as RG_U.

To answer our research question, we measured hydrologic, chemical, and biological parameters at each of our six sites. For hydrology, we measured discharge and soil hydraulic conductivity; for chemistry, we measured temperature, specific conductivity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, anions, and cations; for biology, we measured chlorophyll a, benthic macroinvertebrates, organic matter, and riparian vegetation. Below is a description of our study locations and our parameter methods followed by parameter results and a discussion.

ABSTRACT:

These datasets summarize field results of snow density, dielectric permittivity, and calorimeter-based liquid water content estimates. The field sites are the Jemez River Basin and Cameron Pass time series sites as part of the NASA SnowEx 2020 and 2021 time series data collection. Snow density observations were made using a 1000 cc wedge cutter and scale with 1 g precision. Dielectric permittivity observations were made with an A2 Photonics WISe sensor with a 325 cc volume of influence. The melt calorimeter observations were made to estimate liquid water content of 20-30 g snow samples taken from the WISe sensor volume; temperature precision was 0.01 degrees celsius and mass 1 g. Two datasets have been quality controlled and assessed to ensure accurate data are being reported. These data include the bulk average density and permittivity during dry snow conditions; and density, permitivitty, and liquid water content during isothermal and wet snow conditions.