USGS EcoDrought Streamflow and Water Temperature Data from Submersible Pressure Transducers in Massachusetts, Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Mission Area (WMA) - Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA) EcoDrought project is comprised of interdisciplinary teams across the United States focused on the nexus between drought and ecosystem processes. To characterize streamflow conditions in EcoDrought study areas, gage height (stage) and water temperature data were collected using submersible pressure transducers (PTs) in eleven small streams across the US. During various durations from 2019 to 2024, assorted configurations of vented (In-Situ TROLL® 700H) and unvented (Onset HOBO® U20L-04) submersible PTs were installed as “compact” streamgages with minimal infrastructure at thirteen sites in four states: 2 sites in Massachusetts (MA); 2 sites in Colorado (CO); 3 sites in Idaho (ID); 6 sites in Oregon (OR). Corresponding regional USGS Water Science Centers installed and operated the compact streamgages following USGS reference streamgage procedures (for example, hydraulically stable infrastructure and regular sensor check measurements and drift corrections; Sauer and Turnipseed, 2010). Additionally, the compact streamgages in MA, CO, and ID were collocated with existing USGS reference streamgages, permitting 1) the application of reference gage height-discharge rating models to compact gage height data to produce compact discharge data and 2) the comparison of compact and reference gage height (and discharge) data.

For the collocated streamgages, continuous gage height, discharge, water temperature, and barometric pressure data, as well as gage height-discharge rating models, are provided here to enable comparison of compact and reference streamflow records as the basis for evaluations of submersible PT accuracy. For the non-collocated streamgages in OR, continuous absolute (combined water and barometric) pressure, water temperature, and barometric pressure data are provided here to support previously published sensor depth records and enable evaluation of the influence of barometric sensor placement on sensor depth, and therefore gage height, accuracy.

This documentation describes an Excel file containing information for each site including USGS site numbers and names, latitude, longitude, and elevation, compact streamgage instrumentation, deployment durations, and repository locations for all included and related datasets.

References:
Sauer, V.B., and Turnipseed, D.P., 2010, Stage measurement at gaging stations: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 3-A7, https://doi.org/10.3133/tm3a7.