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Water-level and aerial thermal infrared imagery data collected along the lower Platte and Elkhorn Rivers, Nebraska, 2016-2017

September 30, 2019

This dataset includes measured water-levels, water-level contours, aerial thermal infrared (TIR) imagery, and a stream centerline that were used to describe groundwater movement and interaction with surface water between the lower Platte and lower Elkhorn Rivers upstream of their confluence. The study design described herein focused on understanding seasonal characteristics of groundwater movement and interaction with surface water during periods of high groundwater demand (June through August) and low groundwater demand (all other months). Measured groundwater level and surface-water level data were collected during a low groundwater demand period in fall of 2016 and a high groundwater demand period in summer of 2017. Two sets of water-level contours were manually digitized within a Geographic Information System (GIS) to describe groundwater movement and flow directions for the low groundwater demand period and the high groundwater demand period. A georeferenced mosaic of high-resolution, aerial thermal infrared (TIR) images of the lower Elkhorn River, Nebraska, are presented as a gridded (raster) image in GeoTiff format. The image is a 1.64-ft by 1.64-ft grid of corrected surface temperatures, in degrees Fahrenheit, of the lower Elkhorn River and adjacent area. The dataset encompasses a 10-mile reach of the river, from 0.4 miles upstream from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow-gaging station 06800500, Elkhorn River at Waterloo, Nebraska, to 1.8 miles downstream from USGS site 06800800, Elkhorn River at Q St Bridge near Venice, Nebraska. A reach centerline was manually digitized in a GIS along the 100-mile reach. Stream surface temperatures were extracted from the aerial TIR imagery and plotted against distance downstream to interpret groundwater discharge patterns.

Publication Year 2019
Title Water-level and aerial thermal infrared imagery data collected along the lower Platte and Elkhorn Rivers, Nebraska, 2016-2017
DOI 10.5066/P9EZLGSC
Authors Christopher M Hobza, Kellan R Strauch
Product Type Data Release
Record Source USGS Digital Object Identifier Catalog
USGS Organization Nebraska Water Science Center