Data from: “Significant stream chemistry response to temperature variations in a high-elevation mountain watershed”

Dataset · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.15485/1892055· OSTI ID:1892055

Williams, Kenneth ^[1]; Dong, Wenming ^[2]; Brown, Wendy ^[3]; Carroll, Rosemary ^[4]; Li, Li ^[5]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Pennsylvania State University
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
3. Bugs Unlimited, LLC
4. Desert Research Institute
5. Pennsylvania State University

High-elevation mountain regions, central to global freshwater supply, are experiencing more rapid warming than low-elevation locations. High-elevation streams are therefore potentially critical indicators for earth system and water chemistry response to warming. Here we present concerted hydroclimatic and biogeochemical data from Coal Creek, Colorado in the central Rocky Mountains at elevations of 2700 to 3700 m, where air temperatures have increased by about 2 °C since 1980. We analyzed water chemistry every other day from 2016 to 2019. Water chemistry data indicate distinct responses of different solutes to inter-annual hydroclimatic variations. Specifically, the concentrations of solutes from rock weathering are stable inter-annually. Solutes that are active in soils, including dissolved organic carbon, vary dramatically, with double to triple peak concentrations occurring during snowmelt and in warm years. We advocate for consistent and persistent monitoring of high elevation streams to record early glimpse of earth surface response to warming.1) Coal Creek stream were sampled and measured to answer the question if there is a significant stream chemistry response to climate change in high-elevation watershed2) The file contains data regarding discharge, water temperature and stream chemistry data for 2016-2019 year. Stream chemistry includes dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, chloride, nutrients, cations. The data collection efforts were carried out by the DOE-funded "Advancing a Watershed Hydro-Biogeochemical Theory: Linking Water Travel Time and Reaction Rates Under Changing Climate" project and Watershed Function SFA.

• Research Organization: Environmental System Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem; Advancing a Watershed Hydro-Biogeochemical Theory: Linking Water Travel Time and Reaction Rates Under Changing Climate
• Sponsoring Organization: U.S. DOE > Office of Science > Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• OSTI ID: 1892055
• Report Number(s): paf_847_847
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Additional project funding - Watershed Function SFA
Discharge
River stage/discharge
carbon
cations
nutrients
stream chemistry
water temperature